There will be a two story, 20,000 square foot fitness center on the Prospect side. (as someone else said, it's not Fitworks)

 

There will be a 4,000 square foot convenience store.

 

The restaurant in the building will be Zig, a high end, French-American restaurant with an outdoor patio and bar.  There will also be indoor seating in the atrium along with indoor entertainment there when the weather is bad. 

 

This is outstanding.  This exactly what I was hoping would happen.  Having a convenience / market like Constantino's will make the gateway neighborhood immensely more liveable, and more of well... a neighborhood.

Isnt this represnative of supply and demand.  There is now a demand for this type of space because of the supply of apartments that has sprung up in the area.  I know everyone wants things like this to pop up immediatly, afterall we do live in an "everything right now" world, but it does take time for developers/small business to prove that there is a market for these services.

I wonder if they've got someone lined up for the convenience store or if they're still trying to lease it out.

Isnt this represnative of supply and demand. There is now a demand for this type of space because of the supply of apartments that has sprung up in the area. I know everyone wants things like this to pop up immediatly, afterall we do live in an "everything right now" world, but it does take time for developers/small business to prove that there is a market for these services.

 

Short answer.  Yes.

Yes indeed.  And as the supply of stores increases, the demand for Cleveland will grow.

There's already about 5-10 convenience stores within the vicinity. 1 in the old National City and another in the new NCB building across the street, a CVS at E. 9th and Euclid, one in the Huntington Building's basement, and so forth.

 

Hopefully this one will have later hours and more offerings.

The one in the new NCB building is only accesible to emmployees, its on the inside of the access gates.  So I would not really include that one in the list.  Plus I am hoping that this wont be simialr to CVS, which fills a different need.

There's already about 5-10 convenience stores within the vicinity. 1 in the old National City and another in the new NCB building across the street, a CVS at E. 9th and Euclid, one in the Huntington Building's basement, and so forth.

 

Hopefully this one will have later hours and more offerings.

 

This space will be 4,000 square feet.  While that is only about half the size of constantino's, it is significantly larger than the hole in the wall type "convenience stores" in the area.  CVS is a drug store, I believe they want to make this more of a mini market type place from what I understood (when the idea was first brought up some time ago).

 

Yes indeed.  And as the supply of stores increases, the demand for Cleveland will grow.

 

Absolutely.  That's how this works, they feed off each other.  As residents increase, more goods and services follow.  The more goods and services that pop up, the more people will be interested in living here.  It's kind of organic like that.

 

However you aren't likely to see a mass influx of retail unless it is part of some large scale development a la stark's plan.  Which simply isn't going to happen in the present economy.  Until things open back up, this is the way it goes, people and retail growing simultaneously...

Agreed CVS is not a convenience store---its a drug store. the area needs a place you pop into and get a box of spaghetti and a jar of sauce or a pint of ice cream or a cup of coffee or a sandwich made for you at the deli counter--all at 3:30am--like on any corner in NYC.

Well, I would say yes, NYC is the city that never sleeps. However, there is no truth to 24 hour convenience stores on every corner in NYC.

Here's a nice little listing for the new apartments:

 

http://www.forrent.com/apartment-community-profile/1000057159.php

There will be a two story, 20,000 square foot fitness center on the Prospect side. (as someone else said, it's not Fitworks)

 

There will be a 4,000 square foot convenience store.

 

The restaurant in the building will be Zig, a high end, French-American restaurant with an outdoor patio and bar. There will also be indoor seating in the atrium along with indoor entertainment there when the weather is bad.

 

This is outstanding. This exactly what I was hoping would happen. Having a convenience / market like Constantino's will make the gateway neighborhood immensely more liveable, and more of well... a neighborhood.

 

I would wait to actually see it before we get too excited about a convienence store (which would be great).  K&D doesn't always follow through.  There was supposed to be a convienence store, coffee shop, restaurant and bar in the retail space attached to Stonebridge Plaza...didn't quite work out that way...

^while I completely agree with you, I think there are certain market factors that make it easier for it to happen in this location than in the flats.

OK ummm, sorry for posting this 1 week later but, actually I leased from 668 on 15th of June :mrgreen:

 

The apartment's Prospect side will be ready by 15th of August, while the Euclid side is in October I think.

 

My apartment's plan is P37, which is a 900sq ft large 1-bedroom. The link is: http://propimages.apartments.com/1218/609243.jpg

 

There are several 630-655sq ft suites are also ready all for 15th of August.

 

The parking is $85 per month, which is NOT assigned and will be open to public, BUT the floors for residents and other users will be different (K&D uses the same parking company which also operates  Reserve Square).

 

There is a Preferred Employer stuff happening (as all the other K&D buildings) which is a %2.5 discount each month OR 1/2 off first month's rent. The security deposit is NOT equal to one month's rent but is $399 flat.

 

As I am overseas, my fiancé toured the house and signed the lease right after. She said the Prospect side would be even better for sunny-wise (I don't really know if there is a word as sunny-wise :shoot:)

 

The windows are NOT like Stonebridge type which were not suitable for living due to their insulation and material (what an architect friend told me earlier). The furnace and vents in the living room are also better placed than Stonebridge.

 

My house has a walk-in closet which houses the W/D. I don't know if that is a good thing but I don't think any negative side either :-)

 

The appliances are new style and looking good but the cabinets in the kitchen are still old school, I mean come on K&D.

 

My fiancé was not able to tour the atrium and the "green space" mentioned in the flyers which were not ready yet. By the way, she toured the apartment complex wearing a construction hard hat :-D

 

So, the drawbacks for me were: kitchen cabinets, carpet (it could be hardwoord) , and as other forum users pointed out: vertical windowblinds.

 

But the positive sides were a lot more so we leased: location, new apartment, amenities...

 

Other than that, as you may imagine, you are responsible for heating (electric), water/sewer, internet and every other thing other than trash.

 

Anyone else want to lease: you can ask me questions but at the end you should tell my name as referral so we can both earn some money :evil: (the second part is absolutely a will haha) But if anyone asks to tell my name, I will share the referral bonus with you. I wanted to clear one thing though, this was not my sole purpose to post this.

 

So questions, questions???

 

Modified: Actually we did not sign the lease yet, since there is not one. We gave a $100 to hold the unit for us which will go towards the 1st month's rent.

sounds exciting. how much is the rent? (since you want questions!) and i agree with you, vertical blinds are horrible and a pain to deal with....

Rent is $900 for 900sq ft, which is not bad I think (compared to other downtown apartments)

 

Modified: After the preferred employee discount, it is $877. The parking is $85 flat, there are no discounts on that.

lots of terra cotta being delivered to the front of the building this morning... looks like we're going to be seeing the "restoration" potion of this project really moving now.  :)

Photos please. Stand out in the hot sun and do your UrbanOhio duty!  :-D

Ok here is the pic.

 

 

^^Man, we are such stalkers...

 

Thanks for the pic!

So should I move to the Euclid side, maybe? :-D

By the way, I really like how active this section of Euclid is getting. Now if we could just give a pulse to the section between East 9th and Playhouse Square...

Meanwhile, around the corner from the Schofield building...

 

Take a good look at the first pic and you can see where replacement terra cotta is being filled in.  i would imagine in another week or two the Euclid side is going to become quite picture worthy.  The rest of the shots show the progress being made on the Prospect side, and not just the upper floors.  Storefronts.  Beautiful, wonderful storefronts.

Beautiful shots!

 

I like my apartment again and again.

That building might be a great location for a Constantino's-sized grocer that also has a freshly prepared lunches and a seating area.

^They already announced a 4,000 sf "convenience store"... that is about 1/2 the size of constantino's.  It will be interesting to see what kind of place it ends up being...

I hope the store will sell higher end foods and better items..No lottery and brown bagging booze. Some local produce would be good when i season..and local Ohio made products. And only unique imported items.

That building might be a great location for a Constantino's-sized grocer that also has a freshly prepared lunches and a seating area.

How big is the trader Joe's out at Crocker Park? Wouldn't a small grocery store along those lines be a pretty good fit for that area?

I would guess both Trader Joe's (Crocker and Eton) are at least 20,000 square feet if not larger.

Actually trader joe's at crocker is only 11,000 sf... though that is still almost tripple the size of what is planned here.  I agree that it would be a fantastic idea and could potentially do pretty well given the increasing residential base here, and a decent amount of offices in the vicinity... but doesn't look like any of the "grocery store" type places were biting.  I had heard they were courting one pretty heavily.  I do hope that this "convenience sotre" is more of a market a la constantino's and that they reserve some contiguous space for potential expansion.

^I'm not sure I'd call an 11,000 sf Trader Joe's a "Big Box" in today's world of 50,000 Super Stop & Shops and Walmart Groceries.  You are probably right about the environmental aspects of TJ's, but stores like that are lifestyle demands of the demographic the city so eagerly covets, and are key if we want the middle class numbers to rebound within city limits.

 

So bringing this back on topic.... I too hope that whatever goes in 668 has some good food options, including some produce and other resident-oriented goods; not office worker-geared convenience crap.

 

PS. I like the food coop and wonder why it doesn't have a higher profile; but unless it plans to open a branch downtown (maybe unlikely given the Coventry adventure years ago), it's not really a viable alternative for the TJs people would love to see.

I understand the rationale behind the post, but let's get back to the 668 Euclid project and discuss retail/economic theories in the appropriate threads.

Sure, back on topic. Retail in the complex was the topic, I think..and I was talking about why I felt an independent local type entities would be the go for. But what's strange about what I wrote? What is so strange about wanting to support local businesses? It might be a strange concept to one someone who seldom does. In that case, my whole point about the general consumer being clueless to those matters is validated. Anyway, point dropped...

Check your private messages.

So to keep things in order, what stores/businesses we know for sure to open in the commercial space, both Euclid and Prospect sides ?

Wyse Advertising Agency (Euclid Side)

Zeg French Restaurant (Courtyard area with another entrance from the interior atrium)

20,000 sf 2 story fitness center (location unknown)

4,000 sf convenience store (location unknown)

Do you think that Fitness Center will be open to public?

At that size I would think so, but don't know for sure.

There is this FitWorks in the same block, it would be nice to see what will happen...

maybe Fit works is moving and expanding?

That is another point of view. But I really don't want to pay for them on top of my rent.

I just recieved the following blurb on 668...

 

On August 15th the first move-ins at the Residences at 668 will begin. There will be over 230 luxury apartments available to rent. The first units available for lease will be on the Prospect side of the building, facing the Quicken Loans Arena. Currently, there are 17 units leased of the 68 available on the Prospect side, which will amount to nearly one-third immediate occupancy. And keep in mind, the building only started signing leases in mid-June; thus, these 17 leases have been signed in less than 30 days. Cyndi Kriz of the K&D Group reported that a diverse group of individuals are showing an interest in the property - it appeals to a variety of people. She states, "We're thrilled with the public's response to the Residences at 668.  We've had quite a bit of interest so far; a lot of tours have come through."

Additionally, the K&D Group has done an excellent job making sure the storefront space of the 668 building is occupied at the opening of the building. Committed to occupy 25,000 square feet of street level office space is Wyse, a local advertising agency. Wyse and their 90 employees will move into the space in August and maintain a 10-year lease. Plus, the 668 building is welcoming Zinc, a 3,000 square foot French bistro and market. The market will offer fresh bakery goods as well as a convenient deli. Zinc will be open for three meals a day, including breakfast, and provide seating for 75-100 guests. The outdoor courtyard next to the 668 building will provide an inviting outdoor patio for dining as well as an indoor/outdoor wraparound bar. The building is also planning for a fitness center. The proposed center will have 25,000 square feet of fitness/workout space which will potentially include a juice bar, health food counter, and a tanning salon.  The goal is to have the fitness center open by October 2009.

 

I did a walkthrough of the building last week. Here's what I found out:

 

- All of the Prospect-side one-bedrooms have been rented, and there was only one studio left.

- Move-in on the Euclid side is at least tentatively scheduled to be March. The leasing agent said that she already had one one-bedroom rented on that side of the building and anticipates they will move incredibly fast, particularly the units with patios (I believe 8 or so units on the northeast corner of the building).

- Work was underway on the fitness studio while I was there. It's GIGANTIC. I was told that it is being managed by an outside service provider and that there are plans for it to operate 24 hours (!). It will be open to the public, and residents will receive one year free use.

- Overall, I was really impressed with the building. The studio I looked at was cute and overlooked the roof of the Arcade, with Terminal Tower in the background. It was a nice-sized studio but still small for my needs (or wants, rather), and I wasn't crazy about the finishes, particularly in the kitchen, but these are still really nice units. The deal-breaker was that the units are fully carpeted, which I know, makes me a total princess. Oh well. I'll wear the crown.

- Just a final note ... As I've been scoping out apartments, I've been amazed by how the rates have climbed over the past 5 years. Most of the units I looked at were really nice, but I was often seeing a minimum of $700 (usually more along the lines of $800) for a studio and some one-bedrooms going for $1,500 (!). And that's if you can find one ... downtown developers - OFFER ONE-BEDROOMS!!! The market is gobbling them up! I think this is a great development and speaks to the market value people are now placing on living in the center of everything; I just hope that it doesn't become too exclusionary or that the rent climbs slow the great in-migration trend we're experiencing, particularly after the recent legislation that eases the way for condo conversions (and potential shrinkage of the already scant availability of rental units).

Oh, and I should have also mentioned that tenants on the Prospect side will have an option to move to the Euclid side upon completion. Apparently, a couple of tenants have already made arrangements to do so. I think that's a really nice offer.

The market will offer fresh bakery goods as well as a convenient deli. Zinc will be open for three meals a day, including breakfast 

 

Really? What could the third meal of the day possibly be otherwise? Elevensies? ? ?

Its great to see large-scale apartment buildings move east down Euclid. 668 is a very important cog in our downtown. While we have some nice momentum just east of E.9th, we need to connect the Huron/Prospect triangle back across E.9th. If Ameritrust would have gone thru, downtown would have been sitting pretty. Still, 668 is so important in so many ways.

I am one of them but have been told that it is OK if and only if you would upgrade, meaning a studio to 1 bedroom or 1 bedroom to 2 bedroom.

 

Oh, and I should have also mentioned that tenants on the Prospect side will have an option to move to the Euclid side upon completion. Apparently, a couple of tenants have already made arrangements to do so. I think that's a really nice offer.

Really? What could the third meal of the day possibly be otherwise? Elevensies? ? ?

Second Breakfast! Maybe the elusive fourth meal!

 

Everything about this project sounds like its first class and very well put together. Once the money is a-rolling in this will hopefully inspire more people to get involved downtown.

Everybody here is invited to see my apartment after I move-in  :-)

By looking at the drawings I did not see patios included.  The patios overlooking Euclid will add a "alive" feel to the street. cool