Battery Park Featured on TV 20

Living in Cleveland ran this featured video regarding living in the Detroit Shoreway community in Cleveland, OH. This video highlights to wonderful lakefront homes in Cleveland's Battery Park community. Battery Park is a fine example of city living near Downtown Cleveland featuring a 15 year property tax abatement, discount financing, and contemporary construction.

Great Values Downtown? Look No Further...

Looking to buy a condo downtown? Afraid you can't afford to? Look no further... Cleveland City Living has compiled a small sampling of fabulous deals in Downtown Cleveland. From the Warehouse District to the Gateway Neighborhood, we cover it all!

Warehouse District Condos - $99,900

The Grand Arcade Condos are still among Cleveland's most sensational deals! Centrally located in the Warehouse District above Xo Prime Steaks on West 6th and St. Clair, many of these condos have views of Cleveland's bustling downtown highrises and retail districts. With a newly tuck-pointed rooftop, this condo building is better than it ever was and ready for you to take advantage of it's wonderful values!

Gateway Neighborhood 2-Bedroom/2 Bathroom- $149,900

The Pointe at Gateway, one of downtown Cleveland's most historical and luxurious locations, is offering the deal of the district in it's $149,900 condo overlooking the Q. Unlike many of the other condos in it's price range and size, this Pointe at Gateway condo is selling high-end finishes including granite counter-tops, luxurious cabinetry, an undermounted sink, stainless steel appliances, ceramic tile and wood floors, and track lighting. This one won't last long... want to check it out?

Million Dollar View for Less than $200,000!

The Perry Payne, one of Cleveland's little known condo conversions, has a wonderful condo with a million dollar view priced lower than $200,000! This two bedroom, two bathroom, condo is all about what you get on the outside! Picture yourself cooking dinner or enjoying a glass of wine from your kitchen or open living/dining room, while gazing across vibrant lights of the Historic Warehouse District, out onto Lake Erie. This panoramic view of our Great Lake is one of a kind in this price range.

For more information on any of these condos or living in Cleveland, contact Scott Phillips of Keller Williams Realty Greater Cleveland and request a downtown tour.

"RUPPIES" Are Coming to a City Near YOU

Across the nation, 50+ builders are now focusing on the more affluent baby boomers. In fact, this market is considered a “sweet spot” in the new construction market, according to the National Association of Home Builders and John McKeown, president of Conemarra Partners.

With this trend is a shift to active adult housing in more urban environments that showcase smaller sized townhomes in a larger community environment such as Downtown Cleveland, Lakewood, Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights.

“The homes should be priced in the $400,000 to $500,000, range and targeted to ‘prime movers’ with more than $100,000 in annual income and at least $400,000 in net worth. This encompasses roughly one-quarter of the nation’s 46 million baby boomers,” said McKeown.
“Initial efforts should focus on today’s 52- to 62-year-old ‘zoomers,’ whose ranks are 24 million strong,” he indicated. “These are the trend setters. They represent key branding opportunity and will influence the direction taken by the 22 million 44- to 50-year-olds who constitute the second wave of boomers.”

Research indicates that 69 percent of the older boomers and 71 percent of the younger boomers will probably buy another home. High-net-worth boomers are projected to purchase 7.7 million homes through 2020. Of that amount, potential demand for active-adult retirement communities will reach 1.9 million units.

Demand is expected to reach a peak between 2012 and 2015. It’s projected that by that point, two million boomers each year will reach the traditional retirement age of 65. And under current projections, it looks like potential demand for active-adult housing will begin running higher than supply to a significant extent. In fact, it’s estimated that there will be a total shortage of 350,000 active adult homes by 2020.

Boomers reinvent themselves again

According to McKeown, baby boomers are predisposed to favor a lifestyle and amenities over housing affordability. They are about to reinvent themselves again. The economic downturn has provided a catalyst that has got them thinking about what the next stage of their life will be.
“Active adults are now a platform,” he said. They are more flexible about where they want to live, and they are looking for a more urbanized experience. They want engagement.”

According to the national statistics, only 11 percent of baby boomers suffer health problems that restrict then from pursuing an active lifestyle, and they command roughly two-thirds of the nation’s household wealth.

“Boomers have seen a $3.3 trillion drop in the value of their real estate over the past 12 months, and their retirement savings have eroded by 20 percent or $2 trillion,” said McKeown. “Recovery traditionally lags in the retirement and second-home markets, and retirement demand has been delayed by the downturn for two three years.”

According to findings from a January survey of people who moved to active adult housing in the preceding two years, “buyers, among all income levels, were left with $185,000 in equity after paying off their mortgage, and many were trading up to a more expensive home. Those who bought a new home in the $450,000 to $500,000 range sold their previous home for an average of $606,000.”

Moving to towns and cities

While about half of all baby boomers now live in the suburbs, only 28 percent viewed the suburbs as their ideal location for a retirement home. About one-fifth currently live in an urban location, and 35 percent said that that is where they would like their home to be. Sixteen percent live in a small town, but 21 percent would like to retire to one. Twelve percent live in a rural area, and 18 percent view that as the ideal place to retire.

“They want to get out of isolated, car-dependant situation,” he said. “They want to be in a traditional neighborhood or community” with higher density, walkable neighborhoods, and greater access to shopping and culture.

According to McKeown and market research, the village or town center has replaced the clubhouse as the next significant community gathering place for active adults. Boomers are even willing to forego an onsite fitness center when one is close to where they live. McKeown predicted that there will be greater geographic diversity in the location of active adult housing. He said that there will be a growing opportunity to sell homes in smaller communities, that are below 300 units, to affluent baby boomers.

McKeown feels that builders should put less emphasis on age restriction and more on age targeting. Seventy percent of the boomer market prefers the latter, he said. “Baby boomers show the greatest preference for single-family homes, but acceptance is widening for condos and townhomes provided that they are served by elevators. First-floor living, energy efficiency, low-maintenance, and green-living are all housing characteristics that zoomers prefer. Aging in place and downsizing to homes in the range of 1,500 to 2,000 square feet are also today’s preference,” he indicated.

For more information on urban living, contact Scott Phillips Jr. of Keller Williams Realty Greater Cleveland at Scott.Phillips@kw.com and 216.373.6959.

(article courtesy of Live.com and the Cleveland Plain Dealer)

New Condos Start Construction Downtown!

The shovels have hit the dirt at University Lofts as these exclusive condos begin to take shape in Cleveland's "College Town." Appropriately timed with the neighboring Cleveland State University Basketball team making it back to the NCAA Tournament, the University Lofts have begun to take shape and are ready to rise.

Just before St. Patrick's Day rolled through downtown Cleveland, footers were dug at the site of 2030 Euclid Avenue. Before construction began, brothers David and Jay Kaufman (developers) spent tireless hours promoting the project and earning the three pre-sales that were necessary to get the building built. Five condos are still available including Penthouse level units. ESTIMATED OCCUPANCY FOR FIRST QUARTER 2010!

Call Scott Phillips Jr. today at 216.373.6959 or email scottphillips@howardhanna.com.

New Bar Along Euclid Avenue Opens on October 9th

With one month remaining before the "Health Line" grand opening celebration, Euclid Avenue storefronts are beginning to populate with exciting new business. Cleveland City Living has already run stories on the new Cleveland Condos along Euclid Avenue being built at East 4th Street and East 9th Street, as well as the Nexus Cafe originally proposed at 515 Euclid Avenue. Today we prepare you to welcome "Cadillac Ranch" to the Downtown Cleveland nightlife scene.

Cadillac Ranch, a premier All-American bar and grille, will officially open at 200 Euclid Avenue on October 9th. While it's being advertised heavily as a bar, it also carries a full menu including steaks and burgers. This 24,000 square foot establishment will be one of the largest social venues in downtown Cleveland. With over 30 flat panel televisions, 9 full-service bars, and 1 mechanical bull, Cadillac Ranch is sure to continue the excitement of East 4th St. and bring some new life to Euclid Avenue near Public Square.

While we can't predict what will come of the new Euclid Avenue, it's exciting to consider that while so much of America has been challenged by economic downturn, Cleveland has continued to proceed with projects that are adding to our exciting and vibrant downtown community. Looking into the future, a great deal of promise is in store for downtown Cleveland. See you at the ranch!

Want to Live in Cleveland's Coolest Lakefront Neighborhood?

This video montage was put together with segments from the Detroit Shoreway Streetscape Groundbreaking Ceremony. The Detroit Shoreway along with the Gordon Square Arts District has become the fastest growing neighborhood in Cleveland! With housing developments such as Battery Park, The Belvedere, Lake Pointe, King's Terrace, the Villas at Waters Edge, and Saint Peter's on the Lake, it's easy to find places to live. Located just a couple minutes from downtown Cleveland and footsteps from Lake Erie, you'll find few places in Cleveland that can compare.



Don't forget to contact Scott Phillips with Real Living Realty One, to find your Cleveland Lakefront home. With tax abatements and discount financing features, many of his clients are paying less per month for their mortgages than they were for rent downtown! Call Scott today: 216.986.7716 or email scott.phillips@realliving.com.

Construction Begins on Detroit Avenue Project

City officials, merchants and others today launched the transformation of a stretch of Detroit Avenue into a pedestrian-friendly district for shopping, dining and theatre-going with a ceremonial groundbreaking. The event was highlighted by performances by Cleveland Public Theatre and Near West Theatre, the two performance theatres in the Gordon Square Arts District (GSAD).

The $3.5 million streetscape conversion of Detroit from West 58th Street to West 73rd Street is the second of five core projects in GSAD, an emerging arts and entertainment destination in the heart of the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood and five minutes from downtown Cleveland. Plans call for widening sidewalks along part of the street, burying utility wires and installing trees, benches, public art and other amenities.

“When you hear DuPont Circle and SoHo, you know exactly what city they’re in. The same will happen with Gordon Square,” said Cleveland Councilman Matt Zone, whose Ward 17 includes the district. Zone said he had been working on the streetscape project since he came to office in 2002.

”This project will provide the Gordon Square Arts District with a unique identity that will offer people an experience that they cannot get anywhere else,” said Mayor Frank Jackson. “Each of our neighborhoods has its own special personality, and people will visit Gordon Square so that they can participate in the culture of this district.”

“You’re going to know you’re somewhere special,” said GSAD Executive Director Joy Roller. “And you’re going to know something hip and fun is happening in Cleveland.”

The streetscape transformation, which is expected to be completed within a year, is a city project, paid for in part with $1.9 million in city funds. The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency contributed almost $1.6 million in federal funds. Traffic will be maintained during construction, except for six working days when vehicles will be detoured at West 65th Street and Detroit; shops, galleries, restaurants and other businesses will remain open during construction. The city has chosen Terrace Construction Company Inc. as contractor for the project.

“The city recognizes that its contribution will help spur private investment in the Gordon Square Arts District,” said Councilman Zone.

Today’s event is the second groundbreaking this year for the Gordon Square Arts District — a name not only for the area but also for the unique collaboration of three Cleveland nonprofits behind it.

The collaborative work of the three organizations — Cleveland Public Theatre, Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization (DSCDO) and Near West Theatre — is seen as a national model of how the arts can be used to stimulate economic development. GSAD’s plans, along with housing construction at nearby Battery Park and elsewhere in Detroit Shoreway, have already helped attract 24 restaurants, shops, galleries, studios and other businesses to the area since the beginning of 2006. In all, the Gordon Square Arts District is helping to infuse more than $500 million into the community.

GSAD’s core projects are expected to cost $30 million. Besides the streetscape design, they are:

· A $7 million restoration of the Capitol Theatre, a 1920s vaudeville and silent movie house at Detroit and West 65th, into a three-screen, all-digital art and independent film cinema. Groundbreaking for the restoration was in May, and completion is expected next spring.
· Renovation of Cleveland Public Theatre, which includes the oldest standing theatre building in Cleveland, at 6415 Detroit.
· Construction of a new performance center on West 67th Street, just north of Detroit, for Near West Theatre, a 30-year old community theatre.
· Surface parking for residents and visitors. A new parking lot and an expanded lot, both incorporating green parking technologies that will reduce storm water runoff and filter the water before it hits the city’s storm sewer system, are expected to be completed by next spring. Future additional parking is planned.

The three theatres will all be within a two-minute walk of one another and will form the nucleus of the arts district. Architectural drawings for the Cleveland Public and Near West theatres have been completed, and construction plans are being finalized. GSAD is seeking additional funding for these projects.

The streetscape design was developed by City Architecture Inc., environmental artist Susie Frazier Mueller and Michael Benza & Associates Inc. engineers. Work will include burying utility lines and installing new sidewalks and new lighting from West 58th to West 73rd streets. The lighting will match light poles at Battery Park.

The heart of the district will be between West 61st and West 69th streets, where plans also call for narrowing Detroit and widening the sidewalks to encourage pedestrian traffic and outdoor dining. The sidewalks, currently 8½ feet wide on the north and 10 feet wide on the south, will be increased to 13 feet wide on both sides; Detroit, which currently has four 12-foot driving lanes, will be narrowed to two 11-foot lanes and two 9-foot parking lanes. Approximately 60 Aristocrat pear and Valley Forge American elm trees will be planted, and free-standing public art, colorful curved benches, bike racks and a street paver pattern designed by Mueller will be installed along the sidewalk.

Space is planned for at least 10 pieces of sculptural public art. DSCDO will work with Cleveland Public Art to develop a public, juried process to solicit and select the art.
In June, City Council approved legislation sponsored by Zone making Detroit and Lake Avenue between West 48th Street and West 77th Street a Pedestrian Retail Overlay District. The designation is aimed at maintaining the economic viability of older neighborhood retail districts by preserving their pedestrian-oriented character.

Today’s groundbreaking ceremony, at West 65th and Detroit, featured performances by Near West Theatre and Cleveland Public Theatre. Cleveland Public Theatre’s Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP) performed a selection from “While I’m Here on This Earth,” and actors from Near West presented an excerpt from “West Side Story.”

Tours of the Capitol Theatre were offered after the ceremony, and merchants remained open and offered special promotions in celebration of the groundbreaking.

Along with Mayor Jackson, Zone and Roller, those speaking at today’s groundbreaking included:
· Joseph Craciun, funeral director at Craciun Berry Funeral Home, a longtime Detroit Avenue business.
· Robert Maschke, principal of Robert Maschke Architects and 1point618 gallery.
· Mueller, the environmental artist who designed the special paver work and benches that will be used in the district as well as the district’s logo.
· Jeffrey M. Ramsey, executive director of DSCDO.
· Paul J. Volpe, president of City Architecture, which designed the streetscape.

Honorary chairs of the Gordon Square Arts District capital campaign are Richard W. and Patricia R. Pogue, Albert B. and Audrey G. Ratner and Tom C. and Sandra S. Sullivan. Richard (Dick) Pogue is senior advisor at Jones Day; Albert Ratner is co-chair of the board of Forest City Enterprises Inc.; and Tom Sullivan is chair of RPM International Inc. Lawrence N. Schultz, a partner at Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP, is GSAD campaign chair.