I dont believe Joel has any relation to the forest city clan.  He has generally done admirable things, but in this case i have a feeling he will be seeking an affordable component.  I agree he seems to be needlessly stepping in the way here. 

Here's a Crain's article from two years ago about Joel Ratner and his background. The last sentence says he is not related to the Forest City Ratners......

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20101013/FREE/101019938

^Does anybody have any inside scoop on all of this especially this Joel Ratner guy (is he a member of the FCE clan?).  Why is he throwing a monkey wrench into the works?  He seems to calling for delay and "more imput for the neighborhood" for no good reason.  What is his agenda?  Is this some sort of power play?  I am very confused by this, especially when we have a developer that is so gun ho and has completed projects in the past.

 

I'm not surprised by this at all.  His agendas seem to comprise inserting himself wherever he can to hitch a ride on others plans.  He has not been well received from what I have heard.

Even though T.J. Dow didn't comment, it looks like he's shepherding this process along to get the resolution through ASAP. I don't think Joel Ratner's monkey wrench is turning out to be a very significant one.

 

Surely the last name Ratner, not that extremely common of a surname, isn't just a coincidence in this city...

There's actually a profile piece on Joel Ratner this week on freshwatercleveland.com(timely coincidence). It sheds light on his opposition or tepid support for the Upper Chester project. In the article he describes himself as 'not a real estate guy' and instead advocates a hollistic neighborhood building approach(very generally- "good schools, public transit, and little league") as community and economic development. He argues that solely building market-rate housing for neighborhood economic development is largely a policy failure and it must be led with building community and neighborhood assets and amenities to make our neighborhoods attractive and healthy. So that will be NPI's track from now on with him at the helm, and I think that's great. But the train has long left the station on Upper Chester and I personally don't think it is necessary that it be delayed any further. It might be good to have NPI around demanding Upper Chester have strong design and community connections to the Hough neighborhood.

^Thanks for the info bluemeanie.

 

One of the best parts of the initial Upper Chester plan was its integration with the existing neighborhood scale.  I'm sure it's just a pre-design schematic, but the illustration in the Cleveland.com piece (http://media.cleveland.com/business_impact/photo/11924228-large.jpg) definitely didn't convey any of that same flavor.  If this thing goes forward, I do hope the city insists on a high quality site plan and designs.  With all the public subsidy that would go into this, the city certainly has every right to insist on certain things.

I'm sure it's just a pre-design schematic, but the illustration in the Cleveland.com piece (http://media.cleveland.com/business_impact/photo/11924228-large.jpg) definitely didn't convey any of that same flavor.  If this thing goes forward, I do hope the city insists on a high quality site plan and designs.  With all the public subsidy that would go into this, the city certainly has every right to insist on certain things.

 

Hi StrapHanger -

 

Yes, the map that we ran is just an overview, based on the site plan for the project. It doesn't show any of the architecture or detail from the Finch Group's plans, in part because designs are changeable and that's not what the city is looking at now. But the Finch Group did file a booklet with the city, and that presentation includes some massing studies and architecture. If you have time to come to the Cleveland City Planning Commission meeting tomorrow (9 a.m. at City Hall), I'm guessing some of that information might be displayed.

 

Michelle

There's actually a profile piece on Joel Ratner this week on freshwatercleveland.com(timely coincidence). It sheds light on his opposition or tepid support for the Upper Chester project. In the article he describes himself as 'not a real estate guy' and instead advocates a hollistic neighborhood building approach(very generally- "good schools, public transit, and little league") as community and economic development.

 

Sounds like someone who went to Case...  :wink:

Thanks Michelle! We love when you stop by :D

Yes, thanks Michelle!  Totally makes sense.  And looking back at the massings in earlier Cleveland.com coverage (like this Steve Litt piece http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/2008/03/upper_chester_plans_are_exciti.html), your diagram is generally pretty consistent with the original, so maybe not much has changed.  I wish I could make it to the CPC meeting, but I don't live in the area.  I look forward to hearing more about the project as it unfolds.

so far, I have to agree with the comments regarding joel ratner and upper chester... his holistic approach to community  development is fine,  but this project is being proposed because of university circle and cleveland clinic not hough... 

 

And so it is that Ratner -- an energetic leader who believes that good schools, public transit and Little League are as critical to neighborhood success as development -- became head of an organization that historically has focused largely on bricks and mortar.

 

but does not the restoration of league park and the health tech line meet two of his listed criteria?

On Monday's City Council agenda....

 

Ord. No. 1697-12

 

By Council Members Dow, Brancatelli, Cleveland, and Kelley (by departmental request)

 

Authorizing the Director of Community Development to enter into a development agreement with The Finch Group, Inc., or its approved designee, for the sale and redevelopment of certain City-owned parcels including certain Land Reutilization Program parcels located in the Upper Chester Target Area, defined as a part of the Hough neighborhood bounded by Chester Avenue on the South, East 101st Street and Ansel Road on the East, the rear or southerly property line of parcels on the South Side of Hough Avenue on the North, and East 93rd Street on the West.

Planning Commission green lights... Moving forward

^Were you at the meeting?

Much needed! 

 

I'm thinking University Circle/Hough will see population increases next census at this rate of new construction.

 

Planning Commission supports Upper Chester proposal in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood

By Michelle Jarboe McFee, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

on November 30, 2012 at 12:15 PM, updated November 30, 2012 at 12:16 PM

Print 

 

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland City Planning Commission lent its support this morning to an apartment and retail proposal in the Hough neighborhood, despite concerns expressed by the Cleveland Clinic and a nonprofit development group.

 

The vote was a key hurdle for legislation permitting the city to enter a development agreement with the Finch Group, a Florida company. That agreement allows the city to sell the developer land in an area known as Upper Chester, after the Finch Group lines up financing, gains control of other properties and produces more detailed plans.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/11/planning_commission_votes_in_f.html

 

^Were you at the meeting?

 

Yes but I had to leave for a class, someone texted me the outcome though. Not really a big surprise...

 

Cleveland needs more developers who are enthusiastic about well-planned projects.

More news and discussion:

 

Upper Chester plan in Cleveland's Hough gets OK despite institutional concerns

By Michelle Jarboe McFee, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer

on December 04, 2012 at 6:00 AM, updated December 04, 2012 at 7:22 AM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Finch Group can start putting together a $94 million project in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood, after City Council support overrode the objections of several powerful institutions.

 

In a 19-0 vote Monday evening, the council approved legislation that will help the developer seek tax credits and loans to remake a district known as Upper Chester.

 

The city now can enter a development agreement and, eventually, sell land to the Finch Group, once the company lines up financing, gains control of other properties and produces more detailed plans.

 

The vote was a big step for Upper Chester, a blighted area viewed as one of Cleveland's greatest redevelopment opportunities. But the decision won't quash the debate over the best way to transform vacant stretches of land between East 93rd and East 101st streets and running north from Chester toward Hough Avenue.

 

"This is not an end. This is a beginning," Wes Finch, founder and chairman of the Finch Group of Boca Raton, Fla., told council members during a committee meeting Monday morning.

 

He plans to meet Thursday with officials from the Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University and nonprofit groups with significant investments in the area. Meetings with Hough residents, organized by Councilman T.J. Dow, could be held early next year.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/12/upper_chester_project_plan_in.html

It'd be nice if some of the institutions that are against the plans would actually state their concerns.  It seems like they are obstructing for the sake of it.  I'm sure the Clinic's only concern is that they'd rather have it all leveled for surface parking.  Despite the happy talk, they have still to demonstrate any real interest in seeing the communities around their campus strengthened.  And I'm real sad to see what seems like a change in NPI to, what, exactly?  A reversion to do-nothing 70's "equity" planning?

Yeah, it's very difficult to know what's going on here based solely on the news coverage.  I can't say the Clinic has a lot of credibility here, but I'd be curious what's on the minds of Case and the Cleveland Foundation.  As I think more about this, part of me is open to the idea that the process should be rebooted given the hotter rental market, Case's announced plans for the West Quad, and just the passage of time since Finch signed on five years ago. If you're going to pile on public subsidies and use public/non-profit land, the idea of accepting fresh proposals isn't really so bad if the goals are appropriate (e.g., good design, market rate, connectivity to nearby institutions).  There may now be several developers interested instead of just one.

 

Yeah, it's very difficult to know what's going on here based solely on the news coverage.  I can't say the Clinic has a lot of credibility here, but I'd be curious what's on the minds of Case and the Cleveland Foundation.  As I think more about this, part of me is open to the idea that the process should be rebooted given the hotter rental market, Case's announced plans for the West Quad, and just the passage of time since Finch signed on five years ago. If you're going to pile on public subsidies and use public/non-profit land, the idea of accepting fresh proposals isn't really so bad if the goals are appropriate (e.g., good design, market rate, connectivity to nearby institutions).  There may now be several developers interested instead of just one.

 

The problem with that is that it slows down the process of actually getting anything done. No one knows what the economic environment is going to be next year, especially if we go off the fiscal cliff. So I'm of the belief that you gotta get it done and done quickly. I don't want to take the chance of a delay that ends up pushing this thing back another 5 years

I am concerned about what Finch will have to agree to in order to secure the financing.  Mainly, how many 'market-rate' apartments will the final, financially backed plans call for?

^Just to clarify, are you worried Finch is primarily interested in the Tax Credit elderly housing?  Given their track record in the area, I'm less worried about that.  I think they are pursuing elder housing (as opposed to other affordable) specifically to make it as palatable at possible to market-rate tenants.  Who knows though.

 

The problem with that is that it slows down the process of actually getting anything done. No one knows what the economic environment is going to be next year, especially if we go off the fiscal cliff. So I'm of the belief that you gotta get it done and done quickly. I don't want to take the chance of a delay that ends up pushing this thing back another 5 years

 

That's true- it's always risky to slow things down.  But on the flip side, had UCI and Case mobilized to develop some of the earlier proposals for the Uptown site, we would have had development sooner, but it would have been much crappier (think grass setbacks, no retail). Ultimately, a lot will depend on seeing Finch's specific plans. 

^Just to clarify, are you worried Finch is primarily interested in the Tax Credit elderly housing?  Given their track record in the area, I'm less worried about that.  I think they are pursuing elder housing (as opposed to other affordable) specifically to make it as palatable at possible to market-rate tenants.  Who knows though.

 

The problem with that is that it slows down the process of actually getting anything done. No one knows what the economic environment is going to be next year, especially if we go off the fiscal cliff. So I'm of the belief that you gotta get it done and done quickly. I don't want to take the chance of a delay that ends up pushing this thing back another 5 years

 

That's true- it's always risky to slow things down.  But on the flip side, had UCI and Case mobilized to develop some of the earlier proposals for the Uptown site, we would have had development sooner, but it would have been much crappier (think grass setbacks, no retail). Ultimately, a lot will depend on seeing Finch's specific plans. 

 

Every indication right now is that Finch is excited to do an urban development that will strengthen the Chester corridor and tie it into "Greater UC." The market is very uncertain and I agree with the rationale that IF this development is well-designed (the site plan looks good), then we have a very brief window of economic clouds-parting to take advantage of in order to get this project done.

 

If it's going to take Case (which is probably worried about housing competition) and the Clinic (which as stated above has plundered its surrounding urban context for parking lots) several months to explicitly state what their gripe is, then we should just move along, nothing to see here.

University Circle's Uptown development offers lessons for budding Upper Chester project

Published: Saturday, December 29, 2012, 3:00 PM    Updated: Saturday, December 29, 2012, 3:00 PM

By Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer

 

 

The widely praised Uptown development in University Circle, which has transformed an urban dead zone at the edge of Case Western Reserve University, is about to get even better as it quickly heads into its second phase with more housing and retail.

 

Uptown’s success is great news for Cleveland, and holds lessons for Upper Chester, a long delayed project in the area that may soon get under way. More on that in a moment.

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/2012/12/university_circles_uptown_deve.html#incart_river_default

I don't like the comparison.  Uptown was not a deadzone at the edge of the action..... it was semi-dead zone centrally located in the middle of the action, located along the Healthline, and in any area which was already somewhat saturated with residents.  Uptown was infill in UC while Upper Chester would largely be an expansion of UC's effective footprint. 

 

The comparison might be sketchy, but there is a lot of things Uptown did right. Any developer in the area would be wise in using them as an example of how to do urban development properly.

 

For somebody pushing so hard to get his tax credits, you would think Finch would be further along with the final site design with renderings. It's no wonder people are skeptical about a plan written on the back of a napkin.

Upper Chester developer hopes to start work in early 2014 on $42 million, 177-unit apartment building

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After years of delays, debate and deliberations, the empty lots stippling the southeast edge of Cleveland's Hough neighborhood might see shovels soon.

 

The Finch Group, a Florida developer with a foothold in Cleveland, hopes to start construction early next year on a 177-unit apartment building at East 97th Street and Chester Avenue. The $42 million project is the first step toward remaking Upper Chester, a broad stretch of land north of the Cleveland Clinic's main campus and west of University Circle.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/09/upper_chester_developer_hopes.html#incart_river_default

And there's this companion article.....

 

Westlake Reed Leskosky design for Upper Chester apartments sets a positive tone for the bright future of a current dead zone

By Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer

on September 19, 2013 at 8:00 AM, updated September 19, 2013 at 8:26 AM

 

It takes all kinds of buildings to make a city. Some want to be glamour-pusses that hog all the attention. Others hover in the background. They play a supporting role by giving shape and definition to the public spaces around them, which are the real focus of attention.

 

A 177-unit apartment and retail building proposed by developer Wes Finch as the first phase of his 38-acre Upper Chester development falls into the latter category. That’s absolutely fine, because it’s what the occasion calls for.

 

Renderings of the project, which are scheduled to be presented Thursday morning to the Euclid Corridor Design Review Committee, depict a neat, crisp, quietly confident six-story structure with light-colored brick and glass facades that would blend comfortably into many American cities without attracting a great deal of attention.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.cleveland.com/architecture/index.ssf/2013/09/westlake_reed_leskosky_design.html

Not a HUGE fan of the design but I am excited for the project nonetheless. At least it's built up to the sidewalk!

 

EDIT: After reading the Steven Litt article I like the project design more, I didn't realize it had as much glass as it does. i also appreciate the parking layout being in the rear.

Oh man, this could be great.  It's shame Chester is such a dog of a street.  Hopefully the Clinic/Case med school project improves the southern edge, and includes a replacement for that blech drug store.

Glad to hear the project is finally moving forward. I think it has the potential to do a lot for that area, and allow/encourage further development to the West/North.

This also helps guarantee the clinic doesn't absorb more land into its main campus. Now it will be blocked to the north by this project, to the east by the park and CWRU, the west by that zaremba town houses project from a few years ago. All that's left is to the clinic's south.

 

The initial buildings look like they are going to be an awesome addition to the neighborhood. Now if the western campus can ever get off the ground :-)

 

 

When they actually break ground Ill get excited. It should be a great project if completed.

Question: Is this project designed to lure young professionals that work in the Cleveland Clinic and

University Circle or is it designed for the people that live in that neighborhood. 

New residents.

^^I would generally say the former although the future senior housing, which appears to be subsidized, would probably draw primarily from the neighborhood.

The demand is absolutely there.  Although I'm not sure if the enjoy the aesthetics, you cannot deny the much improved urban footprint/design embracing Chester.  Grocery store??!

They need to get rid of that parking in the front of the building.

I know it's a distant, future phase, so subject to change, but the portion of the plan north of Newton Ave looks pretty awful.

They need to get rid of that parking in the front of the building.

 

Yeah, I don't get that. I think that space would make a terrific outdoor dining/event area.

FYI: discussion of overall rising rents was moved to the following thread so that we can discuss it in further detail without taking this thread off-topic:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,24830.0.html

Yeah, I could do without the parking fronting Chester ... We do this all over town - "It'll just be parking until the next phase". See FEB for another example. And just ask the Avenue District how quickly street-adjacent surface parking is getting absorbed.

 

That aside, great effort here ... That I think only truly works with some serious traffic calming along Chester. I can't think of too many streets in Cleveland that are less appealing to walk across. So if you're hoping people will be walking from the medical school to the grocery, we need to make that walk seem a little less life-threatening.

What's being presented to Planning Commission this week........

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2013/10032013/index.php

 

City Planning Commission

Agenda for October 4, 2013

 

EC2013-037 - Upper Chester Housing

Project Address: 9751 Chester Avenue

Project Representatives: Mark Dodds, The Finch Group

Phil LiBassi, Westlake Reed Leskosky

Vince Leskosky, Westlake Reed Leskosky

Michael Fant, Westlake Reed Leskosky

Kevin Madison, Robert P. Madison International

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow, I had no idea Newton Avenue was so packed for 3/4 of a block.  Pretty cool.

^Newton Ave is awesome. I initially didn't understand how they were going to fit a bikeway on it given its narrowness and the need for parking to serve the houses there, but I'm guessing now that the master plan would offer these residents off-street parking, maybe in the lot next to the community garden, and the on-street parking would be removed?  That could be cool. 

 

Still not a fan of site plan for the townhouses along Woodward. I'm guessing they have a pretty generic off the shelf unit model in mind with no private yard space.  The shared green space, sawtoothed building masses, and orientation towards driveways/parking just looks like meh exurban "townhomes," which is kind of disappointing.

 

Anyone know what "Part 4" would be? Short residential tower over retail base?

Action! This a request for a variance for a non-permitted use.....

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/bza/agenda/2013/crr11-18-2013.pdf

 

Board of Zoning Appeals

 

November 18, 2013

 

Ward 7

Calendar No. 13-223: 9751 Chester Avenue T J Dow

 

City of Cleveland, owner, and The Finch Group, prospective purchaser, appeal to erect a

six-story 207,770 square foot, mixed use building with retail and 177 dwelling units, pro-

posed to be developed on a 162,317 square foot lot and 221 accessory parking spaces on

property located in zoning for Multi-Family, General Retail and One-Family Districts;

subject to the limitations under Section 337.02( 8 ) the retail use is not permitted in One

Family or Multi-Family zoning districts; and 21 parking spaces are proposed in the front

yard setback where parking is not a permitted encroachment according to the provisions

of Section 357.13(b); and pursuant to Section 349.04 parking is required at the rate of

one space per dwelling unit, plus one space per 500 square feet of retail space, requiring

a parking allocation formula showing compliance or a zoning variance for the parking

deficiency; and contrary to Section 349.07, a gravel surface is proposed for approximate-

ly half of the proposed parking area where all vehicle maneuvering areas, driveways and

parking lots must be paved, hard surfaced; and one bicycle parking space or stall must

be provided for every 20 automobile parking spaces, up to a maximum of 24 bicycle park-

ing spaces, in accordance with Section 349.15© in the Cleveland Codified Ordinances.

(Filed 10-1-13)

What would be the reason for having a portion of the parking lot not paved?

^maybe that is temporary parking where Phase 2 is going and they don't want to incur the cost when it will just be ripped up.  Just a guess.

Are the apartments at the NE Corner of Newton and 97th new, or newly renovated?

^They were renovated about 5-7 years ago, I believe, by Famicos.