Before:

 

 

 

 

After:

 

 

 

 

I thought I left the prevailing "deteriorating and gritty is more authentic, real and honest, and thus preferable" mindset behind in Buffalo, but apparently I'm wrong.  Sorry, but as a South Euclid resident and homeowner with two vacant foreclosed houses at the end of his block, a foreclosure in the process next door, and negative equity thanks to plunging property values, I'll take the upscale, mixed-use pedestrian-friendly mini-lifestyle center over keepin' it real with a poorly-maintained plaza from the late 1940s.

 

I'll miss the Jewish-oriented businesses at the old Cedar Center, but there's many in SE that will remain at Kosher Corners (Cedar/Green).

^Dan, I think you are right on.  I am all for preservation, but like "lifestyle centers" or not, this is a significant upgrade. It's called progress.  Most of my gripes with demolition involve removal of street front propert which is replaced by ever so beautiful surface parking lots.

It would have been nice for this to have been done before the Ceder Road rebuild, and if they had then pushed for streetside parking in some form rather than those two rows of parking that set the buildings back into a bit of a no-man's land.  But I'm excited about the project too.

That looks hella nice!  Multi-story, mixed residential/retail is far sexier than an ancient one-level strip mall.  Aesthetically, it should be a very good neighbor too.  I'd say Coral has done a very good job designing that.  It does look like it has a similar feel to the Eton plaza though. 

Some of those old Cedar Center businesses would like nice in Shaker Square.

It seems like there has been talk of development there for years but other than the Whole Foods, it looks like there is no imminent progress.

 

Any news updates?

^Not sure what you mean by "other than the Whole Foods".  90% of the entire south side of Cedar where Whole Foods is located was redeveloped by Coral (although not very well).  This section of Cedar Center is in University Hts.

 

The north side of street is in South Euclid.  The city has been trying to develop the strip (mixed use) for a number of years.  Hampering efforts were reluctant landlords and tenants requiring eminent domain suits.  Those have been resolved.  The original developer (I think a California firm although I am not sure) backed out and now Coral has stepped in (personally not real happy about this as I generally don't like their work...but I will keep an open mind).  You can see their proposed plans above.  Most of the strip now appears vacant (major exceptions Marc and Chilpolte) and it looks like demolition will likely commence sometime this year.  Maybe as early as summer.

^Chipolte is gone now too... noticed it while passing by last weekend.

gotta figure if one the busier tenants is gone, that demolition is probably sooner than later. But what do I know.

Wow, I haven't been down that far in a while, I guess.  I've been avoiding Cedar between Lee and Green because of the road construction they were doing.  I didn't even know Chipotle closed!

^That road construction has been completed for many months now.

that area has 2 other chipotles in close proximity, at coventry and at legacy. 

 

there is a map somewhere with chipotle restaurants per state, and i am pretty sure that ohio had the 2nd most numerically after california, with over 100.  too bad i can't find that map.

...also a chipotle at Havard/Richmond, only about 10 minutes away

that area has 2 other chipotles in close proximity, at coventry and at legacy. 

 

there is a map somewhere with chipotle restaurants per state, and i am pretty sure that ohio had the 2nd most numerically after california, with over 100.  too bad i can't find that map.

 

my guess is that Chipotle will scout out another location in this immediate area...this location did great to my understanding ,even with 3 other locations relatively close, due to the large John Carroll student following and just the sheer amount of traffic on Cedar/Warrensville.

unofficial demographics observation by me: At any given time it seemed like 25%-50% of the customers at the aforementioned chipotle location were JCU students. (pope used to live around the corner)

Oh no. Please don't refer to yourself in third-person. You don't make enough money to do that.

Oh no. Please don't refer to yourself in third-person. You don't make enough money to do that.

 

MTS, says it ok!  refer away!

Drove by yesterday and it appeared that the only business still occupied and running is the Marc's.

Penn Station on the other end was still open yesterday.  Jacob's Judaic place still has stuff in the window and a "Moving Sale" sign. 

South Euclid: Cedar Center demolition may start in August

 

by Jeff Piorkowski

Tuesday June 10, 2008, 6:43 PM

 

SOUTH EUCLID -- Law Director Michael Lograsso said, during Monday night's City Council meeting, that work on the new Cedar Center is moving forward.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/sunnews/index.ssf/2008/06/south_euclid_cedar_center_demo.html

Yep, drove by here earlier this week. Everything is empty, signs are down, and it looks like they are starting to do some minor demo work. The whole property is gated as well.

 

As much as I am sad to see a fixture of my childhood go, it's long overdue. I just hope that tenants (especially Marc's and the awesome Chinese restaurants can relocate nearby) because they were always very, very busy serving people from that area.

 

I can't wait to see how big this piece of property looks when the front plaza is gone. The parking lot in the back is MASSIVE but you would not know it because all the stores are set so close to the road.

^Yeah, i realize parking is a semi-necessary evil in that area, but just put it in the back, in a garage, where it belongs.

man that was one FILTHY Marcs.  I am not sad to see that go

The new plan is good and bad. I am a little pissed about Coral's or whoever's idea it is to put parking in front just like the plaza on the other side of the street. Why is it so damn hard to put the building up on the sidewalk!?!?!?! Anyways, that's the bad of it.

 

The good is that there will be a multi-level parking garage in the rear of the center main building for the rest of the parking. Also good is that we'll see mixed-use multi-level buildings with office and loft space above retail. This will be similar to Crocker Park, but not as big. While I hate Crocker Park because it's on a former farm cornfield, this project as similar as it is, is being built in an already built-out urban setting. I am very curious to see what sort of retail we're going to see, as Legacy Village, Le Place, Beachwood Place, Cedar Center South, University Center, Cedar-Lee, Coventry, and Severance Circle are within a one- or two-mile radius.

 

With that said, we know what we won't see. There is a Border's at Le Place and Severance Circle, as well as a Joseph Beth at Legacy. I am curious to see if a Barnes & Noble will take the rotunda shaped corner building. Marc's said they won't be re-building, since they have the Coventry and Mayfield-Green locations still. Also interesting is that most of the small shops already re-located, such as Anatolia.

 

My initial guess as to what retail we might see: a national brand restaurant such as TGI Friday's or Panera. I am sure Chipotle will be back. The entire east side is filled with the same old boring garbage retail as well as a mix of amazing independent stuff. This project will probably be full of national brands, but it's gonna be interesting to see what happens because most of the stuff that sucks is already at places like Severance Circle.

 

This post is getting long but I am trying to get to my point...

 

What we know WON'T be at Cedar Center North: NO movie theatre, NO grocery store, NO Dick's Sporting Goods, NO Marshall's/TJ Maxx, NO Target/Wal-Mart. NO Jo-Ann's. NO Gamestop. NO Quizno's, Subway, or Bruegger's Bagels. NO fitness center. NO Home Depot. No Applebee's. No national retailer will have a location at Severance and Cedar Center or Legacy and Cedar Center. So what's missing from the local area that there is not too many of already? Trader Joe's, of which Whole Foods is very close to the other east side Trader Joe's, so it is entirely possible. Also, no need for clothing apparel as Legacy and Beachwood Place have that pretty much covered.

 

The coolest thing about this project is that now 3 of the 4 corners of Cedar and Warrensville will have rather unique retail separate from each other which all include multi-level parking garages and multi-level retail. I can't think of anywhere else in NE Ohio that has reached that level yet.

University Square is for sale on the opposite corner and has what must be considered high if not unacceptably high vacancy.

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/sunmessenger/2008/07/university_hts_university_squa.html

 

You're right - the area is laden with retail - but I think and hope that means local and unique places will move in.  I also hate the parking in front.

 

I assume Chipotle will be back, and the Penn Station seemed to do pretty well there too.  I think the key to this will be the residential.  That hasn't been discussed much - apartments vs. condos, price points, etc.  It is in theory a nice intersection with, as Bizbiz said, a lot of amenities right at the corners - Whole Foods for groceries, Target for your Target stuff, Macy's department store, a CVS across the street, or Walgreens across the other street.  Plus lots of little fast food joints like Subway,  Quizno's, Georgio's, Boston Market, Cold Stone (I think?). Probably Chipotle and Penn Station.  Larger eateries like First Watch, Applebees.  At least one bar in O'Reilly's, I believe.  And that's only scratching the surface, really.

Isn't there a large electrical transformer on the East side of the site (Warr. Ctr. side).  Any plans how they will hide or remove that.

I assumed it was going to stay and be an eyesore.  I think it and the Car Wash and the Citizens bank/Starbucks at the corner stay. 

To be honest, I really would be surprised if anything exciting moved in on the South Euclid side. 

 

It was sad to see China Gate with its green 1950's Chinese decor die.  It was older than me and one of the last surviving Chinese restaurants from my youth.  I agree with BizBiz on the building placement and was surprised and disappointed with how they configured the University Heights side, given the amount of room they had to work with.  One of the ugliest things about the center in my opinion is the twin rows of wooden poles with the overhead wires and street lights on each curb of Cedar.  The cities need to bury the wires and obtain decorative light poles and fixtures. 

 

While I know it was a very remote possibility, I had hoped for a more radical change to the overall configuration of the center, such that even the alignment of Cedar iteself was not out of consideration.  I was hoping for something denser, maybe more European or Middle Eastern styled, something befitting the area that was once nicknamed the "Gaza Strip".  At least there will be some residential use sprinkled in.

The South Euclid side will be a success, because it will be the big 4: residential, retail, office, and community/park space. My biggest gripe is how the other side turned out, other than Whole Foods. Whole Foods was built great - 2 entrances, a parking deck ABOVE the store, and right up to the sidewalk on Warrensville. However, that is the only good thing about that side of the street. The rest of the plaza sucks ass and was re-developed poorly. They should have torn it down and done more with it. The parking lots are still a waste of land/space. The building is 1 story, maybe 2 on some parts, but nothing was even done by Coral other than adding new landscaping and new exterior. I really hope Coral isn't to blame and it's U. Hts. who let it go that way. I believe S. Euclid is really pushing for their side to be very big, because it's their finally their chance to take a piece of the pie (all the other cities nearby already have a nice retail center).

^whole foods was not built great......I don't recall being able to enter from the main focal point of the intersection (Cedar/Warrensville).

Whole Foods actually has 3 entrances:

 

1) From the 2nd level of the parking garage, you take the elevator or the steps down

2) From the back parking lot (main entrance)

3) From the corner of Cedar/Warrensville, the entrance has its own cash register and is right by the beer/wine department.

was that entrance always there? I don't recall it. I do recall seeing a cut-out for it, but it looked to be blocked off by shelves and what not.

It's been there from the start, but it's just not as popular as a door since most people are car dependent and the parking lot in front is very small, usually full. But it's there and always has been, and I use it when I ride there on my bike on Cedar.

Have to agree with pope...Whole Foods (even with this alledged hidden entrance) pretty much ignores Cedar...it could have been done much better (although I do like the architecture generally).  In fact I was just there an hour ago grabbing lunch and I was thinking as I was marching back to my car what a horrible job Coral did intergrating the Whole Foods to the rest of the poorly planned center.  The rear by the parking lot is obviously the main entrance...however...if you want to stroll over to the rest of the stores from that entrance you have to walk in the parking lot and driveways...no real sidewalk at that point...and the walk is also broken up by truck delivery entrances and the ramp to the roof top parking...you  really have to be alert.

 

I have said it in this post before...very little of Coral's work is "high quality".  It makes me nervous to see what they are going to do across the street...It appears South Euclid had very  little choice but to  go with them.  I hope they hold them to  high design standards.

The Whole Foods is, yeah, facing the wrong way.  The entrance at the corner is an afterthought, given that they loaded more parking nearby in front and the backass of the entire building is the remainder of the Cedar road frontage, until you get to the CVS.  It looks neat from the South and East but along Cedar road it's ugly.  Apparently the parking lot was so precious to them that they just had to face the ugly side of the building towards the major thoroughfare.

But before we all criticize this front entrances poor placement on Cedar, why don't we admit that it's a whol heck of a lot better than a Giant Eagle in the back of a huge parking lot, with only 1 entrance.

^Why can't we criticize both.  We will get lots of junk if we start justifying and approving poor design simply because there is worse (and a classic Giant Eagle set up is worse) out there.

Whole Foods closed the checkout lane on the Cedar Road side awhile back - the one by the wine/beer - and there's now a sign there that says, "This register is permanently closed" or something like that. You can use the entrance/exit - but can't check out there anymore.

 

 

I had hoped when they started building, that the upper floor in Whole Foods would be a cafe looking out over the Cedar Warrensville corner, in addition to rooftop parking, but it turned out to be just rooftop parking.  The western half of the UH side is rehabbed, not even new buildings.  And there are still those ugly wooden (wired) poles along the street.....

 

apparently bizbiz is a shareholder of whole foods.

I think his points are valid.  I have yet to see a new construction supermarket in this area that is really well done in terms of urban design.

Apparently so..

I go both ways. On one hand, yes it is better than the majority of supermarket construction. On the other hand, just because its marginally better than the rest, doesn't make it good.

With that said, we know what we won't see. There is a Border's at Le Place and Severance Circle, as well as a Joseph Beth at Legacy. I am curious to see if a Barnes & Noble will take the rotunda shaped corner building. Marc's said they won't be re-building, since they have the Coventry and Mayfield-Green locations still. Also interesting is that most of the small shops already re-located, such as Anatolia.

 

My initial guess as to what retail we might see: a national brand restaurant such as TGI Friday's or Panera. I am sure Chipotle will be back. The entire east side is filled with the same old boring garbage retail as well as a mix of amazing independent stuff. This project will probably be full of national brands, but it's gonna be interesting to see what happens because most of the stuff that sucks is already at places like Severance Circle.

 

My guess: decent but not-quite-lifestyle-center-upscale retail. Maybe Bed, Bath and Beyond to pick up the void left behind by the closure of Linens n Things in Golden Gate. Probably a few of the non-downscale urban-oriented businesses will move in from Richmond Town Center, such as Barnes and Noble. A card store has to be in the mix.

 

Restaurants: probably some mid-end chains that don't have an East Side inner ring presence, like Pizzeria Uno, Rockne's or Max and Erma's. Chipotle will probably be back, and I'd guess a middle-end Asian noodle bowl restaurant will make its presence. DiBella's Subs (Rochester chain) could be a likely tenant. The first Jamba Juice in Cleveland?

Damn, if that mix shows up, I'll be very happy indeed. I want to see Noodles & Company, one of my favorites that is not yet in Cleveland.

even in the city of cleveland they cant build up to the sidewalk. 

 

That's right. I've heard that The Avenue District, Flats East Bank, Stark and Uptown will all be set back from the street with tons of surface lots in front. Even the Terminal Tower renovation calls for turning the southwest quadrant of Public Square into a surface lot.

 

The sky has fallen and nobody is doing anything right at all in this city.

Cedar Center north is a pile of rubble as of this past week.