This is probably the as-yet undeveloped NW corner of Chester and 101st. But 101st goes south of Chester too. Could it be another corner?

If they're building on top of the Rite Aid, Fire Station, or Cleveland Sight Center then yes.

You don't see any of those as capable of being demolished? Granted, it's probably the Upper Chester corner, but the agenda doesn't provide a site address.

 

As an interesting aside... The Rite Aid sits on Clinic property. That single-use structure needs to go away. As does the fire station and sight center structure.

Of course they can, just stating the impediments to building on those sites.  I too would love to see all three of those corners redeveloped.  The Sight Center is a really large piece of property, too.

Residence Inn hotel added to reconfigured Innova apartment project in Cleveland

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Fewer, and smaller apartments. And roughly 160 hotel rooms.

 

That's the gist of reconfigured plans for the second phase of the Innova building, which stretches along Chester Avenue in Cleveland's Hough neighborhood, just north of the Cleveland Clinic's main campus.

 

Developer Wes Finch is collaborating with DelMonte Hotel Group on an eastward expansion of Innova, a 177-unit apartment building that opened last year.

Good to see another decent-sized hotel popping up in and around University Circle.  Clearly, the addition of the Double Tree, Courtyard at Mayfield & Euclid, and the Holiday Inn on the CCF campus has not yet saturated a market that didn't even really exist until the beginning of this decade.  Does anyone know if these hotels get most of their business from family members of UH/Clinic patients--i.e., "medical tourists"?  Or are they also serving more traditional tourists looking to see the Art Museum, MOCA, Severance Hall, Natural History Museum, etc.?

 

It's a little disappointing, though, to hear that demand for the $2,000/month apartments is less than expected.  MJM did say that there is a waiting list for the $1,500 units so the good news is that there's still plenty of interest in the neighborhood.  The bad news is that there's a little sticker shock going on.  Hopefully, this won't prevent developers from getting financing for new construction in this area, especially the 3-C project nearby.

Good to see another decent-sized hotel popping up in and around University Circle.  Clearly, the addition of the Double Tree, Courtyard at Mayfield & Euclid, and the Holiday Inn on the CCF campus has not yet saturated a market that didn't even really exist at the beginning of this decade.  Does anyone know if these hotels get most of their business from family members of UH/Clinic patients--i.e., "medical tourists"?  Or are they also serving more traditional tourists looking to see the Art Museum, MOCA, Severance Hall, Natural History Museum, etc.?

 

It's a little disappointing, though, to hear that demand for the $2,000/month apartments is less than expected.  MJM did say that there is a waiting list for the $1,500 units so the good news is that there's still plenty of interest in the neighborhood.  The bad news is that there's a little sticker shock going on.  Hopefully, this won't prevent developers from getting financing for new construction in this area, especially the 3-C project nearby.

I'm sure the apartments would do better with a more pedestrian friendly area. It's not far at all from UC but seems so far due to the set up and being so car oriented. With UC3, they may start to see more demand as you said.

I was going to say, there are not many lights on in that building which indicated many of the units are not being lived in.  I guess there are some Doc/students that are willing to pay for the proximity to CCF, but otherwise its sort of an icky location with little directly around it. 

I guess the hotel idea is a way of dealing with the lower than expected demand and would at least be on the end that's closest to University Circle.       

$2000 is almost 4x what I spend on my modest abode.  Might need to have more pedestrian amenities online before that becomes a reasonable number, even for people who work across the street.  I really value what these guys are doing as the first major development in a bad area.  The more amenities you have, the more they feed off each other, and it's a rough go when you're all alone.  But hopefully their presence makes the next development on Chester that much easier.

Here is the reconfigured site plan.

I'm disappointed to see the parking lot at the east end of Newton Avenue. I was hoping this development would restore a more befitting east end to one of the most unique streets in Cleveland (like individually designed, craftsman-type houses). Instead we get a parking lot. C'mon Cleveland. You can do better.

I think that might be Parking for the Maltz Performing Arts Ctr.

No.  Maltz has plenty of its own parking.  This lot currently exists and is being used for construction vehicle parking.   

But they do identify it as.parking for their events

^I think KJP was referring to the new lot that is (will be?) part of this project, on the west side of E101.

^I think KJP was referring to the new lot that is (will be?) part of this project, on the west side of E101.

 

Which again is the one I'm referring to.  The unrelated one that Freethink has posted is indicating the lots that are adjacent to Maltz.

^I think KJP was referring to the new lot that is (will be?) part of this project, on the west side of E101.

 

OK. I thought he was talking about the one to the East of Newton. The one across the street. Simple mistake.

Here's a graphic from the CPC website about the parking lot and its context with the existing houses on Newton Avenue. Is this supposed to show how the parking lot meshes with the housing??

 

That lot could be future development. Its only 28 spaces, which the garage could absorb.

That lot could be future development. Its only 28 spaces, which the garage could absorb.

 

I'm hoping it will be. But I feel bad for the residents of Newton. Parking lots are like litter magnets and the fences around them are like litter nets.

 

Anyhoo, here's a graphic presentation of the phasing of the Phase 1 apartments (already built), Phase 2 apartments (planned with the hotel) and the hotel....

 

 

 

 

 

Walgreen's?

 

 

 

This explains the Walgreen's in the above graphics....

 

Michelle Jarboe ‏mjarboe[/member]  58m58 minutes ago

Ground-floor lineup at Innova in #CLE includes @Walgreens, Penn Station subs, Vietnamese eatery, bakery, deli and daycare. @CLEcityplanning

Walgreens and Penn Station has been part of the plans for nearly a year along with signs in the windows indicating such.  It has been discussed at great lengths here.  Thus the added discussion of why things seemed to stop progressing and the signs removed. 

^ So, does this mean the Rite-Aid across the street may be open for development, since Walgreens bought Rite-Aid? I would love to see that property developed properly, but I'm also skeptical because it's such a new building.

Most were assuming that was why the sign came down and construction stopped in the space at Innova (as the Right-Aid space was new and freestanding with its own parking/and therefore preferred), but if its true Walgreens is still part of the Innova picture then at some point the Rite Aid spot will come into play.   

 

Of course, since the Clinic owns the Rite Aid site, we shouldn't get our hopes up too much about what it might be redeveloped into. The menu for peripheral land includes lawn, parking, and electrical substation.

Of course, since the Clinic owns the Rite Aid site, we shouldn't get our hopes up too much about what it might be redeveloped into. The menu for peripheral land includes lawn, parking, and electrical substation.

 

And ponds!!

Of course, since the Clinic owns the Rite Aid site, we shouldn't get our hopes up too much about what it might be redeveloped into. The menu for peripheral land includes lawn, parking, and electrical substation.

 

Maybe the Clinic will replace Rite Aid with the second phase of a substation??

 

Seriously though, it's good to finally hear about Walgreens and the other retailers. Hopefully the Clinic will see how useful a public, ground-floor use can be to more than just the occupants above the ground floor.

Pesky parking variance...

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/bza/agenda/2016/crr03-21-2016.pdf

 

Board of Zoning Appeals

MARCH 21, 2016

9:30

Calendar No. 16-028: 1900 East 101 St. Ward 7

TJ Dow

7 Notices

Innova Phase 2 L.P., owner, proposes to erect an 8 story, 161 suite, extended stay hotel in an F3

Local Retail Business District. The owner appeals for relief from the following Sections of the

Cleveland Codified Ordinances:

1. Section 343.11(b)(5) which states that a Hotel use is first permitted in a General Retail

Business District.

3 | P a g e

2. Section 349.04(a) which states that off-street parking is required at the rate of one for each

dwelling unit plus one for each four guest rooms, plus one for each three employees. Parking

compliance will be achieved with the construction of planned garage and parking lot on

adjacent phased development lots, for which permits have not yet been issued. (Filed

February 19, 2016)

 

I can't believe WRL would have their name on a design like that.

These shakedowns used to happen in Cleveland a lot 30+ years ago  and scared off a lot of investors. Seems a few folks have forgotten this and think they're more special than they are....

 

$100 million project near Cleveland Clinic blocked by Cleveland Councilman TJ Dow: Mark Naymik

http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2016/03/100_million_project_near_cleve.html

These shakedowns used to happen in Cleveland a lot 30+ years ago  and scared off a lot of investors. Seems a few folks have forgotten this and think they're more special than they are....

 

$100 million project near Cleveland Clinic blocked by Cleveland Councilman TJ Dow: Mark Naymik

http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2016/03/100_million_project_near_cleve.html

 

I had heard that he was causing problems for this development, but I didn't know the details. Dow is the biggest POS on council

I've heard about this for awhile but didn't know it was this bad.  An utter shakedown.  Shameful.

 

Edit: This is the type of risk that is priced into developments.  Something like this raises the risk profile so high that developers won't even consider trying projects in Dow's ward.  The unseen costs of things like this can't be stressed enough.

This is unbelievable. It's no wonder the Clinic avoids physical engagement with the surrounding neighborhoods. This gives a black eye to the entire city in the eyes of developers in my opinion.

And I'm sure he turns around and wonders why there's no investment in his ward. This developer has had so many obstacles thrown up against this project, I'm surprised they have pushed ahead this far with it.

Councilman Jeff Johnson just tweeted these two tweets:

 

Residence Inn hotel added to reconfigured Innova apartment project in Cleveland https://t.co/4jZoJWYfzX What is the local community benefit?

 

It would be a mistake to believe that Innova project II will get the green light by City Hall without a strong community benefits agreement

 

I responded to the first tweet with this:

 

Um, jobs? Shakedowns like this are sure to scare off jobs & investment from Cleveland. You're not special.

So Johnson is backing Dow on this?  Damn, I liked him.  Can we get the feds in here again or something?  Cleveland can't afford this blatant corruption and shouldn't tolerate it.  Funny thing is, there are "community centers" run by various orgs all over Hough.  Those are about the only things left in Hough.

Unfortunately, I doubt there's anything legally suspect about this kind of thing. The land swap is a purely discretionary decision, so there aren't even any of the loose constitutional issues that apply to zoning decisions. Demanding a Community Benefits Agreement, even from big non-profit institutions, is something that happens pretty regularly in NYC and California, and probably other places too.

 

In terms of public policy, though, CBAs are awful for a lot of reasons, and demanding one in this case is especially non-sensical, given that there are close to zero adverse impacts and there's already a large public benefit in the proposed project.

http://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ssf/2016/03/city_council_green_lights_100.html#incart_m-rpt-1

 

City Council green lights $100 million project near Cleveland Clinic

 

CLEVELAND -- Cleveland City Council on Monday approved legislation green lighting $100 million in construction near the Cleveland Clinic -- despite Councilman TJ Dow's attempt to block the project for months.

 

Council approved a land swap deal between the city and Case Western Reserve University that will allow the construction of a hotel, an apartment complex and a new dental clinic to move forward in the East side's impoverished Hough neighborhood....

 

(Ugh, on T.J. Dow)

Finally. Dow is an obstructionist - and doesn't understand federal labor laws. He wants the hotel and clinic to be staffed with folks from his ward/neighborhood? Good luck on that. Have them send in a resume if they are qualified but a business should not (and can not) hire based on the location of the property.

Finally. Dow is an obstructionist - and doesn't understand federal labor laws. He wants the hotel and clinic to be staffed with folks from his ward/neighborhood? Good luck on that. Have them send in a resume if they are qualified but a business should not (and can not) hire based on the location of the property.

 

I think it's reasonable to expect some benefit for residents of the neighborhood. A difference between the Clinic and its affiliated development and University Hospitals is that the Clinic seems to be in the middle of a blast zone, while UH is fit into a neighborhood. Of all the new development of late in greater University Circle, Innova is by far the least inspiring. It looks like a dorm.

 

Mark Naymik is going hard after TJ....

 

mark naymik ‏@marknaymik  7m7 minutes ago

CLE Councilman TJ Dow, who held up $100 million project, struggled to manage his campaign finances: Mark Naymik http://s.cleveland.com/CfHDjck

 

So is Mansfield B. Frazier...

 

TJ Dow Has a Change of Heart – Or Does He?

http://coolcleveland.com/blog/2016/03/tj-dow-has-a-change-of-heart-or-does-he/

I think it's reasonable to expect some benefit for residents of the neighborhood.

 

There is. Its jobs are physically accessible to the neighborhood. In a metro area of continuing job sprawl and decreasing transit service, that's a rare thing. But if people from the neighborhood want those jobs, they have to compete for them like everyone else.

^ That's one of my biggest pain points when I go to public meetings for these types of developments here (and especially in Cincinnati). Councilmembers and the public are all blind and deaf to federal/state hiring policies. I'm struggling to remember which development it was in Cincinnati, but some were carrying on about the developer's plan to bring in numerous apartments/condos, offices and restaurants/retail. The protestors wanted a particular percentage of the hiring to be set aside for those that live in the neighborhood and are within a certain income level - but that is not only unrealistic, but illegal. A company should hire based on qualifications.

 

--

 

Looks like Dow is even more of a POS. This "crusader" of the neighborhood can't be bothered to report his finances and has been referred to the Ohio Elections Commission NINE times.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2016/03/cleveland_councilman_tj_dow_wh.html

 

"It's hard to imagine Dow, who can't properly file a few sheets of financial records, guiding any multimillion-dollar project. Furthermore, Dow already has a lousy track record. He remains embroiled in a lawsuit over the charter school that once bore his name and that he established in his ward. And the Hough Development Corporation, the community organization he created in 2013 to help residents in the Hough neighborhood, is still sputtering along."

 

Basically, a self-serving politician that wants his name on a building.

What effect, if any do you think that this attempted "shake down" will have on future developments, especially larger ones such as this?

^^I know there are some legal clouds around local hiring preferences in public contracts, but are you sure they extend to private development too? My guess is that most of this stuff is "best efforts" language, so might not be easily enforceable in any case, but I'd be surprised if it was flatly illegal for the developer here to agree to soft local hiring preferences in a CBA.

What effect, if any do you think that this attempted "shake down" will have on future developments, especially larger ones such as this?

 

Bad.  This was a step backward.  Unless it sparks a reform movement in city hall, in which case it might be the greatest thing ever.

^^I know there are some legal clouds around local hiring preferences in public contracts, but are you sure they extend to private development too? My guess is that most of this stuff is "best efforts" language, so might not be easily enforceable in any case, but I'd be surprised if it was flatly illegal for the developer here to agree to soft local hiring preferences in a CBA.

 

Cleveland's language is most certainly "best efforts," so as long as you show an attempt was made developers are in the clear, and for better or worse it's pretty easy to show an attempt was made to meet requirements and explain why levels may not have been met. 

 

While the shakedown method employed by Dow is deplorable, I do think it is reasonable to have a discussion with developers and employers to find ways to help Cleveland's poorest residents gain access to jobs.  A better solution is to work with Tri-C and there numerous employment programs to enroll residents in, say their hospitality program now so that when the hotel opens they are prepared to compete for those jobs, as KJP mentioned.  The same could be said for medical/dental clinic jobs and so forth.  I think that would have a greater impact on residents/families than a resource center, and can be replicated for other developments.  And I'm sure this happens in some fashion already, but maybe needs to be scaled up. 

Equity planning rears its lovely head again.

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/bza/agenda/2016/crr10-03-2016.pdf

 

Board of Zoning Appeals

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

 

9:30

Calendar No. 16-242: 1904 East 97 Street Ward 7

TJ Dow

18 Notices

Case Western Reserve University, owner, and Innova Phase 2 LP., Lessee, propose to construct a

temporary parking lot in an E3 General Retail Zoning District. The owner appeals for relief from the

strict application of the following sections of the Cleveland Codified Ordinances:

1. Section 347.10 which states that a temporary permit shall not exceed 30 days in

duration and no temporary permit shall be issued within 60 days of the expiration of

a previous temporary permit for same purpose. The Lessee is proposing a temporary

parking lot until April 1, 2017.

2. Section 349.07(b) which states that accessory off street parking spaces shall be

provided with wheel or bumper guards; none proposed

3. Section 352.10(e ) which states that Island strips of a minimum area of 100 square

feet each is required and shall be separated by no more than 20 parking spaces.

4. Section 352.10 which states that a 6’ wide landscape strip is required along Chester

Ave and E. 97 St. between parking lot and street.

5. Section 352.0 which states that an 8’ wide transition strip is required along North

side of lot where lot abuts Multi-Family District.

6. Section 358.05 which states that a fence in a Non Residential District (Gen Retail

District) and in actual front yard or actual side yard shall not exceed 4’ in height and

a 6’ high chain link is proposed in actual front yard and actual side yard.

7. Section 349.15 which states that 11 bicycle parking spaces required; none proposed.

(Filed September 2, 2016)

Looking at the CWRU webcam, it looks like construction on phase 2 of Innova is about to start. Construction fence has been put up and no cars are parked in the parking lot anymore.