yes. having businessness in the area will never lead to foot traffic because having one of the three components necessary for mixed use day and night activization of an area is a really bad thing. apartments alone are the only way to create foot traffic because from 9 to 5 there will certainly be hundreds if not thousands of people not working walking around their apartments.

Restaurants or decent shopping will add to foot traffic.  Otherwise it will be employees park in lot, go in building, come out of building, go in car, and get out of the area....  :-(

There are countless ideas which could lead to more foot traffic, but available financing..... oh, nevermind.

Restaurants or decent shopping will add to foot traffic.  Otherwise it will be employees park in lot, go in building, come out of building, go in car, and get out of the area....  :-(

 

I've heard plenty of rumblings that a coffee shop may go into the first floor of that tall abandoned building, if Dick Pace can finalize the financing to aquire it FYI.

I've heard plenty of rumblings that a coffee shop may go into the first floor of that tall abandoned building, if Dick Pace can finalize the financing to aquire it FYI.

 

That would be a good start, and provide a cross-the-street pedestrian traffic generator to Gallucci's! I can just imagine people running across the street for their coffee fix.

The idea that there's no money doesn't fly.  Yes there is money.  We see it getting spent all the time.  Cleveland just delivered new trash dumpsters to every property in town.  We used to have retail-free ghetto, now we have retail-free ghetto with recycling.  I've never heard anyone say "I might move to Cleveland, but...

 

...there's no recycling."

...the grass at the Zone rec center isn't properly irrigated." 

...they don't add bike lanes every single time they fix a road."

...I need bumpouts to cross a street."

...the West Shoreway just plain sucks."

...the parks need to be torn up and rebuilt."

...there aren't enough suburban plazas and single family homes."

 

Yet a fortune is being spent "fixing" all these non-problems.  I agree that money is the issue, but not the existence of money, rather the choices our leaders make in spending it.  Based on budgets alone, one might assume Cleveland was a perfectly robust and functional city whose major challenges are traffic and landscaping.

 

As soon as the Euclid Corridor project was green-lighted, we should have focused our resources on creating a premier city street, modeled after other premier city streets around the world.  Instead we've proceeded as if we didn't deserve such a thing.  What's that?  Someone wants to build a pedestrian dead zone along our new transit line?  Thank heavens.  That's the best we could hope for during the concrete's useful life.

I do think a lot of the money the city spends could go to better things. I do like the euclid corridor project though. I dont have any problem with the city letting someone build in midtown. Midtown is not going to be a walkable area anytime soon. Or 24/7 like I said before. And jobs in the area will help foot traffic. We need to focus on our better neighborhoods first, such as downtown and University Circle which still aren't completely walkable and active areas 24/7.

 

I dont agree necessarily with the remarks that projects like the West Shoreway Conversion will help tremendously and help neighborhoods boom, like Detroit Shoreway and Ohio City. Instead of investing in a road and hoping for the best, that $70 million(or whatever it is at now) could be directly invested into those neighborhoods to guarantee success.

 

And like I said in another thread, Im not against the Medical Mart and Convention center in anyway. But imagine what that $400 Million could do for the warehouse district. Fill in those lots, add residents to downtown, new office space, as well as retail space. That would benefit the city far more that the medical mart and convention center could ever dream of doing.

That's exactly it.  We need to refocus all this spending on the city itself.  And I really believe that if we'd done that, we could have opened possibilities for Midtown that otherwise seem impossibly remote.  Those arguing most strongly that the current developments are appropriate rely heavily on the slim chance that anything else could happen.  But what if it could?  I bet you $400 million that $400 million in residential and retail subsidies would have changed the prospects of Midtown Euclid Avenue considerably.  And a transformation of that magnitude, between downtown and the hospitals, might have convinced some company to come here and build a Medical Mart all by their ding dong selves.

Im wondering if something like this would work. But lets say if the city/county had $400 Million, like they have for the Medical Mart/Convention Center. Instead of using the money to completely finance one project, could the city work with private developers in order to get things done. Maybe give a developer $100 Million as partial financing for the warehouse district. Maybe another $100 Million for something on Euclid Avenue. Keep breaking up the money, $50 Million here, $50 million there, etc. I feel like developers would jump on the opportunity to build in Cleveland, at essentially a discounted price.

Im wondering if something like this would work. But lets say if the city/county had $400 Million, like they have for the Medical Mart/Convention Center. Instead of using the money to completely finance one project, could the city work with private developers in order to get things done. Maybe give a developer $100 Million as partial financing for the warehouse district. Maybe another $100 Million for something on Euclid Avenue. Keep breaking up the money, $50 Million here, $50 million there, etc. I feel like developers would jump on the opportunity to build in Cleveland, at essentially a discounted price.

 

Absolutely.  But even if if takes all 400 to get just one area going (WHD or EC), so be it.  We're still miles ahead of today.

The county has a $100 million economic development fund....

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/04/fitzgerald_to_announce_100_mil.html

 

Im wondering if something like this would work. But lets say if the city/county had $400 Million, like they have for the Medical Mart/Convention Center. Instead of using the money to completely finance one project, could the city work with private developers in order to get things done. Maybe give a developer $100 Million as partial financing for the warehouse district. Maybe another $100 Million for something on Euclid Avenue. Keep breaking up the money, $50 Million here, $50 million there, etc. I feel like developers would jump on the opportunity to build in Cleveland, at essentially a discounted price.

 

 

The City does do that as the Port is involved in a lot of financing deals.  However, the City does not have $50 million to just throw at developers to jump start projects and not expect ROI.  If a developer needs some infrastructure work done, or something that services the public in general, that is one thing..... but asking the City to sink its own money into projects which would be for profit ventures by private corporations and not expect their money back, that is quite something different.  And that is what would have to happen for there to be a "discounted price". 

^ Isnt that essentially how the Medical Mart is funded though? That money is not being paid back, and it is for profit by a private corporation.

MMPI is not the owner of the MM/CC... they are just the company hired to operate it.  It is a public project being built with public dollars and you see the sh!tstorm of scrutiny it is being placed under.  You expect a private developer to accept all that red tape?  The MM is more akin to building a sports arena than it is like building non subsidized housing.

The past few days I notice when passing the fire-damaged Euclid Square apartment building that the sides and rear are all collapsed - only the facade and a small part of each sidewall remain. I was wondering if they could possibly go ahead with so much damage and so much refuse. I'm wondering if this was their plan all along or if the walls simply collapsed.  Anyway I'm so glad the facade and some more are being retained, and I can't wait to see how they finish off all the rest.  If their plan is to match all or most (at least exterior) details they have to go no farther than the twin and occupied structure to the east! :clap:

Is the Calfee Building the official new name for the former East Ohio Building at E. 6th and Rockwell?

More momentum  :clap: :clap:

 

Developer plans to rehab Euclid Ave. site for lab space

Victory Building seen as Health-Tech Corridor asset

By JAY MILLER

4:30 am, October 31, 2011

 

A new owner, a change in strategy and some public money are enabling a vacant building that almost rubs shoulders with the Cleveland Clinic to be rehabilitated.

 

Garson Victory LLC, a partnership led by real estate broker Scott Garson, plans a $24 million transformation of the four-story, red brick Victory Building at 7012 Euclid Ave. into a mixed-use complex that could serve tenants in need of office, research and laboratory space. The investment would open 165,000 square feet for growing businesses in what's called the Health-Tech Corridor between downtown and Cleveland Clinic.

 

“One of our most successful strategies is to take businesses from the incubators and keep them in the city of Cleveland to grow here instead of moving to the suburbs, as many have in the past,” Tracey Nichols, Cleveland's director of economic development, told a City Council committee Oct. 24 in support of the city's financial assistance. The legislation authorizing the plan was passed by council that evening.

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20111031/SUB1/310319983#

The Crain's article mentions that the 128,000 square foot MidTown Tech Park (the new Geis building) is nearly filled.  Is that true?  I have read in the past that they had many promising leads, but first time I have heard that is it actually nearly fully leased.

^There's been reporting of actual leases at MidTown Tech park (Jumpstart, Cleveland Heartlab) and Geiss/Hemmingway seemed pretty confident that it would fill quickly, but it's great to see something like that in print.

 

This is awesome news about the Victory Building.  Some actual momentum going on here, even with this crap economy.  If Dick Paces' proposed rehab of the faceless building next to Dunham happens, just wow.  That's the announcement I really hope to see one of these days.

thats great. now we need some 30-40 story apartment buildings around the area with ground floor retail (dry cleaners, 24-hr delis, 24-hr diners, grocery store, etc.) to keep the momentum moving.

^sigh

This was published in Crain's this a.m and I'm surprised someone here hasn't already posted it:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20111031/SUB1/310319983#

As you can see it's the latest and probably most successful plan for the former Victory Building (aka "Arts Building in the late '70s or early '80s, etc.).  "$24 million" to be pumped into this former car dealership - quite a hefty sum to pour into it.  I'm very glad!  the sooner the better.

This was published in Crain's this a.m and I'm surprised someone here hasn't already posted it:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20111031/SUB1/310319983#

As you can see it's the latest and probably most successful plan for the former Victory Building (aka "Arts Building in the late '70s or early '80s, etc.).  "$24 million" to be pumped into this former car dealership - quite a hefty sum to pour into it.  I'm very glad!  the sooner the better.

 

It was posted in the Cleveland: Midtown Developments Forum

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,3435.0.html

 

 

There's going to be a lot more commercial re-use of existing buildings first. The extent of vacant buildings is a far more pressing problem, and growing commercial activity spilling over from the nearby University Circle area appears to be a much stronger driver than residential right now (see the Crains article's reference to that). We might see increased demand for residential in this area someday soon, but it doesn't seem to be there now even for a relatively low-cost rehab of a three-story building. A high-rise in this area? The rents aren't even that high in downtown or University Circle to support that, let alone in a neighborhood still trying to shed its ghetto past.

I work in midtown and drive through it daily. I love what's happening at Euclid and E. 70'ish. One thing I can see happening is eventually all of the empty buildings and empty lots being transformed into bustling tech buildings, as we see it is already happening. What I am more anxious to see is where developers will spill out to. Chester Avenue near Dunham area has no developments or housing or anything on the south side of the street. There are actually fields of grass with very large mature trees. I am not old enough to know if anything ever existed along this area of Chester, but I do hope this is the next area where progression takes the developers once Euclid is fully built out (3, 5, 10 years...?) at which point I could picture some 30-40 story apartments!

Every lot in this part of Cleveland was solidly filled in with buildings until recent years. And most of the streets ran through before this part of Chester was cut through - as sort of a "parkway" - in the 1940s.

After I posted the "Crain's" article I found it can't be opened on this site, unfortunately. But then neither can the one posted from the Midtown forum.  Sorry.  I don't currently have full access to all the Crain's online articles, but I had gotten it through a Google search (""Euclid Avenue' and 'Crain's' and 'October 31, 2011'" or something like that) and the whole article came up.... Funny how these things work.

Interesting, thanks for that tidbit. There is not much info. out there on Chester. It does seem like a parkway cut through now that I think about it. Sadly, it's nothing like MLK Parkway, which would be pretty cool. All it is today is mcmansions on one side of the street and nothing on the other side, with the exception of a castle tucked away down one street and of course Beacon Place once you pass E. 79th.

high-rise in this area? The rents aren't even that high in downtown or University Circle to support that, let alone in a neighborhood still trying to shed its ghetto past.

 

I know there aren't but I think both Downtown and UC could support high rise residences. And given financing, condos are difficult to buy and build, and with the current economy and folks leaving single family homes, the demand for apartments is very strong--across the US. To reduce each unit price, apartments do not have to be giant 1200-2000sq feet units, they could be much smaller and thus more per floor and more affordable for the builder (and cheaper for the tenant) (and will also provide for more density and thus more street level retail).

 

Ok, maybe not high rises in midtown yet, but it would be nice to mix up the area between (non-high rise) residential and commercial so its not a dead zone after working hours...

 

^See the discussion on pages 23 and 24 of the Uptown thread for reasons why high rises are not even possible in a hot area like University Circle.

^ok---I'll check it out.

Regarding Erie Square it sure will be interesting to see how they handle the reconstruction of most of the western twin.  So extremely glad they saved the facade and a little beyond! Wonder what kind of insurance they had and how closely all the new construction will resemble the 1920s twin.

 

Are they going to closely copy the limestone trim, for example, style of windows, etc?  I highly doubt it. Surely the new interior will be quite different. Anyway, whatever they do won't be seen much from the street.  I hope they clean all the brick and old limestone but I doubt if they well.  Again, it depends on what kind of insurance the organization had. :clap:

New "Pasha Cafe" sign on Art Moderne bldg. at 2912 Euclid - about a block east of Innerbelt on south side - hideous! Did they go through the proper design channels before installing that? Here's a wonderful, aesthetically cool bldg. with cream and sea green terracotta panels - the green painted blue-turquoise a while back but more recently restored (or repainted?) to original colors, and now this ghastly, oversized, ultra-bright neon gets plastered on the facade. 

 

No, I'm not able to get over there and take a photo, but you can probably see the Pasha sign from wherever you're sitting.... :shoot:

He'd keep it turned on all the time!

Lots of activity in Midtown and a bit beyond it too........

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2011/pdf/EC_Agenda%20111711.pdf

 

(8:00) 1) EC 2011- 018 CWRU Photovoltaic Tracker REVISED

1819 East 101st St

West Quad Campus

Joanne S. Brown CWRU

 

(8:30) 2) EC 2011 – 044

Bricklayers Union demolition

4025 Chester Ave.

MidTown District

Dave Wondolowski, I. U. of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers

 

(9:00) 3) EC 2011 - 045

The Midtown Building renovation & restoration

6815 Euclid Ave.

MidTown District

Dale Serne, Dale Serne Architects Inc.

 

(9:30) 4) EC 2011 - 046

Erie Square Apartments reconstruction of bldg A

7621 Euclid Ave.

MidTown District

Jonathan Cana, HGF Architects

 

(10:00) 5) EC 2011 – 024

Church Square Pharmacy        N

1956 E 79th Street

MidTown District

Carleton Moore!, CWM Developers, Inc

Abdel AbdulKhalil

Does anyone have a picture pre Euclid Corridor?  Here's one During and After, but I'd love to see how it approached the Street beforehand.

 

 

 

I'm hopeful the prospective investor who is interested in this building does something with it. But in the meantime if you'd like to buy or at least read about it, I found the listing for it:

 

http://looplink.omcle.com/xNet/Looplink/Profile/Profile.aspx?stid=ostendorfmorris&LID=15594934&LL=true&UOMListing=&UOMMoneyCurrency=&RentPer=PY&SRID=2204537082

There's apparently a really interesting article at Crain's that few people will pay to see, including me....

 

Web of investments intersects in Midtown

December 12, 2011, 4:30 am

 

Right now, more than a half-dozen development deals are in progress or are on the horizon nearby, with a significant amount of the activity coming from companies usually focused on the greener pastures along suburban interstate highways.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20111212/SUB1/312129981

Good news. Glad to hear the agora building is being looked at. That's right down from the intersection of 55th and Euclid. I always thought that had to be the most unattractive section on the whole healthline, especially the gaping hole in the railroad overpass!! I havnt been by that way in a few months but I assume it's the same. Hope to see change soon.

I couldn't get to the article using the normal method.  Can you see it mrclifton?  Any new projects that we don't already know about?

I was reading it on an iPhone... the mobile version of the website lets you see it but googling it doesn't!  Interesting... well lets see if I can summarize:

 

The owner of the Frost building (69th and Euclid) is rehabbing the upper floors for his business but wants to put a restaurant at street level with outdoor dining

 

Midtown Tech Park is 70% leased

 

7000 Euclid renovation has begun

 

There's a lot of information about special financing, public financial assistance, federal credits, etc. that combined have made these new developments possible

 

This has allowed Mr. Frost to buy 3 parcels on Euclid Ave. (@ E 69th).  He's tearing down a house on the north end and restoring a 3 story brick building that will be the office/restaurant combo

 

Hemingway Development is marketing the redevelopment of the Agora Building (5000 Euclid) to be rebranded as "The Offices at Penn Square"

 

They're also working with the City to cleanup Warner & Swasey Building (5701 Carnegie)

 

Cumberland Development is interested in property on Euclid currently owned by RTA to take overflow from Baker Electric Building

 

Richard Bowen is planning $35 mil mix-use project @ 6600 Euclid (right next to Galuccis) which would be medical office building, retail, and senior living center.

 

Did I miss anything??

 

Thanks for the summary! 'Preciate it.

Richard Bowen is planning $35 mil mix-use project @ 6600 Euclid (right next to Galuccis) which would be medical office building, retail, and senior living center.

 

Thanks for the rundown.  I had forgotten all about this proposal, which Cleveland.com first described almost two years ago: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/02/35_million_mixed-use_developme.html

Bowen is still around, that's cool. My father worked for them for a long time.

Hemingway Development is marketing the redevelopment of the Agora Building (5000 Euclid) to be rebranded as "The Offices at Penn Square"

 

Ramathorn!

 

That one made me a little uneasy, but then again most of the building is offices.  I just hope the performance venue aspect is retained as well.  But given the geriatric focus of all the housing going in, the chances of Beachland-style spillover seem remote. 

 

 

Bowen is still around, that's cool. My father worked for them for a long time.

 

So did former Mayor Ralph Perk after Bowen got a big fat airport contract. Funny thing is, no one ever saw Perk do any work for them.

 

Hemingway Development is marketing the redevelopment of the Agora Building (5000 Euclid) to be rebranded as "The Offices at Penn Square"

 

RANT ON :speech:  This is the urban version of The McMansion Estates at Pine-Studded Deer Crossings Amongst the Whippoorwills. We give a cutesy name to a new incarnation of something that replaced something that came before.... Penn Square is what the intersection of East 55th Street and Euclid Avenue was named because it is also where the Pennsylvania Railroad crossed and had its principal station in Cleveland. But I doubt few Clevelanders even remember/know/care about that.

:speech: RANT OFF 

Bowen is still around, that's cool. My father worked for them for a long time.

 

So did former Mayor Ralph Perk after Bowen got a big fat airport contract. Funny thing is, no one ever saw Perk do any work for them.

 

Hemingway Development is marketing the redevelopment of the Agora Building (5000 Euclid) to be rebranded as "The Offices at Penn Square"

 

RANT ON :speech:  This is the urban version of The McMansion Estates at Pine-Studded Deer Crossings Amongst the Whippoorwills. We give a cutesy name to a new incarnation of something that replaced something that came before.... Penn Square is what the intersection of East 55th Street and Euclid Avenue was named because it is also where the Pennsylvania Railroad crossed and had its principal station in Cleveland. But I doubt few Clevelanders even remember/know/care about that.

:speech: RANT OFF 

 

I didn't know that.  The more you know!

I was reading it on an iPhone... the mobile version of the website lets you see it but googling it doesn't!  Interesting... well lets see if I can summarize:

 

The owner of the Frost building (69th and Euclid) is rehabbing the upper floors for his business but wants to put a restaurant at street level with outdoor dining

 

Midtown Tech Park is 70% leased

 

7000 Euclid renovation has begun

 

There's a lot of information about special financing, public financial assistance, federal credits, etc. that combined have made these new developments possible

 

This has allowed Mr. Frost to buy 3 parcels on Euclid Ave. (@ E 69th).  He's tearing down a house on the north end and restoring a 3 story brick building that will be the office/restaurant combo

 

Hemingway Development is marketing the redevelopment of the Agora Building (5000 Euclid) to be rebranded as "The Offices at Penn Square"

 

They're also working with the City to cleanup Warner & Swasey Building (5701 Carnegie)

 

Cumberland Development is interested in property on Euclid currently owned by RTA to take overflow from Baker Electric Building

 

Richard Bowen is planning $35 mil mix-use project @ 6600 Euclid (right next to Galuccis) which would be medical office building, retail, and senior living center.

 

Did I miss anything??

 

 

Baker Electric Building is 100% leased. (7100 Euclid Ave)

Is there any hope of having the median along Chester improved with some actual plantings?  I rarely drive down this route, but every time I do, I am amazed at how barren the median looks from CSU to the Clinic.  There are probably only a handful of trees in the entire area. 

 

It seems like a good area for midtown (or the city) to invest in actually planting something.

 

http://g.co/maps/v46yg

I was reading it on an iPhone... the mobile version of the website lets you see it but googling it doesn't!  Interesting... well lets see if I can summarize:

 

The owner of the Frost building (69th and Euclid) is rehabbing the upper floors for his business but wants to put a restaurant at street level with outdoor dining

 

Midtown Tech Park is 70% leased

 

7000 Euclid renovation has begun

 

There's a lot of information about special financing, public financial assistance, federal credits, etc. that combined have made these new developments possible

 

This has allowed Mr. Frost to buy 3 parcels on Euclid Ave. (@ E 69th).  He's tearing down a house on the north end and restoring a 3 story brick building that will be the office/restaurant combo

 

Hemingway Development is marketing the redevelopment of the Agora Building (5000 Euclid) to be rebranded as "The Offices at Penn Square"

 

They're also working with the City to cleanup Warner & Swasey Building (5701 Carnegie)

 

Cumberland Development is interested in property on Euclid currently owned by RTA to take overflow from Baker Electric Building

 

Richard Bowen is planning $35 mil mix-use project @ 6600 Euclid (right next to Galuccis) which would be medical office building, retail, and senior living center.

 

Did I miss anything??

 

 

Thanks, mrclifton!  An exciting time in Midtown, hope the ball just keeps rolling faster and faster.