Cleveland Development Thread

[macbdog]

I am just thankful we have something to talk about in this thread instead of recently opened Chipotles...

 

["Boobie" Gibson]

This will be one of the best threads on RCF in the coming months/years. Very hot topic.

Has there been any talk of improving public transportation downtown? We need something that connects all areas very simply. A couple bus routes, trolley cars, etc. I feel it is very disconnected.

 

[macbdog]

This will be one of the best threads on RCF in the coming months/years. Very hot topic.

Has there been any talk of improving public transportation downtown? We need something that connects all areas very simply. A couple bus routes, trolley cars, etc. I feel it is very disconnected.

They have trolley lines throughout downtown already. They are free, too. No idea how oftern they are ridden however. RTA is working on federal funding to extend the Blue line into Bedford but not sure how that is going. With more people moving downtown we could see RTA expanding theri bus routes but you have to have a market for it. RTA has even had to cut back on routes that were making money.

 

[Simon]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Cuyahoga county, which includes Cleveland, is holding a news conference tomorrow to talk about the financial impact of LeBron.</p>&mdash; darren rovell (@darrenrovell) <a href="https://twitter.com/darrenrovell/statuses/488525140091621376">July 14, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

(this was posted last night)

 

[Winnersville]

They should really try to improve and expand upon the Tower City underground transportation.

 

[Winnersville]

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=97396 also I've been following this thread for a couple years now. Good place to keep updated on all what's going on. When you see everything that's going on in one place, I think it's really cool and exciting.

 

[Winnersville]

I would like to see a renovation like this to FirstEnergy Stadium. IMO I would also like to see a retractable roof like this added to it

I know some of you would be against it happening to keep to "traditional and classic football conditions", but it has a retractable roof so you could always keep it open and still experience it. With a roof on you suddenly bring tons more concerts/events to Cleveland, and are now in the mix for events like the Super Bowl, B1G Championship Game, March Madness, etc. Brings a lot more excitement to the city and brings in a lot more money.

 

[SixPACK]

Thought I would put this here:

http://www.cleveland.com/dining/index.ssf/2014/07/smoke_in_the_air_michael_symon.html

Michael Symon to open new barbecue restaurant, Mabel's BBQ, in East Fourth Street La Strada spot

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There'll be a barbecue joint coming to downtown Cleveland. And it will have Michael Symon's name on it. Mabel's BBQ will open late this fall on East Fourth Street. It will occupy the former home of La Strada, 2050 East Fourth St., which the Michael Symon Restaurant Group acquired in mid-June.

Original plans were for a casual food plan concept or possibly an urban location for the B Spot burgers concept. In the end, Symon says we went with a longtime passion.

"I could have put anything in there, really, but this is something I've always wanted to do," Symon says. "I'm a big backyard barbecue guy, and I've literally been working on this concept for three or four years and felt East Fourth was a perfect spot for it."

Though it probably goes without saying, don't expect the usual barbecue – not with that Symon imprint on the menu.

Instead, Cleveland's prince of pork intends to put a distinctive NEO mark on the restaurant's style. He'll do so with his selection of dishes – particularly the meats – as well as the sauce and the kinds of woods he'll burn to produce a unique regional flavor.

"First off, we'll cook low-and-slow, of course, but we'll be using woods distinct to our region, meaning heavy fruit wood and a lot of apple wood, with some oak to keep it going."

Beef brisket and locally produced kielbasa will be two of the featured meats - "because they're two prominent items in the city," Symon says – as well as what he describes as "a huge, giant, Fred Flintstone-style beef rib." Other cuts will be available on the menu, too.

But it's the sauce, and what will go into it, that will really set the flavor profile apart from others.

"First of all, it has to be steeped a little bit in the culture of the city, so it won't be a tomato sauce-base," Symon says. Instead, he's relying on one of the most iconic Cleveland products around as his central ingredient.

"We're creating a Bertram Ball Park Mustard-based sauce," the chef explains. "It will be tart, with some Ohio maple syrup for sweetness, a lively amount of vinegar – house-made, we'll probably use some of Jonny's [Sawyer] product [the owner of Greenhouse Tavern produces a line of Tavern vinegars] - and some chilies.

"We want the sauce that bastes our meat, and is on our table, to scream 'Cleveland.' To me, nothing screams Cleveland more than Ball Park Mustard. There are great mustard-based sauces, but all of them use yellow mustard; we'll use that great, brown mustard. We want this to be a flavor that's familiar to any kid that grew up going to Cleveland Stadium or the Arena, or any event in town where they bought a hot dog. It is one of the things that symbolizes our food more than anything else."

Other dishes will have a distinctly Southern air. Based on the chef's preliminary menu, expect snacks such as Ohio Farm pimento cheese with crackers, radishes and celery; smoked peanuts, and Deviled Eggs Buffalo Style... Sandwiches of pulled pork with slaw and pickles, and a Polish Boy with coleslaw and hot sauce... a variety of "pig parts" dishes... Entrees (make that "en trays," per Symon) like a belly-and-loin "Pork Roll," a "Fatboy" platter of briskets, ribs and sausage; and traditional meats offered by 1/4-pound portions - all with a choice of two sides.

"And if you give us 24 hours notice, we'll smoke a whole pig for your table and load you up with sides," Symon adds. That option, for up to 15 guests, will be priced per-pound.

"You can come in with just a couple at the table, but you'll be taking home a whole lotta leftover," Symon adds with a hail of cackling laughter.

Sides are likely to include a warm potato salad ("more of a great, vinegary, German-style salad") and a broccoli slaw based one that is his mother-in-law's signature dish - "a great salad made with dried cherries and cashews," Symon explains.

Apart from creating another successful restaurant – Symon already runs Lolita, in Tremont, and flagship Lola Bistro, a few doors down from where Mabel's will reside – the ambitious chef hopes to establish a new form of barbecue.

"There some great barbecue guys in Cleveland: I think Bubba's Que [Al "Bubba" Baker's spot, in Avon] does a great job, and the family on Carnegie Avenue that runs Hot Sauce Williams do too. We have some great restaurants, but we don't have a true 'style.' What is done is based on barbecue-styles from other regions of America, as opposed to establishing our own style.

"You know me. I'm a dreamer. Hopefully, in about 40 years, we'll say 'This is Cleveland-style.'"

Oh, and about that name: Mabel's. Apart from the fact that he and business partners Liz Symon, his wife, and Doug Petkovic like its down-home tang, Mabel holds a special place in his heart.

"She was my first dog, a great big brindle bull mastiff," Symon says. "She was slow and laid back. I loved the dog, and her very chill energy."

Which is kind of a lot like barbecuing, if you think about it

I am a big BBQ guy and love cooking. I do not live in Cleveland but frequently visit every month. I am pretty excited for this.

 

[Pick6]

thanks for sharing. Excuse my ignorance, but I assume there will be other sauces available as well? Not a fan of mustard based bbq sauces at all.

 

[Ruken]

So trying to schedule some tours for apartments downtown...getting ahold of their offices through phone or email has been next to impossible, really raises red flags about actually living there.

 

[Sumac13]

Sale of the Leader Building on Superior Ave is now complete. (Story) Part of it will likely be converted into apartments, projected to add about 230 or so.

A bit more about the building:
---

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2014/07/leader_building_will_be_sold_t.html#incart_related_stories
Michelle Jarboe McFee, The Plain Dealer
17, 2014 at 1:50 PM, updated July 25, 2014 at 3:33 PM
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Another downtown Cleveland building is set to become apartments -- and this time, the property isn't an empty office tower or a shuttered department store.

The K&D Group, Inc. plans to buy the Leader Building, at 526 Superior Ave., in a deal that could close by mid-August. Roughly 60 percent full, the 16-story office building is a longer-term, mixed-use play for K&D, which expects to sit on the property for two to three years before converting most of the floors to housing.

Coming on the heels of Weston, Inc.'s purchase of the Standard Building, a historic office building that is 45 percent occupied, the Leader Building sale points to the next chapter of the downtown apartment push. In the central business district, the number of empty buildings that make sense for apartments -- and qualify for valuable historic preservation tax credits -- is dwindling. So developers are looking more closely at half-full office properties that could accommodate spaces to live and work.


"We're buying it as an ongoing, existing office building, so this is much different than most of the deals in the past," Doug Price, K&D's chief executive officer, said of the Leader Building.

"I can tell you that the first floor is certainly going to stay retail," he added. "From there, we're not sure how many floors are going to stay commercial. But we're thinking we want to get about 230 apartments in there."

Price wouldn't say what K&D is paying for the 322,600-square-foot building. TriState Capital Bank, a Pittsburgh-based lender that has an office in Cleveland, is providing the acquisition financing.

An asset manager at Carlyle Development Group, which owns the property, couldn't be reached for comment. A New York investor, Carlyle paid $4 million for the building in late 2004 but declined to sell it in late 2012 for nearly $7.7 million -- the top bid in an online auction. The Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office now estimates that the real estate is worth $2.7 million.

Built in 1913 for the Cleveland Leader newspaper, the building isn't on the National Register of Historic Places. But preservation experts say it would qualify.

"Architecturally, it's a jewel," said Tom Yablonsky, executive vice president of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance and executive director of the Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corp. "It's very commanding. And culturally, it's very important, too. That whole [East Sixth Street] location is where newspaper row was."

K&D hopes to get the property added to the national register, making the redevelopment eligible for federal and state preservation tax credits. Those credits, a key financing tool for many downtown conversion projects, cut developers' costs and help attract investors to historic real estate.

The sale will put apartment landlords in control of two key corners on downtown's East Sixth Street, a quiet corridor that developers and neighborhood leaders hope to revive.

The Millennia Companies of Valley View have a deal to buy the largely empty Garfield Building, at East Sixth and Euclid Avenue, for a residential conversion. That sale, scheduled to close in December, will make way for 172 apartments.

Investors are circling other nearby properties, including the 11-story Baker Building, which is listed for sale by the Newmark Grubb Knight Frank brokerage.

"At this point, the demand for downtown buildings to convert is really great, and the supply is getting short," said Geoff Coyle of the Ostendorf-Morris brokerage, which represented K&D in the Leader Building deal.

Price said he and K&D President Karen Paganini are looking at other opportunities downtown, as the Willoughby-based apartment company tries to line up its next five years of projects. Odds are that they, and other developers, will increasingly look to marry housing and offices, balancing demand for space.

"I think we're going to see more mixed-use, more retail and office, and then housing on the upper floors," Yablonsky predicted. "I think we're going to attract more businesses downtown if we aren't arbitrarily one thing or the other. Mixed-use is the way to go."

 

[SixPACK]

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/08/downtown_cleveland_more_than_1.html

Downtown Cleveland: More than 100,000 people expected for Saturday's games and events

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland arguably will be the busiest sports city in America on Saturday. All three pro sports venues downtown will host games simultaneously, and when you throw in a variety of other events going on, we can expect as many as 100,000 people downtown at the same time.

That night at the Q, the Cleveland Gladiators host the Arizona Rattlers in ArenaBowl XXVII at 8. The Indians face the Houston Astros at 7:05 next door at Progressive Field, and the Browns play their first home preseason game at 8 against the St. Louis Rams at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Because of limited overlap between the seasons of the two football leagues, the three teams playing simultaneously at the venues has never happened since the Gladiators relocated to Cleveland in 2008.

Of cities with NFL and MLB teams and an arena, it appears that Cleveland is one of only two with all three venues in play Saturday. (In Denver, the Broncos host the Houston Texans in a preseason game, the Rockies face the Texas Rangers, and a multi-artist rhythm and blues fest is at Pepsi Arena.)

Last year, 56,943 fans watched the Browns defeat the Rams, 27-19, in Cleveland's first home preseason game. With the mania surrounding Johnny Manziel, it's not unreasonable to expect at least that many this year.

The Indians are averaging 18,659 fans per game this season. But promotions at Progressive Field on Aug, 23 include the fan-favorite fireworks, as well as a Terry Francona jersey giveaway, so the team could draw at least 20,000.

The Gladiators averaged 10,609 fans per game in the regular season but have been exceeding that in postseason. They topped 12,000 for their first playoff win Aug. 2, then drew more than 14,000 on Aug. 10. Now comes the championship, which looks like it will sell out.

Just because the Cavs aren't in action doesn't mean they won't be on the minds of fans downtown. The date – Aug. 23 – marks the first day a proposed Andrew Wiggins-Kevin Love trade with Minnesota could happen.

The perfect storm of downtown visitors doesn't stop at sports.

Take into consideration traffic through Horseshoe Casino. Friday and Saturday are the biggest nights of the week, depending on promotions, said Shannon Mortland, public relations manager for the casino and Thistledown.

Mortland said typical attendance for those nights is in the "high teens, 15, 17 thousand." And on Aug. 23, two promotions are open for all players, a Monopoly Community Chest chance to win $5,000 and Roulette Mania, where guests are chosen randomly for free spins.

Playhouse Square is holding Cinema on the Square: "Singing in the Rain" at 8 p.m. at Connor Palace, while the comedic curtain goes up for "Dawg Pounded" at 8 p.m. at Kennedy's Theatre.

A few blocks away, Welshly Arms, The Moxies and Thaddeus Anna Greene will play House of Blues on Euclid Avenue. Doors open at 7 p.m.; the show is at 8. Austin Walkin Cane takes the stage at 9 p.m.

The Flats will draw a few music lovers, as well. At Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica, the party gets started at 4 p.m. with the 93.1 WZAK Presents Stone Soul Picnic 2014. The concert features Bell Biv DeVoe, Naughty by Nature, Avant and other acts. At Music Box Supper Club on Main Avenue, dining begins at 6 p.m. Polyphonic Spree takes the stage at 8 p.m.

Among fundraisers being held is the YMCA of Greater Cleveland Black-tie Gala, which starts at 6 p.m. at the Westin Downtown Cleveland Hotel on Lakeside Avenue. Organizers expect 400 people to attend the event, which marks 160 years for the YMCA of Greater Cleveland.

Moral of the story? Consider RTA. Want dinner reservations downtown Saturday? Make them now.

Didn't know where to put this. If you are going downtown this weekend, going to be stupid crowded.

 

[Soda]

I know this is kind-of a late plug, but the 1717 Superior Apartments are up and running now.. Finally, some of the Downtown community moves a bit east. The area east of E.6th is desolate without games. It's about time some folks follow the precedent set by Winks and continues to make a "nightlife" over there.

Here's photos.

Between this and the 9 building/Heinins, we could see a part of Cleveland revived like it hasn't been in a loooooong time.

 

[Simon]

I know this is kind-of a late plug, but the 1717 Superior Apartments are up and running now.. Finally, some of the Downtown community moves a bit east. The area east of E.6th is desolate without games. It's about time some folks follow the precedent set by Winks and continues to make a "nightlife" over there.

Here's photos.

Between this and the 9 building/Heinins, we could see a part of Cleveland revived like it hasn't been in a loooooong time.

Those look really nice. I'm sure it costs a lot to rent one.

 

[AZ_]

Curious as to what the rent on those would be.