February 17, 20223 yr If I had $$$, this would be my #1 place to invest in the CLE—especially with the mixed use, infill potential. Cleveland’s AsiaTown makes major changes to bring in more shoppers and residents By Aria Janel Published: Feb. 14, 2022 at 7:56 PM EST CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - If you’ve never found yourself soaking up the culture in AsiaTown, the time is now. “It’s such a special town that we have here in Cleveland,” said Karis Tzeng. “Over 30 Asian owned businesses, restaurants, grocery stores, and more.” Karis Tzeng is the Director of the AsiaTown Initiative at Midtown Inc. https://www.cleveland19.com/2022/02/15/clevelands-asiatown-makes-major-changes-bring-more-shoppers-residents/
February 17, 20223 yr 42 minutes ago, MuRrAy HiLL said: If I had $$$, this would be my #1 place to invest in the CLE—especially with the mixed use, infill potential. Cleveland’s AsiaTown makes major changes to bring in more shoppers and residents By Aria Janel Published: Feb. 14, 2022 at 7:56 PM EST CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - If you’ve never found yourself soaking up the culture in AsiaTown, the time is now. “It’s such a special town that we have here in Cleveland,” said Karis Tzeng. “Over 30 Asian owned businesses, restaurants, grocery stores, and more.” Karis Tzeng is the Director of the AsiaTown Initiative at Midtown Inc. https://www.cleveland19.com/2022/02/15/clevelands-asiatown-makes-major-changes-bring-more-shoppers-residents/ If the Superior Mid Way is followed through on, I don't think any part of the city will benefit more than Asia Town. I'd certainly spend more time there if there was an easy way to bike there. And I love the steps they talk about in that news clip, they seem manageable enough to actually happen, but still significant enough to make a difference. Painted crosswalks in particular sound nice, and art is almost always good.
February 17, 20223 yr AsiaTown feels like a rough part of town even though it really isn’t. Basic, aesthetic improvements would probably do a lot to bring in visitors who would otherwise just drive through.
February 17, 20223 yr 13 hours ago, Ethan said: If the Superior Mid Way is followed through on, I don't think any part of the city will benefit more than Asia Town. I'd certainly spend more time there if there was an easy way to bike there. And I love the steps they talk about in that news clip, they seem manageable enough to actually happen, but still significant enough to make a difference. Painted crosswalks in particular sound nice, and art is almost always good. Where are you biking from? Maybe it's just me but Payne is a great road to scoot into Asiatown, and if you go north all of the 'factory streets' north of St. Clair are also pretty great (and quiet!).
February 17, 20223 yr 11 hours ago, LlamaLawyer said: AsiaTown feels like a rough part of town even though it really isn’t. Basic, aesthetic improvements would probably do a lot to bring in visitors who would otherwise just drive through. This^ The housing is reminiscent of Little Italy where all the historic charm has been stripped or covered up. Also doesn't have that signature commercial district. Too disjointed. The industrial/residential mix of the neighborhood is traditional badass Cleveland but in many ways works against it.
February 19, 20223 yr New York-Based Mango Mango Dessert is Coming to Asiatown https://m.clevescene.com/cleveland/new-york-based-mango-mango-dessert-is-coming-to-asiatown/Content?oid=38414108
March 10, 20223 yr This looks awesome! https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/sheng-long-yus-next-big-move-is-to-open-an-asiatown-food-hall-serving-street-foods-from-china-japan-and-taiwan/Content?oid=38528889&media=AMP+HTML
May 16, 20223 yr Vibrant AsiaTown neighborhood in Cleveland has even brighter future AsiaTown is a community that already has a lot to offer, but with new developments on the horizon, it also has big plans ahead. https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/community/clevelands-asiatown-neighborhood-bright-future/95-89044fa6-be18-4d50-9d61-728ed56b98da
June 4, 20223 yr Spin Helps 'People’s Streets' Bring More Vibrant, Safer Streets to Cleveland’s AsiaTown Neighborhood Through Art https://twitter.com/asiatowncle/status/1532838024370917378?s=21&t=KWXbtiD7fVCxDJMnuSbDmA
June 6, 20223 yr On 2/16/2022 at 7:51 PM, MuRrAy HiLL said: If I had $$$, this would be my #1 place to invest in the CLE—especially with the mixed use, infill potential. Cleveland’s AsiaTown makes major changes to bring in more shoppers and residents By Aria Janel Published: Feb. 14, 2022 at 7:56 PM EST CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - If you’ve never found yourself soaking up the culture in AsiaTown, the time is now. “It’s such a special town that we have here in Cleveland,” said Karis Tzeng. “Over 30 Asian owned businesses, restaurants, grocery stores, and more.” Karis Tzeng is the Director of the AsiaTown Initiative at Midtown Inc. https://www.cleveland19.com/2022/02/15/clevelands-asiatown-makes-major-changes-bring-more-shoppers-residents/ totally agree. it one of the most interesting neighborhoods in the city and with huge upside. i love what they are planning on doing with the crosswalks, murals, etc. — and the hanging lights or banners are similar to ny and other chinatowns — i really like them as they give an immediate sense of place. i know its moved on from chinatown to a modern pan-asiatown over the years, but if anything i still wish there was a classic gate. if just for historic purposes these days. otherwise, i wouldn’t change a thing other than promote organic growth and demand urban form. if the residents and the city really wanted to be proactive they could promote cleveland asiatown overseas and in other american chinatowns, just like the state of ohio does lately for ohio. well, maybe more lowkey pervasive than the giant pro-ohio billboards, like say for example with small business posters and flyers and targeted online ads.
June 30, 20222 yr 18 hours ago, MuRrAy HiLL said: More color (and bike lanes)!!! Bike lanes with more protection than just plastic bollards?!? 😍 Edited July 1, 20222 yr by Luke_S
February 23, 20232 yr Seeds & Sprouts XXVII – downtown Apts groundbreaking due, Factory to be Artist studios, Urgent Care tosses Pizza Hut By Ken Prendergast / February 23, 2023 East 45th factory to be artist studios While one historic factory on East 45th Street was recently approved for demolition, another historic factory is getting a new lease on life from new owners with a new vision for the property in Cleveland’s Asiatown neighborhood. Belden Street Partners LLC is redeveloping The Belden Building at 1623 E. 45th with studios for “heavy makers” in Cleveland’s artist community — those who work with heavy machinery — who can’t find suitable space in existing art galleries. The partners are Dan Bush, owner of 78th Street Studios in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood, and Stephanie Hronek, who is moving her motorcycle restoration business to the old factory. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2023/02/23/seeds-sprouts-xxvii-downtown-apts-groundbreaking-due-factory-to-be-artist-studios-urgent-care-tosses-pizza-hut/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 26, 20241 yr 1 hour ago, MuRrAy HiLL said: YY Time -- E. 30th and Payne: Drove by the other day, it has a really nice presence on the corner.
March 27, 20241 yr yytime in the news — YYTime opens, breathing new life and flavor into AsiaTown By: Bryn Caswell Posted at 7:57 PM, Mar 20, 2024 and last updated 3:55 PM, Mar 21, 2024 CLEVELAND — YYTime on the corner of Payne Avenue and East 30th Street is buzzing with excitement. https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/lets-go-neo/yytime-opens-breathing-new-life-and-flavor-into-asia-town
June 24, 2024Jun 24 46 minutes ago, sonisharri said: YYTime food hall (6-24-24) Ate there a couple weeks ago, real tasty!
September 19, 2024Sep 19 Asiatown mixed-use development plan revived By Ken Prendergast / September 19, 2024 Three years after a development team planned a mixed-use project at the closed Dave’s Market, 3301 Payne Ave., in Cleveland’s Asiatown, some members of that development team are back to invest in that site again. This time, a $42.3 million development is proposed with a more focused approach on affordable housing in two four-story buildings with ground-floor commercial and community uses. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2024/09/19/asiatown-mixed-use-development-plan-revived/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 23, 2024Sep 23 the rates drop and boom look at all of this chomping at the bit pent up development being unveiled --
December 19, 2024Dec 19 Projects OK’d for affordable housing loan, credits By Ken Prendergast / December 19, 2024 In Cleveland, one east-side housing development and one west-side development are set to receive 4-percent Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA). The agency announced that determination yesterday in a spreadsheet posted on its Web site. A third project won a $1.75 million OHFA loan, OHFA said in a written statement released today. MORE: https://neo-trans.blog/2024/12/19/projects-okd-for-affordable-housing-loan-credits/ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 25Feb 25 Exactly who manages and validates these income requirements, and for how long? It all sounds good on paper, but my experience tells me this is only where the 'game' begins. It's really to obtain the funding. Amirite? Eventually, it all becomes 'market rate' the only question is what is that market?
February 25Feb 25 Cleveland's Asiatown weighs a big change, with 120 apartments set for old Dave's site Quote A 120-unit apartment project in Asiatown could remake the heart of the commercial district, replacing a shuttered supermarket and pitted parking lots along Payne Avenue. But some nearby residents and business owners are pushing back on those plans. They’re worried about how dozens of new homes – and residents – will change a cultural enclave nestled at the eastern edge of Downtown Cleveland. https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/clevelands-asiatown-weighs-a-big-change-with-120-apartments-set-for-old-daves-site
February 26Feb 26 6 hours ago, freefourur said: Cleveland's Asiatown weighs a big change, with 120 apartments set for old Dave's site https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/clevelands-asiatown-weighs-a-big-change-with-120-apartments-set-for-old-daves-site Such potenital on 2 acres covering both sides of Payne. Please don't geis-it-up. Hopefully NRP Group will put in a little extra effort researching designs that sensitive to the Asiatown neighborhood. Even for workforce housing it shouldn't be hard to include design elements that reference decorative motifs, color schemes, doorways and windows, etc., that are easliy recognized by area members of the Asian diaspora who visit/live/shop/dine in this neighborhood: “This is a place where Asians – Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese – come in from 20, 30, 40 minutes away,” said Bin Zheng, who owns a nearby restaurant. “Come here, eat some local food. Go to the local supermarket they don’t have elsewhere. So this is a special neighborhood.”
February 26Feb 26 2 hours ago, Willo said: Such potenital on 2 acres covering both sides of Payne. Please don't geis-it-up. Hopefully NRP Group will put in a little extra effort researching designs that sensitive to the Asiatown neighborhood. Even for workforce housing it shouldn't be hard to include design elements that reference decorative motifs, color schemes, doorways and windows, etc., that are easliy recognized by area members of the Asian diaspora who visit/live/shop/dine in this neighborhood: “This is a place where Asians – Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese – come in from 20, 30, 40 minutes away,” said Bin Zheng, who owns a nearby restaurant. “Come here, eat some local food. Go to the local supermarket they don’t have elsewhere. So this is a special neighborhood.” This is low income housing by NRP. I would keep my expectations extremely low.
February 26Feb 26 Asiatown NIMBYs are already out in comment sections on social media posts about this. Too many people don't realize that affordable housing is not section 8 housing. This income range of $40-60k is in the range, and likely above, what most of the current employees of Asiatown businesses are making.
February 26Feb 26 aww come on now nimbys. for pets sake, if there is anything asiatown needs most its MORE ASIANS. the developers can help quiet them with decent renders. a nice enough design with ground retail will help. even a bare bones new apt bldg with a nice mural wall would do (see the colorful asiatown bike path mural above).
February 26Feb 26 15 minutes ago, mrnyc said: aww come on now nimbys. for pets sake, if there is anything asiatown needs most its MORE ASIANS. the developers can help quiet them with decent renders. a nice enough design with ground retail will help. even a bare bones new apt bldg with a nice mural wall would do (see the colorful asiatown bike path mural above). I think you're likely getting to the heart of the issue here. The residents are concerned that they will get more people in general, instead of more Asians. In the article above, one of the residents said when asked what he wanted for the neighborhood, and he replied "Stay Asian." Very succinct, but likely gets at the heart of the issue here. The residents are concerned about the neighborhood losing its character, and in this instance there's a larger ethnic/cultural component to that than normal. If the developers care to calm the neighborhood it will probably have less to do with price point and more to do with architecture, design, and language. Oriental design choices could make a difference, as well as maybe signage in multiple languages. Marketing these apartments as a good landing place for recent Asian immigrants would probably help a lot to calm the residents.
February 26Feb 26 7 minutes ago, mrnyc said: aww come on now nimbys. for pets sake, if there is anything asiatown needs most its MORE ASIANS. the developers can help quiet them with decent renders. a nice enough design with ground retail will help. even a bare bones new apt bldg with a nice mural wall would do (see the colorful asiatown bike path mural above). I suspect they agree, but that stipulation would be very, very illegal. That's the quiet part no one is saying out loud.
February 26Feb 26 oh geez, i figured the reason it was being built is because there are more asians. time to insert my rant again about cleveland getting out there with the pr and promoting cle asiatown by targeting around other usa chinatowns where they are likely not aware of it. get any easy lowkey pr out there and i am certain they will come.
February 26Feb 26 2 hours ago, Ethan said: I think you're likely getting to the heart of the issue here. The residents are concerned that they will get more people in general, instead of more Asians. In the article above, one of the residents said when asked what he wanted for the neighborhood, and he replied "Stay Asian." Very succinct, but likely gets at the heart of the issue here. The residents are concerned about the neighborhood losing its character, and in this instance there's a larger ethnic/cultural component to that than normal. If the developers care to calm the neighborhood it will probably have less to do with price point and more to do with architecture, design, and language. Oriental design choices could make a difference, as well as maybe signage in multiple languages. Marketing these apartments as a good landing place for recent Asian immigrants would probably help a lot to calm the residents. Little Italy is having similar problems with fewer Italians in the area. (Damn sirens in the suburbs lured them away!) The city could come up with some design guidelines and zoning codes for these neighborhoods to try to preserve/create a cultural identity in the built environment. What physical attributes would make the neighborhood feel more "asian"?
February 26Feb 26 3 hours ago, mrnyc said: oh geez, i figured the reason it was being built is because there are more asians. time to insert my rant again about cleveland getting out there with the pr and promoting cle asiatown by targeting around other usa chinatowns where they are likely not aware of it. get any easy lowkey pr out there and i am certain they will come Based on that article, it sounds like Asiatown restaurants largely cater to people coming from outside the city—unfortunately, Northeast Ohio's Asian population is pretty spread out. It doesn't help that many families live in the suburbs to get their kids into better school districts. Quote “This is a place where Asians – Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese – come in from 20, 30, 40 minutes away,” said Bin Zheng, who owns a nearby restaurant. Placing an emphasis on culturally-specific design elements could help maintain Asiatown's character, regardless of the demographics of the neighborhood itself. I agree with the comment that "value-engineered" buildings like this would be better-suited for a side street than on Payne, especially with no retail component.
February 26Feb 26 42 minutes ago, Foraker said: Little Italy is having similar problems with fewer Italians in the area. (Damn sirens in the suburbs lured them away!) The city could come up with some design guidelines and zoning codes for these neighborhoods to try to preserve/create a cultural identity in the built environment. What physical attributes would make the neighborhood feel more "asian"? Little Italy's character was valued to one degree or another by the college, hospitals, and the arts community, as well as its expatriates.
February 26Feb 26 1 hour ago, Foraker said: Little Italy is having similar problems with fewer Italians in the area. (Damn sirens in the suburbs lured them away!) The city could come up with some design guidelines and zoning codes for these neighborhoods to try to preserve/create a cultural identity in the built environment. What physical attributes would make the neighborhood feel more "asian"? Not really sure myself, but art is definitely a big component. Both in architecture, murals, etc. some examples up thread of things done and proposed. Basically more of this is what I'd like to see. Injecting art in big and small ways supporting the character of the neighborhood in a way that current residents feel is in line with its current character. On 6/30/2022 at 2:18 PM, MuRrAy HiLL said: More color (and bike lanes)!!! On 6/17/2022 at 8:27 AM, MuRrAy HiLL said: On 3/10/2022 at 5:54 PM, bumsquare said: This looks awesome! https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/sheng-long-yus-next-big-move-is-to-open-an-asiatown-food-hall-serving-street-foods-from-china-japan-and-taiwan/Content?oid=38528889&media=AMP+HTML On 2/3/2022 at 10:15 PM, MuRrAy HiLL said: Not sure how many, but also nice to see: On 9/17/2021 at 2:03 PM, NorthShore647 said: Grassroots groups painting their way to safer streets in Asiatown, Slavic Village Lee Chilcote - TheLand - Sep. 17, 2021 "The People’s Streets project in Asiatown aims to paint crosswalks and curb extensions along Payne Avenue at East 22nd, East 23rd, East 30th, East 32nd, East 37th, and East 39th Streets and the temporarily re-stripe the Payne Avenue bridge over I-90. ... Rachel Oscar from Campus District said that Payne Avenue is slated for resurfacing in 2023 or 2024, and the project will remain up until then. ... This fall, The People’s Streets volunteers and artists will paint the crosswalks, install temporary curb extensions consisting of plastic bollards and paint, and add temporary ADA ramps. They’re planning on to do a learning lab at East 32nd Street, then complete the rest of the treatments in the spring based on what they learned." Here are some screencaps from the CPC presentation:
February 26Feb 26 19 hours ago, Mendo said: This is low income housing by NRP. I would keep my expectations extremely low. Redditors are already crying about gentrification. Lol can't make this s**t up
February 27Feb 27 NRP should certainly look at feedback from locals. Such as the addition of ground-level retail. That's a reasonable request. But at the end of the day, if Asiatown can't maintain its current character after the addition of a whopping *checks notes* 120 apartments, well then it's just not going to survive in any event. But I'm pretty optimistic that growth will help, not harm, Asiatown. Little Italy isn't really a good comparison because there hasn't been a meaningful flow of Italians into the U.S. for about 100 years now. The majority of Italian-Americans here are third- or fourth- if not fifth-generation Americans. What percentage of Italian-Americans in Cuyahoga County do you think actually speak even a little Italian? I would be surprised if Italian is even the second most spoken language in Little Italy. I've been living in Cleveland for over a decade, and I've met exactly two first-generation Americans from Italy. Without a distinctive religion, language, or dialect, it's very hard for a small ethnic community to maintain a distinctive identity long term unless new immigration is ongoing. I bet that if Italian immigration to the U.S. had continued throughout the 20th century that Little Italy would be heavily and primarily Italian to this day. On the other hand, immigration from China to the U.S. is going strong. As long as that's the case, Asian communities in the U.S. should be able to not just sustain themselves, but grow. And if Asiatown can't do the same, it suggests to me that something is very wrong. But, again, I bet Asiatown will grow and thrive if more housing is added.
February 27Feb 27 1 hour ago, LlamaLawyer said: NRP should certainly look at feedback from locals. Such as the addition of ground-level retail. That's a reasonable request. Ground-level retail is included. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 27Feb 27 21 hours ago, AsDustinFoxWouldSay said: Redditors are already crying about gentrification. Lol can't make this s**t up Do you expect anything different? I wonder how many of them actually live here.
February 27Feb 27 3 hours ago, LlamaLawyer said: But at the end of the day, if Asiatown can't maintain its current character after the addition of a whopping *checks notes* 120 apartments, well then it's just not going to survive in any event. But I'm pretty optimistic that growth will help, not harm, Asiatown. Get out of here with your completely sensible and coherently expressed viewpoint!
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