Johnson Court news. http://www.cleveland19.com/story/33766826/cleveland-city-council-approves-tax-plan-for-warehouse-district-lofts

^The article states that work is to begin in January.  Hasn't work already commenced as evidenced by Dumbledore's photos above?

That's what i thought. According to posts upthread work started around June/July

They've definitely been working in it since late summer.

Will this project ever break ground

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20160911/NEWS/160909802/big-weston-development-adds-small-piece

^That article is from September. Old news.

Will this project ever break ground

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20160911/NEWS/160909802/big-weston-development-adds-small-piece

 

....is the question asked on UrbanOhio about every big project in Cleveland where the developer is overly optimistic in their prediction of a groundbreaking date. In other words, all projects. You'll hear a groundbreaking date if/when there is a groundbreaking date.

W. 9th & W. St. Clair Ave., Cleveland, Ohio

New Property Listing - 2.33 Acres of W. 9th Street Parking Lot

https://t.co/tEtTP9CkXy https://t.co/2gdA6RnNCf

Bloch Block building gets tax credits. http://realestate.cleveland.com/realestate-news/2016/12/four_northeast_ohio_buildings.html

Interesting. One of the two parking craters that Stark bought a few years ago (the other became the site proposed for nuCLEus) is now up for sale:

 

W 9th & W St Clair AVE.

Cleveland, OH 44113 · 2.33 AC · Land For Sale Price Not Disclosed

http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/20078963/W-9th-W-St-Clair-AVE-Cleveland-OH/

 

^ Stark owns all of that? Is it possible he's selling it to raise equity for Nucleus?

He doesn't own the Hilliard Building at the corner of Frankfort and West 9th, but he owns the rest of the shaded parcels (article is from 2014):

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Northeast Ohio investors paid $26 million this week for a downtown Cleveland parking portfolio, laying groundwork for a major development project in the city's Gateway District.

 

Stark Enterprises and J-Dek Investments Ltd. bought five properties Thursday from the L&R Group of Companies of California, public records show. In separate transactions, the investors paid other landowners an additional $2.75 million for two small parcels that round out a development site just north of Quicken Loans Arena.

 

The L&R portfolio included:

A large parking lot on West Ninth Street in the Warehouse District. Stark and J-Dek have no immediate plans for that property.

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2014/09/downtown_cleveland_parking_por.html

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/agenda/2017/01262017/index.php

 

Agenda for January 26, 2017

1.

Case 17-006

Warehouse Historic District

Bloch Building 1273 West 9th Street

Renovation for Lofts of West 9

Ward 3

McCormack

Michael Wellman

Meld Architects

STREAK Investments

 

I don't remember seeing these posted here yet. They are Worthington Yards courtyard and Johnson Ct elevation

 

http://www.kainc.com/content/portfolio/aerial-view4.jpg

http://www.kainc.com/content/portfolio/elevation.jpg

 

 

This project was lingering around for years. I am so glad it is finally started. There is hope for the other projects

that have been working on financing for years.

Solon-based developer buys Warehouse District building

 

A Solon-based real estate owner heads an investor group that just acquired the 1860-vintage Bloch Block Building in the Warehouse District for $850,000 and plans to converted its upper floors to luxury apartments.

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20170203/NEWS/170209912/solon-based-developer-buys-warehouse-district-building

Like "Htsguy" (a day or two ago in the thread for Jacobs public square lot)

I was taken aback by KJP' s word "stalled" referring to the Weston superblock

Project - though I hadn't seen any groundbreaking news, KJP's comment

That the public square lot might be developed before the Weston project was very surprising -

Last things I had seen in the forum late last fall Weston was buying up any remaining parcels

Of land for the Superblock - so now I'm wondering what (if anything) may have happened - are there significant

Problems with the project?  Or is it still moving forward albeit behind an originally overly optimistic

Timeline? 

No, just scuttlebut I've heard that Weston is pre-occupied with the Standard Building conversion right now.

^I wouldn't be surprised.  A project of this scale would be challenging for all but a few American cites -- NYC, Chicago, maybe -- but especially for a medium-sized, Rust Belt major city like Cleveland.  Not to sound like I'm standing pat, but given our local profile as still declining (but with things slowly turning around) city, I've been amazed at the number and scale of projects Cleveland has been pulling off in the last decade up to this minute -- everything from FEB, to the Hilton (though taxpayer financed, I know ...), to One Univ. Circle, to Beacon and Uptown and, now, Centric (and this isn't exhaustive).  And let's not even talk about the stunning adaptive reuse projects like The 9 and Heinen's and 668 ... to name a few.  And most of these have been one-building-at-a-time developments; even FEB which did package E&Y and Aloft -- Phase 2 was a whole new financing package though coordinated.

 

I do think Weston will happen in some form.  But just like FEB and probably nuCLEus, it may take a while.

No, just scuttlebut I've heard that Weston is pre-occupied with the Standard Building conversion right now.

 

If that is the reason, it might actually be good news. In my town there is talk of an apartment glut which is slowing down the more timid developers. While I don't think that's true in Cleveland, just the talk of a glut probably makes financing harder.

"In the latest sighting of real estate developer Fred Geis, he may play a part in helping even higher-profile developer John Ferchill resolve a foreclosure proceeding over the Western Reserve Building.

 

---....

 

Attorney Jon Pinney, who represents Ferchill, confirmed in a phone interview that Ferchill's Reserve Building Associates is negotiating a potential settlement with its lender that involves Geis.

 

In fact, Pinney said resolving the dispute rests on if Geis invests in the property to satisfy the lender.

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20170424/NEWS/170429915/western-reserves-future-may-include-fred-geis?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Heck yeah, Phoenix Coffee coming back to the WD.

 

Where exactly is the new location?

Based on their pic, it'll be in the space next to Jimmy John's on St. Clair

^Correct.

Weston... doing stuff. Interestingly this is not the Parcel A of the development that Weston said they would pursue first. Parcel A is on the SE corner of West 6th and St. Clair. Broom Court is a paper street that would become part of Parcel B...

 

City Planning Commission

Agenda for March 4, 2016

 

ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVALS

Resolution No. 158-16(Ward 3/Councilperson Cimperman): Declaring the intent to vacate a portion of Broome Court N.W.

 

 

For some reason, this is back on the Planning Commission docket. Wasn't this done 14 months ago?

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2017/05192017/index.php

 

Agenda for May 19, 2017

 

ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVALS

 

Ordinance No. 502-17(Ward 3/Councilmember McCormack): To vacate a portion of Broome Court  N.W.

So the parking lot that KJP referenced above that Stark Ent. has up for sale has a bunch of building permits listed for it, the valuation is only 90k and described as an alteration. So I am thinking it's probably just improvements to the parking lot for a possible sale. It could also mean he's has a buyer and these improvement are apart of the deal. Let's see what happens with this.

If he has a buyer hopefully it is Weston. He then controls the whole block.

Awesome pictures. Now that construction is well underway at Worthington Yards,

shouldn't it get it's own thread?

From this article:

http://realestate.cleveland.com/realestate-news/2017/06/akrons_bowery_project_former_n.html#incart_river_home

 

Not a lot of winners in Cleveland, BUT I don't remember hearing about this one at all!  Sounds like a parking gap will be filled!  :clap:

 

"Liberty Textile: This Warehouse District building, at 1277 W. 6th St. in downtown Cleveland, will be married with new construction on the parking lot next door. Together, the buildings will hold 80 apartments, with storefronts lining West Sixth and indoor parking behind and beneath. The four-story Liberty Textile Building, owned by James Kassouf, was constructed in 1873. The $25 million redevelopment won nearly $2 million in state credits.

 

The project will fill a gap along West Sixth and complete a cycle of renovation projects that started in the mid-1980s, said Tom Yablonsky, executive director of the nonprofit Historic Warehouse District Development Corp. "This is one of the great remaining buildings," he said. "There have been proposals over the years, but none of them ever came to fruition. Jimmy always had a grand idea for the building. ... His grand idea finally met reality."

 

That's great news!  Hope they replace the missing cornice during the renovation.

^I'd imagine they will. I love hearing about gaps being filled in. As much as the amount of demolition our cities saw is terrible the silver lining is that it offers opportunities for new infill to infuse new life into vacant spots to provide a mix of architectural eras which is something most successful urban neighborhoods have. I'm excited to see what this looks like.

Kassouf is one of those guys who talks big and tries small. He's better at sitting on properties, letting them fall apart, or get code violations that force him to the least amount of work necessary to get the city off his back. The Liberty Textile building was the lone eyesore remaining on West 6th after just about everything else had been refurbished. So he finally did a cosmetic facade improvement. If he actually goes through with this project, I'll be very surprised.

^I'd imagine they will. I love hearing about gaps being filled in. As much as the amount of demolition our cities saw is terrible the silver lining is that it offers opportunities for new infill to infuse new life into vacant spots to provide a mix of architectural eras which is something most successful urban neighborhoods have. I'm excited to see what this looks like.

 

I wonder how this infill will compare and relate, style-wise, to what we've been seeing in OTR.

Kassouf is one of those guys who talks big and tries small. He's better at sitting on properties, letting them fall apart, or get code violations that force him to the least amount of work necessary to get the city off his back. The Liberty Textile building was the lone eyesore remaining on West 6th after just about everything else had been refurbished. So he finally did a cosmetic facade improvement. If he actually goes through with this project, I'll be very surprised.

 

Agree.  I've met him a few times and my impression is that he just looks for ways to get some free money but doesn't want to do any actual development.

So there's no concept drawing for the new infill building as yet?

Kassouf is one of those guys who talks big and tries small. He's better at sitting on properties, letting them fall apart, or get code violations that force him to the least amount of work necessary to get the city off his back. The Liberty Textile building was the lone eyesore remaining on West 6th after just about everything else had been refurbished. So he finally did a cosmetic facade improvement. If he actually goes through with this project, I'll be very surprised.

 

Agree.  I've met him a few times and my impression is that he just looks for ways to get some free money but doesn't want to do any actual development.

 

Agree.  Just a player and has no real interest in development.  Buys property for parking and leverage.  Even worse is that he is an obstructionist who adversely impacts others who are actually trying to get stuff done.  Remember all the shit he pulled in connection with Wolstein's Flat's project?

 

I would be very surprised if this actually get built.

 

By the way, that infill building next to the Liberty Building was constructed with the idea that the elevator (which services building to the left in the picture but not shown) in the new construction could service the Liberty Building, but nothing has happen in over 20 years since it was first built.  That infill building shown is just OK.  Not a quality job in terms of materials.

Wow, Jimmy Kassouf is actually going to build something?  ...OK

Too bad this is the case, hopefully though there is pressure to make something real happen here.  There is so much opportunity for infill in the WHD on a small scale, not just the huge Weston development.

There's probably an obvious answer here as I am no expert on the program, but why would he apply for the historic tax credits if he didn't plan on using it?

^Ask the owners of the John Hartness Brown Buildings.

I believe the credits can be transferred. Maybe his goal is to sell the building along with the credits. Considering how competitive the program is it would be appealing to buy a property with the credits lined up.

 

 

I believe the credits can be transferred. Maybe his goal is to sell the building along with the credits. Considering how competitive the program is it would be appealing to buy a property with the credits lined up.

 

 

Exactly.  It can be looked at as adding value, in order to sell at a premium.   

Okay that does make sense. Hopefully he sells to someone who is actually likely to go through with such a development.

80 Apartments. How tall mof a building would that be?

From the article I get the sense that both the Liberty and the new building would, together, house the 80 units.

Project aims to restore Liberty Textiles Building

 

Two factors have prompted the Kassouf family to undertake a revitalization of its Liberty Textiles Building, 1277 W. Sixth St., after a nearly 30-year wait.

 

First, Joseph Kassouf, the son of longtime parking lot owner-operator and downtown Cleveland property investor James Kassouf, said rents only recently have reached the point where constructing apartments makes sense. Second, the family decided to drop a long-held dream of installing a boutique hotel in the Liberty, which dates from 1890.

 

"The Cleveland hotel market is saturated," Joseph Kassouf said, "while demand by people to live in downtown Cleveland is strong."

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20170716/NEWS/170719862/project-aims-to-restore-liberty-textiles-building

So this project is a long way from coming to fruition. They're still putting together their financing and they don't yet know who their first-floor retail tenant(s) will be. And their plan for the adjoining parking lot sounds like it will be limited to constructing a two-floor garage that will also provide dedicated parking for tenants of the apartments. I didn't see anything in the article about the Kassoufs building above the parking deck or having retail on the ground floor unless I misunderstood it. I was confused about the mention of this development having five storefronts. Their total retail square footage will be 7,000 sf. Is that just in the existing building or spread among the existing and proposed buildings? I do like the idea for a courtyard for residents atop the proposed parking deck however.

So this project is a long way from coming to fruition. They're still putting together their financing and they don't yet know who their first-floor retail tenant(s) will be. And their plan for the adjoining parking lot sounds like it will be limited to constructing a two-floor garage that will also provide dedicated parking for tenants of the apartments. I didn't see anything in the article about the Kassoufs building above the parking deck or having retail on the ground floor unless I misunderstood it. I was confused about the mention of this development having five storefronts. Their total retail square footage will be 7,000 sf. Is that just in the existing building or spread among the existing and proposed buildings? I do like the idea for a courtyard for residents atop the proposed parking deck however.

 

I could be wrong but it sounds like they intend to have two floors of parking with three floors of apartments above it.

 

"Joseph Kassouf said the plan calls for the attached new building to climb five floors while the Liberty is only four stories high, thanks to Liberty's tall ceilings of around 19 feet. The first floor on West Sixth will incorporate a total of 7,000 square feet of first floor retail space. 'We won't have a bar there," Joseph Kassouf said, 'but a restaurant that will be open longer hours because it has a bar.' A drawing Kassouf displayed of the proposed project shows uses such as a bakery and others in at least five storefronts. Final numbers, along with the number of suites, are in flux."

 

Good catch. Thanks. And I hope that means the retail will extend into the parking deck's sidewalk frontage.