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Cleveland: Little Italy: Development and News


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Reminder about tonight's meeting. Please be there and please speak in support of this development. The basic message is that Greater Cleveland finally has market forces to stem the tide of urban outmigration but some people within the block clubs are resisting change from the status quo and are stemming the tide.  The Washington Inn project has been scaled down to the bare bones of what the developer can reasonably achieve a worthwhile return.

 

The public open house is Monday, May 6 from 6pm-7:30pm in the basement of Holy Rosary Church.Please attend the meeting and speak up in support of the project. Thanks!!

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Edited by KJP
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“What is the meaning of this city? Do you huddle close together because you love each other?”
Or “We all dwell together to make money from each other”? -- TS Eliot’s The Rock

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Unfortunately I couldn't go last night. Did anyone else attend? How'd it go?

“What is the meaning of this city? Do you huddle close together because you love each other?”
Or “We all dwell together to make money from each other”? -- TS Eliot’s The Rock

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The project is also scheduled to go back to city landmarks on Thursday. There is an updated site plan with tweaked renderings. It shows the northern section behind the houses to be renovated is now 3 stories, not 4. The part fronting Cornell looks unchanged.

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/agenda/2019/05092019/index.php

 

 

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Edited by Mendo
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Please attend the Landmarks commission tomorrow. The Washington Inn project will be first on the agenda at 9am. Voices of support are needed.

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“What is the meaning of this city? Do you huddle close together because you love each other?”
Or “We all dwell together to make money from each other”? -- TS Eliot’s The Rock

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Little Italy apartment proposal sparks residents’ opposition, saying ‘respect the neighborhood’

Updated 8:16 AM; Today 8:07 AM

By Jordyn Grzelewski, The Plain Dealer

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio – A proposed Little Italy apartment project is going before the Cleveland Landmarks Commission on Thursday. The plan, however, is not without opposition from neighbors.

 

Developers want to tear down two houses on Cornell Road to make way for an apartment building at Cornell and Murray Hill roads. The plan has evolved over the past several months as neighborhood residents raised concerns.

 

Based on that feedback, developers tweaked their plans, scaling the project back from an initial proposal of 66 units to 50, and reducing the height of the building. Even with those changes, however, a neighborhood design-review committee that advises the city’s planning and landmarks commissions rejected the design at a meeting Tuesday, and some neighborhood residents say they are still dissatisfied.

 

https://www.cleveland.com/business/2019/05/little-italy-apartment-proposal-sparks-residents-opposition-saying-respect-the-neighborhood.html

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Today's vote was 6-2 against proposed development.  With councilman against project I don't see what they can do to move it forward (and make economic sense...they already compromised significantly).

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1 minute ago, Htsguy said:

Today's vote was 6-2 against proposed development.  With councilman against project I don't see what they can do to move it forward (and make economic sense...they already compromised significantly).

 

I will never understand the anti-development sentiment in a declining region.  It is self defeating. 

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City should attach a disclaimer to each development - this project will (eventually) increase the tax receipts for the city, lowering your future tax burden.  

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I don't know how Geis gets LaCollina through Landmarks and this does not even come close.  The only real difference is that La Collina is on a more commercial street.

 

You could argue that this is an even a more beneficial project than LaCollina.  It includes the total renovation of two buildings on Murrary Hill (both of which really need it) and the tear down of two nondescript houses on Cornell which have been bastardized over the years and includes hidden away parking for residents so it should not contribute to parking problems.

 

I am really not a conspiracy type but could it be the owners of the LaCollina land were more connected and could more easily throw their weight around?  I feel sorry for the guy who wanted to sell his house for the project.  He was probably going to get a sweet heart deal from the developers.

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I would've attended if I wasn't in NYC this week....

 

And

 

 

Edited by KJP
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“What is the meaning of this city? Do you huddle close together because you love each other?”
Or “We all dwell together to make money from each other”? -- TS Eliot’s The Rock

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25 minutes ago, KJP said:

I would've attended if I wasn't in NYC this week....

 

And

 

 

They don't want more investment in the area at this time but if the neighborhood goes untouched and neglected they will complain their ass off. I hate the residents in this neighborhood (not all). 

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8 hours ago, Terdolph said:

Honestly, I don't understand why these developers are so dense. Just give them what they want!  Put some Roman columns out front, make all the windows arches and throw in a statute of a naked woman pouring water out of a vase.

 

Done!

They will only be happy with for sale housing.  Rentals are for minorities and poor people. 

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39 minutes ago, lockdog said:

really is time for some new political blood in Cleveland....   maybe a urban Ohio economic development mayorial debate...

 

Related, this is yet another reason why Cleveland’s ward based City Council is terrible.

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2 hours ago, Pugu said:

^what would you recommend instead---a council based wholly/partially on at-large seats?

 

 

Potentially, that’s one solution definitely. I also think it could be possible to keep council-people elected by ward, but the “rules and norms” would have to be wholly changed.

 

Cleveland’s issue is the fiefdom style in which the wards are run. Development, businesses, capital projects....nothing can be done without their sign-off or approval. I am a City of Cleveland resident, and this development affects me too...albeit not as directly as those in the neighborhood, but expanding the city’s population and tax base is in my interest. A project should not be able to be blocked single handedly by one person. 

Edited by Enginerd
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  • 4 weeks later...

I was driving down Mayfield yesterday and, while I was only able to get a quick peek, I think the new condo building on
Random turned out way better than I imagined.  Need to go back and look at it in more detail.

 

On the negative side the retail space in Centric is SCREAMING for tenants.

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I'm not usually one to yell "OMG that's so out of scale with the neighborhood" but the upper floors of that first building just look... wrong. Which is a shame, because the lower half looks pretty decent.

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“To an Ohio resident - wherever he lives - some other part of his state seems unreal.”

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11 hours ago, BigDipper 80 said:

I'm not usually one to yell "OMG that's so out of scale with the neighborhood" but the upper floors of that first building just look... wrong. Which is a shame, because the lower half looks pretty decent.

The scale or the quality? The top looks like stuff that was built in the 90's when higher prices weren't justified.

Edited by jjames0408
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5 hours ago, jjames0408 said:

The scale or the quality? The top looks like stuff that was built in the 90's when higher prices weren't justified.

 

The first 3 floors have really nice architectural detail. They really should have carried the brick, and bay windows up all 5 floors. 

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I agree the siding on the upper floors of La Collina is a design issue.  It does seem to cheapen the look (in a pretty expensive building in terms of rent).  I do like that they tried to break up the north elevation rather than having one massive wall (but I thinking maybe even that could have been done better).

Edited by Htsguy
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41 minutes ago, Htsguy said:

I agree the siding on the upper floors of La Collina is a design issue.  It does seem to cheapen the look (in a pretty expensive building in terms of rent).  I do like that they tried to break up the north elevation rather than having one massive wall (but I thinking maybe even that could have been done better).

 

When I saw this upper level siding I actually thought it blended well with the LI neighborhood, where many owners chose to clad their early century homes in tacky aluminum siding and awnings!   

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It also blends in well with the sky, sorta like camouflage.

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“What is the meaning of this city? Do you huddle close together because you love each other?”
Or “We all dwell together to make money from each other”? -- TS Eliot’s The Rock

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  • 2 weeks later...

?

 

 

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“What is the meaning of this city? Do you huddle close together because you love each other?”
Or “We all dwell together to make money from each other”? -- TS Eliot’s The Rock

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  • 3 weeks later...
15 minutes ago, Boomerang_Brian said:

Imagine what they could have done if the parking lot owner was willing to sell and/or otherwise work with them. 

 

Could have had a nice retail space on Mayfield next to the station. That would have been a great spot for a little coffee shop.

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“What is the meaning of this city? Do you huddle close together because you love each other?”
Or “We all dwell together to make money from each other”? -- TS Eliot’s The Rock

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  • 1 month later...

The Feast of the Assumption started today so I took a few pics. La Collina really does a great job filling in Mayfield and making it more walkable (just needs some retail finally), and I'm excited for Mayfield Station to do the same when it's completed. And then Quattro just always makes me jealous of the people who get to live there.

Edited by tykaps
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Looks like a shorter Washington Inn development is back before Landmark.  Hopefully they got together with neighborhood NIMBY's and/or officials who were objecting to the first concept and this will go through quickly.

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http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/landmark/agenda/2019/08222019/index.php

 

CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS

Case 19-038: Little Italy Historic District (Case 19-012 Disapproved 5-9-19)
Washington Inn Housing 2189-93 Cornell Road
Demolition and New Apartment Building Construction
Ward 6: Griffin
Project Representatives: Michael Panzica, Hemingway Development; Dominic Durante, Jeff Evans, LDA Architects

 

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“What is the meaning of this city? Do you huddle close together because you love each other?”
Or “We all dwell together to make money from each other”? -- TS Eliot’s The Rock

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I had assumed the shabby parking garage on Random would be beautified as the garage for the tenants of Quattro,  but now I see the new tenants have been moving into these luxury apartments, and there's still ugliness right next door.  Admittedly, I haven't been following this particular forum for a while; are there plans for the monstrosity next Door? 

Edited by lafont
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For those keeping score, Washington Place went from 4 floors with 60 units, to 4/3 floors with 50 units, to 3 floors with 44 units. Plus the first floor garage was sunken deeper so the overall height went from 54 to 40 feet.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Again, what's the story with the ugly parking garage (which was obviously built for something else) next to the new luxury apartments on Random Road?  I had assumed it would be renovated to go with the apartments, but I now see it is not part project and really distracts.

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On 9/1/2019 at 1:28 PM, lafont said:

Again, what's the story with the ugly parking garage (which was obviously built for something else) next to the new luxury apartments on Random Road?  I had assumed it would be renovated to go with the apartments, but I now see it is not part project and really distracts.

I wouldn’t expect any improvement. What’s the incentive for the building owner? Parking is a premium over there, and it’s covered. I’m sure he’s already getting top dollar for those spaces. 

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