Hi -

 

My boyfriend and I are looking into the apartments in Clark-Fulton/Tremont called Metro Lofts.  I saw some negative opinions posted a year ago, and just wanted to see if people still felt the same.  Any personal experience living in the area/building would be greatly appreciated.  We are young, but we aren't really looking to be walking distance to nightlife or anything.  We like the charm of Metro Lofts (and the price) and on our visit the neighborhood seemed alright.  The gated parking lot is definitely a plus.

 

Any opinions would be great!!

the area remains high crime. There are some similar spaces called the Federal Knitting Mills which are closer to grocery, shopping, downtown . Not sure if the price is the same-probably not. of course there is some diciness there too walking at night.  If you feel the parking lot and building is secure then you should be fine. Did you visit at times you will be in and out of your car or driving around? I forget if that if officially the Clark Metro neighborhood or Tremont. Its character is definitely more Clark Fulton like than Tremont (which people think of as walking everywhere). Either way maybe these organizations can maybe answer questions about crime stats if you are interested.

 

http://www.tremontwestdevelopment.com/index.htm

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/cwp/districts.php?dt=dist2&dn=clark

 

Thanks for the info! The Federal Knitting Mills are quite a bit more expensive, we actually looked at them online.  We visited on two different days, both in late afternoon.  I couldn't find information on crime stats on either of those sites.  I have found sites for crime watch in Tremont, but since this is closer to Clark-Fulton, I'm not sure if the info still applies.

 

Welcome and there are several Tremont residents here although I think the lofts are in Clark-Fulton.  I feel like its a neighborhood in transition with pockets of great streets.

 

I say visit in morning, and at evening on weekdays and weekends.  One or two trips is never enough.

I'm speaking very generally, but if there is a gated parking lot and it's in Cleveland, it's because crime is a problem.  I have lived a lot of places around the cleveland area and none of them had to have a gate around the parking lot to deter car break-ins or thefts.

Oh, the comment about having gated parking is a very good observation.  I don't mind living in a transition area as long as there aren't, ya know, people getting shot on the sidewalk outside.  We are very much homebodies, so we will likely go get groceries and occasionally go to dinner, but we won't be out and about much after dark on a regular basis.

 

We are mainly taking that into consideration when looking for a place.  Since we will be spending most of our time inside our apartment, it's important that we love it.  We aren't concerned as much about being in walking distance to things.

I live not too far from Metro Lofts but across the highway in Tremont proper. Metro Lofts are technically in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood.

 

The area around Metro Lofts has historically been on the dicey side. Last year someone was gunned down on Althen Avenue - possibly during a drug deal, and he died on the steps of Mega Church which is about four blocks north of Metro Lofts. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/10/_update_the_man_who.html. A few years earlier, a well-publicized double homicide happened at Tony's Deli, not far from there: http://www.loumuenz.com/2004/12/15/tremont-murder-memorial/

 

Mind you, a lot of violent crimes happen between people that know each other or are gang/drug-related but when something like that happens basically across the street, I get a little sketchy :? That said, and I should emphasize that the CPD has recently initiated some pretty harsh crackdowns on drug-related and violent crime so perhaps the area has benefitted from that. I prefer being able to walk to different spots, but if having to hop in your car to get to nightlife, restaurants doesn't bother you, Metro Lofts could very well work for you.

One thing that might have helped the crime situation lately was the fire that burnt down Monroe's Cabaret last November. A number of the hookers and druggies moved on after the strip bar went away, but not all. There is still the Peek-a-Boo lounge nearby.

are you saying 25 cent porno short films draw a bad crowd?

:-o

to follow up on the crime stats. Those web sites don't show them, but you may be able to call and get some info. The neighborhood development folks live in the neighborhood and know the truth. Also there is a huge thread on crime on the forum (http://www.Urbano.com/forum2/index.php/topic,4065.0.HTML) ...the bad part is the crime maps are buried in there My guess is in the last 1/3. there is one map with reported gun shots and another that plots violent crime. As far as the fence...true, it says something, but theft is pretty common all over (US) though, at least it is being addressed. There are much better neighborhoods with auto theft problems. If I lived some where I could park the car on the street and have few worries, it would probably be too boring an area for me in other ways. It is too bad you cannot meet some of your neighbors.

Here's the best website for neighborhood data in Cleveland.  You can retrieve and map crime data down to the block, as well as a ton of other social, economic, and property data.

 

http://neocando.case.edu/cando/index.jsp

 

Take a look, and let me know if you have questions on how to use it.

I just wanted to follow up with you guys.  We did decide to go ahead and move into the Metro Lofts and we're very happy with our decision.  The price is great and the apartment is great.  Steelyard Commons is definitely handy and we are still close enough to the West Side Market and things like that.  We're both very much old souls and we enjoy flea markets and doing things early in the morning (yeah, i know that makes us kind of lame, haha) but we're not really into nightlife.  We do plan to check out some of the great restaurants in Tremont and Ohio City in the evenings, but it won't be an all the time thing.

 

I've never felt unsafe in the neighborhood, but the gated parking and not going out often in the evenings could be why.  I see people out walking around and jogging during the days, so that makes me feel better too.  We've already decided that in a few years we'd like to move to a townhouse or condo actually in Tremont because we really love the neighborhood.

 

There were some conflicts between what the realtor told us and what the landlord told us... which seems very odd to us.  I think the realtor was just trying to make the sale.  No complaints about the place, though. 

 

It was actually kind of a middle ground for us and it makes our commutes pretty much equal.  He works in Richfield and I will be doing rotations at various hospitals/pharmacies in Cleveland so I think it should work out fine for us!

 

Thanks for your advice everyone!!

Thanks for reporting back and letting us know!  Since you are morning people, be sure to check out Lucky's in Tremont for breakfast if you haven't already (I think they serve breakfast primarily on weekends).

Congrats on your move and I hope that you become more active on the board and share you cleveland experience!

 

BTW...there is nothing wrong with flea market shopping!  :wink:  :wink:

 

Congrats on your move and I hope that you become more active on the board and share you cleveland experience!

 

BTW...there is nothing wrong with flea market shopping!  :wink:  :wink:

 

 

No kidding!  My guy was really into video games in his misspent youth (haha) and has made a lot of money picking up rare games at flea markets and selling them on ebay.  It blows my mind.

 

I don't feel like we have much to contribute yet, but I'll be sure to post once we actually get out a bit more!

I don't feel like we have much to contribute yet,

 

Don't let that stop you. I've gone over 400 posts and still don't think I've really "contributed" anything  :-D

Congratulations on making your decision, and welcome to Cleveland!  If you explore Clark-Fulton at all, I hope you relate your experiences.  That's a neighborhood I'm really interested in learning more about, especially from a resident's perspective. 

Hi,

 

I'm a student looking to move in the Metro Lofts. However, between the realtor and the landlord, there is conflicting prices with the apartments? Would you mind telling me how much you pay per month.

Thanks

for what is is worth the person who lives there has not logged in a  month. Conflicting prices? I consider myself a bit of a financial wiz, so I will advise you to take the cheaper price.  :wink:

 

edit-try sending a PM, may be they will get it

Hi ABCD - We pay $650 for a one bedroom.  The realtor and the landlord have conflicting information about, well, just about everything.  So make sure you talk to both of them.  Sorry it took so long to see this!!  If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

Hi Thirtydialogues,

 

I'm thinking about moving to Metro Lofts.  Are you still happy with your decision to move there?  My biggest concern is the neighborhood.  I will have to walk my dog around the neighborhood in the evenings and I want to make sure it's safe.

 

Thanks!