CLEVELAND | Project Rundown - Page 30

PoshSteve · #**581** Posted **Mar 6, 2012, 5:57 AM**

Some more great news for this great city!

University Circle could see parking lot become $100 million tech, office and apartment complex

Quote:

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Offices, apartments, a hub for tech companies and a 700-car garage could rise from a surface parking lot at the edge of University Circle and Little Italy starting early next year.

After years of discussions, University Circle Inc. has picked a plan and developers for one of the most pivotal pieces of real estate in the dynamic Cleveland neighborhood.

Michelle Jarboe McFee, The Plain Dealer

xboarder84 · #**582** Posted **Mar 12, 2012, 7:37 PM**

Thanks for the explanation Posh. I like to run so I usually go past the construction on my longer runs and it seems to be going nicely. That whole connection between Ohio City and Tremont could be pretty great. I know the new Gateway Animal clinic is awesome and I see the signs for the Duck Island condos (though that's been there for a while so not sure how successful that will be). Unfortunately the rest of the street up to the RTA stop is pretty shady. Hopefully the new bridge brings about some new development nearby.

dar124 · #**583** Posted **Mar 20, 2012, 8:23 PM**

Here's an update of the Flats East Bank construction progress taken today from the FEB webcam.

http://www.flatseast.com/webcam.htm

They've also started installing the facade on the building. It wont be long and we'll finally get to see how this building is gonna look!!!

xboarder84 · #**584** Posted **Mar 21, 2012, 9:00 PM**

Nice photos dar! I walked by there during St. Patrick's Day and couldn't believe how much progress has been made. I can only imagine what that place will look like during next year's celebration!

On a side note, I heard that the City Council approved some of the lakefront plans, but I can't seem to find any links as to which parts were approved. Any one able to post some of the approved designs or links to the story?

dar124 · #**585** Posted **Mar 22, 2012, 7:19 PM**

Here's a link to the cleveland.com lakefront story from a couple of days ago. And a couple of pics from the article.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012..._lakefron.html

dar124 · #**586** Posted **Mar 22, 2012, 9:21 PM**

Also just saw this article from earlier today.

K&D Group Plans to Buy East Ohio Building for New Apartments

http://www.crainscleveland.com/artic...emplate=mobile

K&D Group is purchasing a 21-story office structure in downtown Cleveland with plans to convert it into over 220 apartments. K&D Group is looking for tax credits as well as other financing for the $65-million development.

MayDay · #**587** Posted **Mar 25, 2012, 1:38 PM**

^Here's the building in question:

CLEthebest · #**588** Posted **Mar 31, 2012, 11:15 PM**

i bet if the ameritrust tower and the progressive headquarters tower were built CLE would look more like a big city. the key tower ruined our skyline i feel like because its so much taller than everything else and then it doesnt look as dense. like look at cincy i hate it but it looks bigger than us even though their tallest tower is as big as the BP building. the ameritrust and progressive towers would have given us a different identity that we have today and we wouldve kept booming IMO. eiter way i still love CLE and im proud to be from here and im so happy that were getting back on the right track.

Jonboy1983 · #**589** Posted **Apr 1, 2012, 1:11 AM**

Interesting how you think the Key Tower ruined your city's skyline. I don't think I can recall anyone saying that any particular stand-out highrise ruining their city's skyline.

I'm curious tho, what did the renderings of the Ameritrust and Progressive HQ buildings look like? If you ask me, I tend to prefer taller buildings. They're a symbol of economic fortitude and importance. I'm from Pittsburgh and I wish my hometown had taller buildings than it has right now. When the US Steel building was in its planning stages, they wanted to make it the world's tallest building! However, they didn't want to compete with the World Trade Center or the Sears Tower in New York and Chicago respectively. Still, they could have compromised and gone with something in the 70-to-80 floor range...

Anyway... enough of that tangent. I also like what Cleveland wants to do with its lakeshore.

CLEthebest · #**590** Posted **Apr 1, 2012, 4:02 AM**

i mean it serves as a GREAT landmark but it kinda sticks out kind of like the devon energy tower in OKC but not as bad. the ameritrust tower and progressive tower both would have been taller than key tower. the models are on this website i beleve under the cancelled projects??

PoshSteve · #**591** Posted **Apr 1, 2012, 11:39 AM**

i would loveeeee to see the progressive building as part of our skyline. i think it would look amazing, not to mention the thousand of extra jobs downtown instead of out in mayfield... but when it comes to ameritrust, bleck! that building, at least how it was proposed, is just awful to me. way way too bulky. if we got it in another, sleeker form, something that could better compliment key, then i would be even more in love with the look of downtown. but if you think key massively dominates the city now... oh i shudder at the thought of that thing lol

CLEthebest · #**592** Posted **Apr 1, 2012, 7:41 PM**

lol i know the ameritrust tower is scrapped but isnt the progressive tower still being looked into?? and doesnt the company that wanted to build the ameritrust center want to make a tower just as tall?

PoshSteve · #**593** Posted **Apr 1, 2012, 8:26 PM**

i havent heard anything about either of them, but since it was the jacobs group who proposed the tower, im sure they still will one day want to build something, just not another ameritrust, since it was taken over by keycorp. the current ameritrust tower on the other hand... since the county is going to unload that beast, hopefully it will get turned into some apartments or condos. i never can see office in that building again.

and regarding progressive, i sure do hope the city is still trying to pull them in! even tho they just built (or are they still building?) another building in mayfield, just a part of them would be great downtown

CLEthebest · #**594** Posted **Apr 1, 2012, 9:45 PM**

im not so sure about that, i just moved back here a month ago after being here my whole. i was away from CLE for 4 years and by far the worst 4 years of my life. i missed the liveliness and positive attitude people in CLE have.

progressive should be downtown. i have no idea what theyre doing but im sure they do know what theyre doing lol. the progressive tower would fit in with the kind of architecture that we have. but one thing i did hear was that i guess were trying to bring in sears from a chicago suburb. does anybody know anything about this??

Jonboy1983 · #**595** Posted **Apr 1, 2012, 10:44 PM**

Man, that's a shame those buildings got cancelled.

You know your Tower City office/retail/hotel complex right on top of the RTA transit hub? Yeah, Pittsburgh was to have its own version of that, which also included a 53-story office tower that would be even taller than the US Steel Building. It would have been built on the existing Mellon Green (between One BNY Mellon Center and the US Steel Tower), and it would have provided direct access to the T via the Steel Plaza Subway station.

From what I read in some of the old newspaper articles from back in the day, this thing was pretty much shovel ready. I guess it's to be assumed that the 1991 recession killed that project. Something was built in its place tho, but it's the putrid, insignificant 16-story Mellon Client Services Center.

You know what, I seem to remember that whole area being a big construction site when I was little. It was DEFINITELY shovel ready!! Aaaugh!!

CLEthebest · #**596** Posted **Apr 2, 2012, 12:03 AM**

yeah it seems like the best projects always seem too good to be true in smaller cities. the companies just dont have the money to follow through or it gets deserted and get occupied with something else.

one thing i do think should stop is the competition between pittsburgh and cleveland. im speaking generally, lol im not calling you out. but i always see in the plain dealer that pittsburgh is doing this why isnt cleveland doing anything. i hear tourists say that they should make a rail between cleveland and pittsburgh because when people come to see cleveland or pittsburgh they tend to want to see the other city as well.

PoshSteve · #**597** Posted **Apr 2, 2012, 2:07 AM**

yeah the gov was trying to get sears to move there hq to the state, tho to columbus and not here. would have definitely been a nice addition here

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011...to_ohio_a.html

CLEthebest · #**598** Posted **Apr 2, 2012, 4:15 AM**

damn if we couldve lured sears to cleveland that would be awesome. its a shame eaton left for beachwood too. is a new building what companies demand right now? i cant think of another reason why they would leave.

PoshSteve · #**599** Posted **Apr 2, 2012, 12:59 PM**

it is a shame, i cant remember the exact reasons they left, but im sure someone else here would know. it was more than just a new building, because if i remember correctly, they were supposed to get a new one in the flats east bank project... thinking of the best tho, at least they moved to the highlands where the city of cleveland gets a share of the taxes.

oh and by the way, welcome back to cleveland!

CLEthebest · #**600** Posted **Apr 2, 2012, 7:29 PM**

ohhh yeah see i dont know too much about that taxes stuff. lol

thanks a lot

im glad to be back home with my favorite people! i look forward to keeping in touch with with this forum and being active!