by the way... and I don't want to take this any further off topic than necessary... but over and over and over again I see complaints against zoning. As someone who works with the Cleveland zoning code almost every day. I just want to say.... it is really not a very big deal. Is our zoning code ridiculous in many areas? Sure. But you either have zoning or you don't. Having zoning is just a way to keep a check and balance system on making sure you know what is happening and that bad stuff doesn't happen. And it is a pretty easy process. Submit your plans, they get reviewed. The city rejects for whatever reasons and they schedule your hearing. And if as noted above it is a worthwhile project... it passes. It is about a 2-3 week delay which in the overall timeline of developments (which are substantially longer than when people find out about them) its a really insignificant roadbump, and most always often accounted for from the start. Carry on. :)

by the way... and I don't want to take this any further off topic than necessary... but over and over and over again I see complaints against zoning. As someone who works with the Cleveland zoning code almost every day. I just want to say.... it is really not a very big deal. Is our zoning code ridiculous in many areas? Sure. But you either have zoning or you don't. Having zoning is just a way to keep a check and balance system on making sure you know what is happening and that bad stuff doesn't happen. And it is a pretty easy process. Submit your plans, they get reviewed. The city rejects for whatever reasons and they schedule your hearing. And if as noted above it is a worthwhile project... it passes. It is about a 2-3 week delay which in the overall timeline of developments (which are substantially longer than when people find out about them) its a really insignificant roadbump, and most always often accounted for from the start. Carry on. :)

 

Form-based code.

 

Couldn't help myself

by the way... and I don't want to take this any further off topic than necessary... but over and over and over again I see complaints against zoning. As someone who works with the Cleveland zoning code almost every day. I just want to say.... it is really not a very big deal. Is our zoning code ridiculous in many areas? Sure. But you either have zoning or you don't. Having zoning is just a way to keep a check and balance system on making sure you know what is happening and that bad stuff doesn't happen. And it is a pretty easy process. Submit your plans, they get reviewed. The city rejects for whatever reasons and they schedule your hearing. And if as noted above it is a worthwhile project... it passes. It is about a 2-3 week delay which in the overall timeline of developments (which are substantially longer than when people find out about them) its a really insignificant roadbump, and most always often accounted for from the start. Carry on. :)

 

We should continue this conversation in the zoning thread: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,25222.msg558323.html#msg558323

by the way... and I don't want to take this any further off topic than necessary... but over and over and over again I see complaints against zoning. As someone who works with the Cleveland zoning code almost every day. I just want to say.... it is really not a very big deal. Is our zoning code ridiculous in many areas? Sure. But you either have zoning or you don't. Having zoning is just a way to keep a check and balance system on making sure you know what is happening and that bad stuff doesn't happen. And it is a pretty easy process. Submit your plans, they get reviewed. The city rejects for whatever reasons and they schedule your hearing. And if as noted above it is a worthwhile project... it passes. It is about a 2-3 week delay which in the overall timeline of developments (which are substantially longer than when people find out about them) its a really insignificant roadbump, and most always often accounted for from the start. Carry on. :)

 

Don't disagree. But it's also not all that complicated to amend zoning to reflect changing priorities around how we encourage particular types of development. As we see more and more people seeking variances to make their developments more "urban", it seems like moving that 2-3 week delay onto developers who want more suburban stock, instead of creating a barrier (however small) for people like Ari Maron, might be worthwhile :)

Ribbon-cutting caps building renovation in Cleveland's Detroit Shoreway neighborhood

 

 

CLEVELAND - There were dignitaries, speeches and a ribbon-cutting. The renovated building dated to the late 1920's and the event was much anticipated by everyone in the area.

 

No, this was not the Horseshoe Casino -- but Monday's grand re-opening of the historic Sylvia apartment building in Cleveland's Detroit Shoreway neighborhood.

 

Mayor Frank Jackson and community leaders dedicated and toured the $3 million, 18-unit apartment building project, and proclaimed it the "jewel" of Franklin Avenue.

 

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/Ribbon-cutting-caps-building-renovation-in-Clevelands-Detroit-Shoreway-neighborhood#ixzz1vXTZMCaI

 

Article says "mixed income" rentals.  18 units, I think 14 are low income, who wants to be the 4 market rate guinea pigs?

^all that work and $ for a slum landlord to take over?  Why wouldnt they make that a top shelf apartment building in the neighborhood? what am i missing?

^Do you consider the local CDC to be a slum landlord? The building was renovated using low-income tax credits. This was hashed out at some length upthread.

Per this Crain's article the funding came from federal historic tax credit and the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), not LIHTC (http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20111010/FREE/310109948), though I don't know how much that matters.  It's not clear from the coverage what level of affordability the units are set at, but most likely, given NSP requirements, they have to be affordable to housheolds making 50 percent of [metro] area median income, which is equal to something like $22-$31k, depending on family size.  All to say, unless I'm totally missing something (very possible) these are likely to be lower middle class, employed people, not the poorest of the poor.

^Right, my bust.

This is a fun update from DSCDO

 

Detroit Shoreway luring retailers by offering free rent for top plans

 

The Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization (DSCDO) recently got some ink in Crain's Cleveland Business for its recently launched business plan competition. The competition offers free rent in increments of three months, six months and a year to the winners, who will fill vacant storefronts in the Gordon Square Arts District.

 

"When people go shopping, they are looking to stop at more than one or two stores," Jeff Ramsey, executive director of DSCDO, told Crain's. "They want a selection of stores to visit. We're trying to expand the mix of businesses here."

 

For more information on the business plan competition, contact Nick Fedor, Director of Marketing and Economic Development, at [email protected] or 216/961-4242. 

I can't find any info on the dscdo.org website.  You'd think they'd want to promote it there...

it was sent out at the top of their weekly newsletter, I'd say that's a pretty decent job of promoting

Not if you don't get the newsletter.

Cleveland-area planners to consider sending $27 million to West 73rd Street project

Published: Saturday, June 02, 2012, 5:45 AM

Tom Breckenridge, The Plain Dealer By Tom Breckenridge, The Plain Dealer

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The region's top planning body will vote on plowing $27 million into a new West Side link with the lakeshore.

 

The five-county agency could vote as soon as Friday to send federal money to the West 73rd Street underpass, long planned in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood.

 

An approval from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency would be good news for city officials and neighborhood residents.

 

ODOT earned their scorn by announcing in January that $30 million for the project could be delayed until 2026, despite saying for years that funding was in place.

 

The project would extend West 73rd north as a tunnel under an active rail line. The street would then jog to the east and connect with an existing tunnel under the West Shoreway, leading to Edgewater Park.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/06/post_25.html

*looks to post above* Finally a bit of good news.  Hope the fundingg comes. :clap:

Waverly Station has begun to dig.  I'm going to email them to see if the garages in the front with the current set-up are set in stone.  I'm really interested in them, but that one thing is a deal breaker!

I love this story!  Was reading about this guy a while back that had aspired to bring this production "home", but now he has bought an old industrial building in Gordon Square for this very cool production.  Its like a return of manufacturing on the neighborhood level.  Now if we could only make those parts here again.

 

Cleveland CycleWerks to move motorcycle production to Cleveland from China (video)

Published: Saturday, June 16, 2012, 12:00 PM    Updated: Saturday, June 16, 2012, 12:11 PM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's just a dilapidated industrial site now, but Scott Colosimo sees what should be there by the end of the year - a high-tech factory pumping out Cleveland CycleWerks motorcycles by the thousands.

 

The floors will be painted concrete. The ceilings will be covered with enough lights to make the place glow. The walls? CycleWerks' chief executive Colosimo, 31, plans to leave the aged red bricks in place, a reminder that his new work space near the Gordon Square Arts District made industrial rubber for nearly a century.

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/06/cleveland_cyclewerks_to_move_m.html

 

 

Cleveland's unique offer: $5K discount on new town home if you volunteer in the community

CLEVELAND - Developer Michael DeCesare and his wife Nancy have come up with a unique way to get new Cleveland home buyers to get involved in their communities.

 

DeCesare is calling the concept the "Shoreway Vision Program," giving buyers of his new town houses a $5,000 discount on the purchase price, if they give at least 40 volunteer hours to their community.

 

DeCesare made the offer available at his "Town Houses at Courtland" project on West 54th in Cleveland, and he's now extending the discount to his new "Waverly Station" project, at West 58th and Bridge Avenue.

 

"There's always been incentives to purchase," said DeCesare. "Nobody has ever heard of an incentive to purchase that requires you to give back time in your community."

 

The offer has sparked plenty of interest in the 22-unit Waverly Station project. Construction at the site has not yet started, but already, all but three units have been bought up in the project's first phase.

 

Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/money/consumer/troubleshooter/clevelands-unique-offer-5k-discount-on-new-town-home-if-you-volunteer-in-the-community#ixzz1ywe96DDF

The Spice storfront in Detroit Shoreway will be getting some attention:

 

Gordon Square Historic District

5800 Detroit Avenue

Storefront renovation for Spice Kitchen and Bar

Ward 15 - Zone

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/agenda/2012/06282012/index.php

 

^proposal looks great but that building's had more facelifts than Joan Rivers....  I hate to see another restaurant come in, spend thousands on renovations, and then not get the business to support it.  I think this is the 5th business at this location in 4 years...  Spice Kitchen/Roseangel/LaBoca/CheddarMacs/Snickers....

^ i think Spice is in for the long run bc the catering business is $$$$.  I think they headquarter it out of there.

Indeed they run their succesful catering business out of there.  I know the main guy there has quite the fan base as well, but I havent heard much about the restaurant thus far or how business is going on that end. 

I've heard many good things about the restaurant portion and everytime I'm at Happy Dog they seem to be doing good business!

A bit of cross-posting from Transportation -- but I think this applies to both

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2012/06/post_34.html

 

 

Cleveland's pursuit of West 73rd underpass could delay other road projects

 

.....

 

NOACA said Friday that pots of federal cash for dozens of road and bridge projects can bear a $27 million hit for the West 73rd project, only if Cleveland puts off millions of dollars of improvements on six projects until at least 2016.

 

That includes $5.7 million for work on Triskett Road; $3.8 million for Woodland Road; and $1.8 million for Larchmere Boulevard.

 

An unhappy Robert Brown, Cleveland's planning director, told a NOACA committee Friday that Cleveland does not want to delay those three projects.

 

They are "well advanced" and "ready to go," he said.

 

The city is willing to push back work on Waterloo Road and on bridges near Tower City, he said. And the city could possibly delay replacing an East 79th Street bridge, Brown said......

 

The funding tussle could come to a head July 13, when the NOACA board is scheduled to vote on the underpass project.

 

 

 

 

 

Great news for the Templin-Bradley building at 5700 Detroit Ave: "The Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, together with the City of Cleveland and several local arts and business organizations, is using the Our Town grant to design an affordable artist live/work space in Gordon Square. The 24 artist live/work units will be developed in the historic Templin Bradley Building, a site in downtown Cleveland that has been vacant for decades."

http://freshwatercleveland.com/inthenews/placemakinggrant071912.aspx

That's awesome! These are super competitive grants that require a joint proposal from a municipality and a community organization. Congrats to Detroit Shoreway and the city!

 

Between this and the $500,000 ArtPlace grant in Collinwood (http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/2012/06/clevelands_collinwood_neighbor.html), Cleveland's going gangbuster with the national arts-based community development dollars :)

Great news for the Templin-Bradley building at 5700 Detroit Ave: "The Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, together with the City of Cleveland and several local arts and business organizations, is using the Our Town grant to design an affordable artist live/work space in Gordon Square. The 24 artist live/work units will be developed in the historic Templin Bradley Building, a site in downtown Cleveland that has been vacant for decades."

http://freshwatercleveland.com/inthenews/placemakinggrant071912.aspx

 

This is really positive. This building (right next to Latitude 41 IIRC) is an eyesore, surrounded by barbwire fencing.

 

p.s. Anyone want to make any predictions as to whether/when continued street improvements will continue east or west of Gordon Square?

That's awesome! These are super competitive grants that require a joint proposal from a municipality and a community organization. Congrats to Detroit Shoreway and the city!

 

Between this and the $500,000 ArtPlace grant in Collinwood (http://blog.cleveland.com/architecture/2012/06/clevelands_collinwood_neighbor.html), Cleveland's going gangbuster with the national arts-based community development dollars :)

 

Exactly...  And its about time Cleveland Orgs started applying and getting their fair share..  Thats why I started sending the RFP's out directly to Cleveland orgs last year (and 8Shades, why I started to engage Valerie at CPAC) 

^ Keep up the good work!  This area is really coming around...

That's great news!  That thing is a big old depressing hulk now; this will be a big improvement!

As of this morning they've started construction on phase 1 of the waverly townhomes. 

The renovation at 5700 Bradley & the Waverly Station townhomes are both nice additions to the area but more buildings located immediately in the Gordon Square hub need converted to market rate.  Something needs to happen along Detroit, right across from XYZ.  There is a vacant lot, across from a parking lot, a single family home, some vacant storefronts....  I'd love to see it all cleared & something go back in it's place, more modern mixed use.  Banks are already looking at the area for a place to locate.  Could use a modern medical/dental office too

Neighborhood Family Practice to open new office in Cleveland's Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood

 

Published: Monday, August 06, 2012, 5:30 PM

 

http://www.cleveland.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2012/08/neighborhood_family_practice_t.html

The renovation at 5700 Bradley & the Waverly Station townhomes are both nice additions to the area but more buildings located immediately in the Gordon Square hub need converted to market rate.  Something needs to happen along Detroit, right across from XYZ.  There is a vacant lot, across from a parking lot, a single family home, some vacant storefronts....  I'd love to see it all cleared & something go back in it's place, more modern mixed use.  Banks are already looking at the area for a place to locate.  Could use a modern medical/dental office too

 

The City Grill bldg is cool. That windowless fortress though, not so much.

Anyone get a chance to see Zone Rec Center post-park improvement? Ribbon cutting was Saturday. Sounds really nice ... tennis courts, basketball courts, dog park, baseball diamonds, playground, new landscaping ...

The renovation at 5700 Bradley & the Waverly Station townhomes are both nice additions to the area but more buildings located immediately in the Gordon Square hub need converted to market rate.  Something needs to happen along Detroit, right across from XYZ.  There is a vacant lot, across from a parking lot, a single family home, some vacant storefronts....  I'd love to see it all cleared & something go back in it's place, more modern mixed use.  Banks are already looking at the area for a place to locate.  Could use a modern medical/dental office too

 

The City Grill bldg is cool. That windowless fortress though, not so much.

 

What exactly is cool about the City Grill bldg?  It's outdated 2 story, empty storefront & crappy apartment above?

 

The windowless fortress is the bingo hall owned by the church (several years behind on back taxes) which only gets used once a month.  Failure of planning to ever allow that along a busy artery like Detroit Ave.

Anyone get a chance to see Zone Rec Center post-park improvement? Ribbon cutting was Saturday. Sounds really nice ... tennis courts, basketball courts, dog park, baseball diamonds, playground, new landscaping ...

 

Also a skatepark! Seems to be the 2nd most used feature next to the basketball courts

 

Been playing tennis the past few days. Really great improvement. The new playground and water park feature seems to be a hit with the kids, and the last night all the basketball courts were filled and there was a pickup softball game being played. Tennis courts are very nice, just wish they would have put lights on them so we could play in the fall and spring, but it's understandable why they didn't from a management and cost perspective.

The renovation at 5700 Bradley & the Waverly Station townhomes are both nice additions to the area but more buildings located immediately in the Gordon Square hub need converted to market rate.  Something needs to happen along Detroit, right across from XYZ.  There is a vacant lot, across from a parking lot, a single family home, some vacant storefronts....  I'd love to see it all cleared & something go back in it's place, more modern mixed use.  Banks are already looking at the area for a place to locate.  Could use a modern medical/dental office too

 

The City Grill bldg is cool. That windowless fortress though, not so much.

 

What exactly is cool about the City Grill bldg?  It's outdated 2 story, empty storefront & crappy apartment above?

 

 

So if a storefront is empty, you tear it down?

 

There is absolutely NO precedent for new construction that fits in well. Why the heck would anyone take the chance of a suburban CVS type building there? Especially when there are holes to fill elsewhere in the vicinity.

 

The City Grill building is in character with the rest of the street. It's not crappy. My friends were in serious process to buy the place. People failed that transaction, not the structure. The building itself is a perfectly good candidate to continue the neighborhood turnaround.

 

Sorry but it's crappy and you need a refresher on urban design.  There's nothing architecturally unique about it.  The other three corners of 65th & Detroit are occupied by 3 or 4 story buildings, with brick & stone construction, more architectural features.  The building which houses Gypsy Bean is beautiful.  The building which houses Councilman Zone's office & Duohome has great brick construction & stone details, even the building which houses the Capitol theater is three stories with brick & stone accents.  City Grill is barely 2 stories, has cheap vinyl siding and is connected to ONE story hallway storefront which is functionally obsolete.  It's not even full brick like the corner building which houses the Liberty Tax office, nor does it have any detailing above on the single bumpout...  Knock it down.  For the record, there are plenty of vacant storefronts still in this area yet and I'm not advocating knocking any others down.  But at some point you have to recognize that what storefronts are available, do not meet the current demands.

 

New construction can be designed to blend in with the existing design & add much more function and density (at least 3 stories to match the other corners).  I enjoy old buildings as much as anyone, but just because a building is old, doesn't mean it's worth saving.  Especially when it's in a thriving area like Detroit Shoreway, which has a strong demand for modern office space - nothing to offer between high rents of downtown district and 30 year old office buildings in Lakewood.  Check out some of the new construction that's been done in Short North area of Columbus or Old Town area of Chicago via Google street view...  great examples of new construction built in alongside existing old buildings, that add density and maintain the architectural character.

If you want to knock something down, get rid of the subway building. That does not belong in this neighborhood.

Why are we knocking everything down all of sudden?

Why are we knocking everything down all of sudden?

 

For imaginary projects that will never happen!

^right.  Because you know how many phone calls DSCDO gets every week with inquiries about modern market rate apartments or office space available....

Sorry but it's crappy and you need a refresher on urban design.  There's nothing architecturally unique about it.  The other three corners of 65th & Detroit are occupied by 3 or 4 story buildings, with brick & stone construction, more architectural features.  The building which houses Gypsy Bean is beautiful.  The building which houses Councilman Zone's office & Duohome has great brick construction & stone details, even the building which houses the Capitol theater is three stories with brick & stone accents.  City Grill is barely 2 stories, has cheap vinyl siding and is connected to ONE story hallway storefront which is functionally obsolete.  It's not even full brick like the corner building which houses the Liberty Tax office, nor does it have any detailing above on the single bumpout...  Knock it down.  For the record, there are plenty of vacant storefronts still in this area yet and I'm not advocating knocking any others down.  But at some point you have to recognize that what storefronts are available, do not meet the current demands.

 

New construction can be designed to blend in with the existing design & add much more function and density (at least 3 stories to match the other corners).  I enjoy old buildings as much as anyone, but just because a building is old, doesn't mean it's worth saving.  Especially when it's in a thriving area like Detroit Shoreway, which has a strong demand for modern office space - nothing to offer between high rents of downtown district and 30 year old office buildings in Lakewood.  Check out some of the new construction that's been done in Short North area of Columbus or Old Town area of Chicago via Google street view...  great examples of new construction built in alongside existing old buildings, that add density and maintain the architectural character.

 

Again, when you can demonstrate a precedent for GOOD NEW construction that's actually happening on Detroit Ave, I will jump on your "tear it down" bandwagon.

 

I'll simply point out that every freaking new building on Detroit sucks. Really sucks. But all of a sudden people "see the light" for good urban design and are going to construct a new place with fantastic materials?

 

Our conversation is history repeating itself. You want to tear down the Giant Eagle on Clifton. You argue how amazing a new development COULD be at that intersection. Rendering comes out and just like I predicted, it is nothing close to your vision; rather it's another stupid CVS...it sucks.

 

I'm not arguing that you don't have a good vision for what could be.

^I'm assuming by all the new buildings on Detroit, you mean fast food places, convenience stores, etc?  I agree, those are crappy and should've been built into existing vacant storefronts.

 

Nevertheless, market forces are rapidly changing in this area.  Demographics are shifting and will continue to favor market demand for a modern mixed use building that could house a first floor bank, a deli (perhaps to replace the crappy Subway building), and a salon.  Above could either be medical offices or apartments.  Stong demand for both.  I know people looking at this right now.

I don't see new build apartments until at least some of the existing buildings in the general area are remodeled. They won't be able to get the rates they need to justify new build. The western edge of Gordon Square still needs a lot of help and has really nice buildings that just need rehabbed and they could instantly get more rent each month. The demand is there for apartments in Cleveland, but developers cannot get financing or aren't trying for the right kind of development.  If only there were a billionaire in the area who truly cared as we do for Cleveland to return to glory.

I don't see new build apartments until at least some of the existing buildings in the general area are remodeled. They won't be able to get the rates they need to justify new build. The western edge of Gordon Square still needs a lot of help and has really nice buildings that just need rehabbed and they could instantly get more rent each month.

 

That day is not far off.  Much of the apartments above Capitol Theater & such were renovated using low-income housing grants & such.  Those funding sources stipulated the apartments remain low-income for a specified period.  I want to say it was 10 yrs and those renovations were done back in 2004 so we're coming up on that date.  When that happens, I think you'll see a dramatic change.

Where is the evidence that there is a market for newly built rental housing? My mortgage in Detroit Shoreway, for a completely remodeled home, is less than $1/sf. This includes taxes and mortgage insurance. I think it's been fairly well established that this is not an acceptable rate for new construction. Also, concerning LIHTC projects, state agencies may only require 15-year use agreements, but HUD often issues (at the request of the developer and its investors) new 20-year Housing Assistance Payment contracts upon project completion. Some states (including Ohio) will also build incentives into the tax credit process for developers to enter into 30-year use agreements with HUD.

what evidence would be enough for you?  Conversations with realtors, property owners and staff at DSCDO who all say they are inundated with requests?  Perhaps the developer moving ahead with the warehouse conversion on 76th has some evidence of strong demand....

 

Congrats on the deal you got on your remodeled home but that is no parallel for modern apartments rentals.  And I am familiar with LIHTC requirements but I'm fairly certain that was not part of the funding for the apartments I was referencing.