Cleveland Maintains 1st Place Ranking in New Housing Construction

Press release from the Cleveland City Hall:

	From: Community Development
	Joseph Skrabec, Community Development (216) 664-4597 jskrabec@city.cleveland.oh.us Trista McClelland, CRM Development Research (216) 696-5442 ext. 403 tristaCRM@aol.com
News Advisory Cleveland maintains 1st place ranking in new housing construction June 28, 2006 – City of Cleveland officials working with Calabrese, Racek, and Markos, Inc. (CRM) Development Research today announced that Cleveland issued a total of 50 new for-sale residential permits during the first quarter of 2006, the most in Cuyahoga County and the eight-county region. The second and third cities in Cuyahoga County were Westlake with 27 permits and Oakwood with 19. "This is further evidence that, together, we can create neighborhoods of choice in the City of Cleveland," says Mayor Jackson. "Cleveland has a lot to offer. We want to make sure developers, potential homebuyers, and everyone in Cleveland knows that we are a great City with quality affordable and market-rate housing in our neighborhoods." CRM Development Research is a subsidiary of Calabrese, Racek, and Markos, Inc., a full service appraisal firm. This division monitors market activity for new residential development throughout the Northeast Ohio region. For more information on the City of Cleveland's new home construction, please visit www.city.cleveland.oh.us or call 216-664-2869.

Cleveland State University Update - Board of Trustee's Action

SUMMARY OF ACTIONS
June 23, 2006

Major Actions Taken on Behalf of the Board of Trustees:

1. Approved minutes of the May 19, 2006 Special Meeting of the Board
2. Passed a resolution rescinding the two-year term limitation for service as Chairman of the Board of Trustees
3. Granted the award of tenure at the rank of Professor to Dr. Jeffrey L. Brudney in the Department of Urban Studies
4. Approved the merger of the Department of Speech and Hearing with the Department of Health Sciences to be known as the Department of Health Sciences effective July 1, 2006
5. Passed a resolution delegating authority to the Board Officers to negotiate a final agreement for electrical services, and requiring a report of the Officers’ actions back to the full Board
6. Approved the total University Budget for FY 2007 in the amount of two hundred eleven million six hundred sixty-nine five hundred and 00/100 ($211,669,513)
7. Authorized the University to participate in the Ohio Department of Administrative Services’ Local Administration Competency Certification Program and directed University officials to take all necessary steps to accomplish that purpose
8. Approved an increase in the maximum project amount funded by University bonds on the Student Center Phases I & II from $45,000,000 to $80,000,000, and requiring the University administration to bring to the full Board for approval the plan to finance the additional costs associated with the Student Center Phases I and II
9. Authorized University officials to execute the Permanent Right of Way and Use Easement with the City of Cleveland in relation to the Euclid Corridor Project
10. Approved the Third Amendment to the Keith Building lease, extending the lease of the 11th, 13th and 14th floors of the Keith Building to July 1, 2010, granting the University the right to lease an additional 3, 344 square feet of space through January 31, 2007, and providing for the abatement of a portion of monthly rent
11. Passed a resolution delegating authority to the Board Officers to negotiate and approve the final employment contract with head basketball coach Gary Waters
12. Elected the following to serve for the ’06-’07 Board year: Tim Cosgrove to serve as Board Chairman, Ron Weinberg as Vice Chairman, Ernest Wilkerson as Board Treasurer and Sonali Wilson as Board Secretary

Spiderman 3 Trailer up at Apple Trailers on 27th June 2006

In a few hours we will perhaps start seeing some images of Cleveland in the next Spiderman release.
From Dark Horizons:

Spider-Man 3" Trailer Debut Time Posted: Tuesday June 27th 2006 12:18am Source: Dark Horizons Author: Garth Franklin No need to worry about waiting in long lines at the cinema to catch the "Spider-Man 3" teaser as this baby is going to make its debut in glorious high quality Quicktime in just a few hours.

According to a press release issued by Sony's Australian division, the teaser trailer will make its debut at Apple Trailers at the following times today:

US East Coast - 2:30pm
US West Coast - 11:30am

UK - 7:30pm

Australian East Coast - Wednesday, 4:30am

No word yet if there will be high-definiton versions available but as its Apple.com, there's a very good chance.



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UPDATE

The trailer is up and there are indeed images from Euclid Avenue in the clip

Cleveland Planning Commission Report - Friday, June 2, 2006

Cleveland Planning Commission Report, June 2, 2006

Call to order – 9:12 AM

Roll Call –

Present:
Tony Coyne
Bob Brown
Larry Lumpkin
Gloria Jean Pinkney
David Bowen

Absent:
Joe Cimperman
Lillian Kuri
Rev. S. Small

Mandatory Referral, Summary Calendar & Administrative Approval
(all approved)

With exception of the first item, I am only giving a brief description of each item in this combined section since there were 41 separate ordinances that needed action taken. (This is mostly the reason for the lateness in this report – that and I just wanted to take a break.)

1. Ordinance No. 616-06
Authorizes the sale of property on Clover Avenue to JDA Development LLC.
This property will make be used to build 5 townhomes (Clover Court Townhomes) off of West 21st Place, near the Fentrell Lofts on Scranton Road.

Property Sales
9324 Reno Avenue, S.E. to Benton Robinson and Willie Price
805, 807, 811-15 East 115th Street to Strowder’s Funeral Chapel
Parcel on Superior Avenue to Northeastern Neighborhood Development Corporation
Parcel on East 66th Street to Church of God Militant Pillar and Ground of Truth
Parcel on Matilda Avenue to Consuala M. Haynes
Parcel on West 25th Street to Minh-T-Vang
Parcel on Churchill Avenue to FEDCO, LLC
Parcel on East 93rd Street to the Light of Liberty Church
Parcel on East 83rd Street to Patricia Holt and Gladys Lawrence
Parcel on Kinsman Road and East 90th Street to Burton, Bell, Carr Development, Inc. (This is to redevelop a shopping center that has fallen in disrepair.)
Parcel on St. Clair Avenue to Dawud Ali
Parcel on East 65th Street to Tyrone McCoy
Parcel on (?) 86th Street to Glenville R. Manning
Parcel on Broadway Avenue to Slavic Village Development Corporation
Parcel on East 160th Street to L. Square Development, LLC
1198 East 84th Street to Robert L. McDuffie II
Parcel on Linwood Avenue to Artist Duncan and Phyllis Duncan

Vacate
Portion of Richmond Avenue
Portion of Sorg Court N.E.
Portion of Fidelity Avenue S.W.
Portions of Payne Court, N.E., East 25th Place and East 23rd Place
Portion of Webster Court N.E.
Portion of East 72nd Place
Portion of Stimpson Court S.W.
Portion of West 93rd Street
Portion of Crossing Court S.E.

Other
Euclid Creek Stream Restoration Project
Sewer main, manholes and catch basins on Lorain Avenue, Marcella Drive, Westdale Avenue, West 160th Street and East 128th Street
Public Service Facility improvement
Lease agreement with Southwest Airlines at Hopkins International Airport
Lease agreement with American Flyers at Burke Lakefront Airport
Lease Agreement with VinCore, LCC at Burke Lakefront Airport
Removal and replacement of coolers at the West and East Side Markets

Midtown Design Review

MDR 2006-005: 2905-11 Chester Avenue, Private Dormitory to serve Cleveland State University, Renovation and New Construction, Seeking Conceptual Approval

The developer, Cecil Weatherspoon, wants to build a private dormitory that will house up to 600 students – mainly for, but not limited to, Cleveland State students. As this is a private project and not a state sponsored institutional project, the developer may not limit the proposed dorms to students only. Although he has stated he will be marketing the dorms to students, the dorms will be open to anybody.
Copy King, a bowling alley and a furniture store currently occupy the building. There is a BP Station at the western edge of the property. The current building will be used and a third floor addition is being proposed, as well as retail on the ground floor.
Zoning issues need to be resolved first.
The developer stated CSU helped with the feasibility study, but there is no formal relationship.
Tony Coyne stated the developer really should try to formalize their relationship with the university.

(ed. The proposed dorms are outside the boundary of the university’s master plan. A member of Capital Planning at CSU has stated that the developer should not be doing this as it will take away from what the university is trying to create in regards to College Town.)

Design Review (all approved)

DRC 06-061: 11901 Durant Avenue, CMSD, Patrick Henry Preschool and K-8, New Construction, Conceptual Review

This school is located next to Forest Hills Park, south of Glenville. Because of neighborhood input, features from the demolition of the old building will be used in the new building. Demolition will begin late this summer and construction should begin next year with opening in 2008.
The new school will be a red brick structure with a sloped roof. There will be a 2-story all glass connector and the building will have many windows.

DRC06-062: 3800 West 140th street, CMSD, Garfield K-8, New Construction, Conceptual Review

This school is between West 140th and West 143rd Streets, south of Lorain Avenue and north of Marshall. The property includes a community garden, which will remain. Short-term parking for the garden will be include near the drop off area.

DRC 06-065: 45 Erieview Plaza, AT&T Building, Building Identification Replacement Signs

This signage will replace the Ameritech signs on the building with the new at&t logo.

DRC 06-015: 2678 East 111th Street, CitiRAMA 2006, Single-family house by Ames Street Construction

Ground breaking for CitiRAMA was on Tuesday, April 29.
This last house is a replacement model for one of the developers that withdrew prom the program.

Napa ValleyDefeats Measure 37 Copycat

Smartgrowth America reports:

Napa defeats Measure 37 copycat, but deep-pockets New Yorker pushes CA-wide initiative

Voters in Napa County, CA last week rejected by a wide margin (64 percent to 36 percent) a measure that would have required governments to pay to enforce planning, zoning and environmental protections, or waive the rules. The measure was a near-carbon copy of Oregon’s Measure 37, which has thrown the state’s local governments and court system into chaos. That cautionary tale, along with local voters’ long history of working carefully to balance urban growth, agriculture, environmental protection and individuals’ use of their property, presented proponents with un-surmountable obstacles, local observers said. Now, though, a larger battle looms over a similar statewide initiative being funded by Howie Rich, a New York real estate speculator who is pushing similar measures in several places. Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Central Viaduct Public Open House

I received this in my mail yesterday. I hate when their is notification of a meeting at the last minute. Do you think they want to have a low turnout?
I will go to part of it, but will have to leave early.

PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE

TO DISCUSS BRIDGE TYPE SELECTION FOR THE NEW I-90 BRIDGE OVER THE CUYAHOGA RIVER

WHO: The Ohio Department of Transportation, the City of Cleveland and the Central Viaduct Bridge consultant team

WHAT: A public open house

WHEN: Wednesday, June 7, 2006 from 4 – 8 p.m.

Two identical presentations will take place at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: The Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation

2187 West 14^th St.

Cleveland, Ohio 44113

WHY: The public meeting is an opportunity for the public learn about the Bridge Type Selection Process for the proposed new I-90 bridge over the Cuyahoga River. The public will have an opportunity to view interactive project displays, meet with members of the design team and offer input.

In addition, information will be available about the on-going construction of the Quigley Rd. Connector including the up-coming temporary closure of the SR 176/I-71 ramps to W. 14^th St.

###

Contact Lora Hummer in the ODOT District 12 Public Information Office at 216.584.2007 or visit the project Web site at www.innerbelt.org.

The Committe to Save Big Ugly Things

This is a great video from Seattle used to promote the proposed Waterfront Tunnel.

City of Cleveland to purchase Midland Steel property

Whenever I have posted meeting minutes from the Cleveland Planning Commission, there has almost always been action taken that would gather land for Cleveland's Industrial/Commercial Land Bank. Well, Mayor's office approved the purchase of the former Midland Steel Company on Madison and West 106th Street.

Image from Decaying-Industries

The press release follows:

City of Cleveland to purchase Midland Steel property
Purchase shows progress in Mayor Frank G. Jackson's development strategy

May 30, 2006 - The City of Cleveland announced today the purchase of the 21-acre Midland Steel property located at 10615 Madison Avenue. The City worked with Ward 18 Councilman Jay Westbrook, WIRE-Net (Westside Industrial Retention and Expansion Network) and Cudell Improvement, Inc.

"One of Cleveland's economic development challenges is the lack of ready-to-build land that is attractive to developers," said Mayor Frank G. Jackson. "The remediation of brownfields, like Midland Steel, is an essential part of our economic development strategy for Cleveland. We're making this valuable property ready for development."

Cleveland will purchase the property, valued at $1.5 million, as a part of Cleveland's Industrial/ Commercial Land Bank that prepares shovel-ready sites for development and makes it easier and cost effective for businesses to relocate to or expand in Cleveland. The City's Department of Economic Development will market and sell parcels, to spur economic growth and job creation in the region. Revenue generated by the Land Bank will be invested in future acquisitions and development.

"This is an example of the kind of role government needs to play to help business grow bringing land, labor and capital to the table," said Director of Economic Development Brian Reilly.

The Midland Steel site has contiguous parcels, excellent infrastructure, highway and railroad access, and a tradition of industrial use.

"It is essential that we extend our capability to retain and expand industry in Cleveland," stated Councilman Westbrook. "Our community partners, Cudell Improvement, Inc. and WIRE-Net, have worked diligently with the City to obtain the Midland Steel site. We welcome this announcement by the Mayor and look forward to working together to broaden manufacturing job opportunities for the future."

"The redevelopment engine has been tuned up, and manufacturing is ready to move ahead," said John Colm, President and Executive Director for WIRE-Net, in reference to the Midland Steel deal.

"This site has been on our radar screen as an important economic opportunity since it became vacant a few years ago. The community's desire to see this site redeveloped for businesses is moving closer to reality," added Paul Vernon, President of Cudell Improvement, Inc.

In May 2004, Councilman Westbrook identified Midland Steel as a prime economic development opportunity for Ward 18 in Cleveland City Council Economic Challenges and Opportunities, a booklet highlighting problems and potentials in each ward. Mayor Jackson, who was City Council President at the time, directed the Council to produce the document to help advance development throughout the City. The book was also used on a tour of the City that Council Members took to get a first hand look at the challenges and opportunities citywide.

View from the Dashboard - Steelyard Commons

I am trying to promote my photo-blog here, so bear with me. There are really good pictures there.

If you want to see the rest of the picutes, click on through.
And tell me what you think. Is there room for an Ikea there? Housing on the edges?

Thursday, June 01, 2006

VFTD - Steelyard Commons Post

After my son and I spent sone time at the Veteran's Memorial Bridge/Subway tour, I decided to get up close and personal with Steelyard Commons.
However, there were a few security guards patrolling the grounds, so I decided to stick with this concept.
You know, they have a link to a streaming webcam on their website, but you need a password to access it.
I wrote them asking if/when they would open it up to the public and was told that it was for tenants only - they can watch their building go up in the safety of their own cube.
Oh well, you will just have to look at these - and as always, all of the pictures used for this blog are located here.

As you can see here, most of the street lighting is in place.


Good view of the Jennings Road Extension (is this the real name? not sure) with curbs and streetlights in place.