Cleveland Real Estate News » transit oriented development

Business Owners Discuss Why Ohio Is A Great Location For Their Thriving Industries

Carole Cohen — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:07:06 +0000

A big hat tip to Life in Ohio’s Ed Burghard for these in depth interviews. And to the website itself for it’s user-friendly layout. I wanted to feature this because I’m not sure many of us have the chance to hear (or read, in this case) why companies start, grow and stay here. It’s not just rah rah Ohio stuff, it’s the nuts and bolts of why it works for them.

We know we need infrastructure work, but one of the repeated points made here is location, proximity to other markets (one days hauling abilities, for example). All the more reason why we need to keep our infrastructure sound and innovative.

The answers are very diverse as well, and include a nice portion of NE Ohio companies while also giving us a perspective on other areas. Truly a great series of interviews with pretty revealing answers. To me, it’s a case of hearing why our State works, not the problems we get every day! Anyway, hope you enjoy it. Peace Out – 3C

Think Different, Think Container Home Living

Carole Cohen — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 23:04:15 +0000

I saw a featured article on Yahoo! the other day. You know, the ones that feature homes that are not the norm. Usually built into a hill or four spheres on a tree. Not practical? Maybe, but still homes people have built. Usually in places like California, Oregon, etc. This article however, revolved around homes built out of old shipping containers. Heavy metal, not the musical kind, but the kind you see whizzing by on railroad trains. They were cool. They were also located in other states.

Guess what! One of my co-workes, an agent named Michael Rastatter, is working with a builder who is developing container homes here in NE Ohio. On ISBU Homes website, they explain why they are a hot commodity.

To learn more about them, I of course went to the Internet. This company, American Container Homes, said they knew they had to get busy and in contact with the Japanese after their earthquake and tsunami, because he said container homes would be perfect for them. At American Homes, they explain that not only are the four walls already built, but in many cases, kitchen cabinets are in, as well as other things. So you can check that out.

If it intrigues you (as it does me), give me a call or email. We can sit down over a cup of coffee with Michael and he can explain all the details. Peace Out – 3C

Boston Globe’s Derrick Jackson Weighs In On Passenger Rail

Carole Cohen — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 00:50:05 +0000

Passenger rail ridership IS at a five decade high, and his article, while focused on the eastern seabord to a point, shows why we really could boost our economy by spending money on something useful for a change, like high speed rail. I am praying our own efforts in Ohio don’t get derailed. Why don’t they see the value? Read Derrick Jackson’s post US needs to get on track for high-speed rail. We just need to keep on track for passenger rail!!! Peace Out – 3C

Stay Tuned, Money Coming For 3C Corridor Passenger Rail Plan

Carole Cohen — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:33:00 +0000

Here is a Columbus Dispatch article on Federal monies going to various States including Ohio. We don’t know how much yet, but might by the end of the day. The article says we are getting $400 million……stay tuned to see how much it actually will be. Peace Out -3C

Update: Per the US Labor Secretary, we are in fact getting the 400 million dollar grant to get started on the Cleveland to Columbus to Cincy passenger rail system. ODOT says it will become the best rail service in America. The goal is to have these trains up and running by the end of 2012.

First up, thousands of jobs created to lay rails, upgrade and service trains, among other things.

The fare to get from Cleveland to Cincinnati could be $26 — not bad, agreed? We are actually going to have passenger rail! I’m giddy!

What Are The Most Congested Highways in the Country?

Carole Cohen — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 02:06:45 +0000

The Daily Beast has identified 75 hard to maneuver highways during commuting hours. They list length of the congestion(by miles), the speed (or lack of) cars can travel during these periods, among other things. I wasn’t very surprised that the Capital Beltway in D.C. was #3. It took me honing a certain mentality to do it with any regularity. The last time I visited the D.C. area, I remember my shoulders tightened up as I got in what I called war mode, which included heightened awareness of cars around me, and a steely gaze that may have only been noticeable to me!

The surprise to me was the second most congested highway because it was in Honolulu ! So much for paradise!

Whenever people discuss what is important to them when buying a house, it always intrigues me to hear the differences discussed. Some people are happy with a 30 minute commute. Some consider it down time, quiet time, time to listen to a book on tape or iPod, time to enjoy talk radio. Decompression time. Others want a five minute commute and no traffic congestion. Some don’t mind I-480 traffic, some love the I-90 route along the lake. All my life I’ve heard that our differences make life more interesting and I definitely agree with that. For me, commuting any more than 15 minutes to work every day would drive me stark raving mad.

Not that I haven’t done it. I managed a store in Gaithersburg Maryland while living in Greenbelt Maryland. About a 30 mile drive on the Capital Beltway and I-270. How to describe it. If you’re looking at a map, paint a smile around Washington DC. I worked on the left side of the smile and lived on the right side. I did it for awhile, and that was fine. Now? No way!

We don’t have the same congestion issues here but I know people who have to go through the Richmond Road/Chagrin Road intersection during rush hour might disagree. Let’s just say we didn’t have any highways driving commuters crazy, at least according to this Daily Beast article.

Number One went to a highway in LA. The length of the bottleneck? Over 70 miles. Oy.

Peace Out – 3C

NE Ohio Home Sales: Zip Code 44122

Carole Cohen — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:36:54 +0000

I liked examining this zip code because while most of it is in Shaker, it also encompasses parts of Warensville, Orange and Beachwood. My stats are as usual, only covering homes (single family here) listed and sold by area brokers. But I did glean some info from the new County Data base (auditor’s site). Here are total sales in these four communities whether they were multi-family, listed with a broker or privately sold.

Year To Date In Beachwood: 113

Year To Date In Shaker Heights 497

Year To Date In Orange 45

Year To Date in Warrensville Heights 190

So let’s see what my stats tell me about zip code 44122 home sales in 2009

There are currently 214 homes listed for sale (again, I’m only doing single family)

The average listing price of these 214 homes is $345,245 and $115 a sq. ft.

What homes have appealed to recent buyers? For this info I go to pending or contingent sales, meaning their are contracts written and accepted but they still have not closed. There are 58 homes under contract. Here are four in a bit of detail to show what buyers have liked:

1. and 2. One home on Halworth listed for $112,500 and one on Halworth listed for $124,900. Both homes have very good square footage.

3. Home on Groveland in Beachwood listed for $130,000.

4. A home in Orange on Orangewood listed for $350,000. Very large (over 3,000 sq. ft) with a contemporary woodsy feel to it. Two story foyer; lots of bells and whistles.

5. Colonial on Rye off Belvoir Oval. Listed for $269k, this home is nicely updated while preserving it’s original character. Walking distance to Rapid.

What has sold in the last six months?? 210 homes in 44122.

The average sale price of these 210 homes was $214,349 and $95 a square foot. (as you can see, it doesn’t seem to matter whether we are looking east or west of The River, there is a significant discrepancy between homes still listed (prices) and the average sale prices. )

There was a cute, well kept home with 1310 sq feet of living space that sold for $79,750 on Ridgewood in the Harvard/Warrensville Rd area. Amazingly renovated with gorgeous hardwood floors. Great turn key starter home. Good buy!

Another sold home is a 1980s era cedar contemporary that sold for $455k. It has 3 BR and 5 baths (!!!), a gorgeous kitchen, sun room, 3 full levels of living space.

Another home close to the Rapid is a beautiful colonial on Traver in Shaker. It sold for $186k and has 1777 sq feet of living space. Gorgeous updates like granite and stainless kitchen, yet beautiful wainscoting in the dining room.

I envy this area because of the availability of the Rapid. I suspect this plays a part in sales because many of the homes sold were close to the Rapid.

Lastly, a gorgeous brick colonial on Lomond in Shaker. Walk to Rapid, 1672 square feet of living space, 4Brs, 3BA, beautifully updated and preserved. Sold for $155,000.

Hope this was useful and if you have any areas you would like me to cover, please let me know! Peace Out 3C

Become a Facebook Fan of Ohio’s 3C Quick Start Passenger Rail Plan

Carole Cohen — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:25:04 +0000

According to this press release from ODOT, 93 percent of the people surveyed said they favor a mid speed passenger rail to start off the 3C Corridor Plan. Be a Fan on Facebook, read the press release and see the link below to become a fan! Let’s get over 2k Fans by Friday! And also at the link below, take the survey (over 7k people already have!)

Ohio Rail Development Commission

& Ohio Department of Transportation

For Immediate Release: Sept. 22, 2009

Contact: Stu Nicholson 614-644-0513

E-mail: stuart.nicholson@dot.state.oh.us

Ohio’s 3C “Quick Start” Passenger Rail Plan Gets Fans Quick
Fans on Facebook and Online Polling Show Growing SupportOn September 14, the Ohio Department of Transportation – in partnership with the Ohio Rail Development Commission – launched the department’s first trial run with the nation’s largest internet social networking site Facebook, starting with a page featuring the 3C “Quick Start” Passenger Rail Plan. If you’re a Facebook member, the page can be accessed at:
http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Rail/Programs/passenger/3CisME/Pages/default.aspx

In the short time since the launch, the 3C “Quick Start” page is on track to have at least a thousand Facebook subscribers become “3C Plan fans.”Ohio’s 3C “Quick Start” Plan – connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati with medium speed 79 mph passenger trains – is a strong contender for stimulus funding. With the funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Ohio’s “Quick Start” plan would have initial service running as early as 2011.

A recently released ridership and revenue study prepared by Amtrak estimated that 478,000 passengers would board the train each year in Ohio, due in large part to a pent-up demand for passenger rail travel and the unique opportunity to connect with more than 60 percent of the state’s population.

“The concentration of colleges and universities along the corridor is another major component for success,” the Amtrak report said. “Historically, throughout its national system, Amtrak has enjoyed steady ridership support from college students.”

Facebook fans of the 3C “Quick Start” Plan range from college students and young professionals to business and community leaders, including members of the Ohio General Assembly – State Representatives Michael Skindell (House Dist. 13) and W. Carlton Weddington (House Dist.27).

At the same time, more than 7,200 people have responded to an online survey at 3CisMe.ohio.gov, the state’s online portal for passenger rail information. In the month since the survey has been active, more than 93 percent of respondents favor the medium-speed passenger rail start-up plan.

###

“Social networking sites such as Facebook are increasingly becoming a very useful tool in sharing information, especially among our younger populations,” said ODOT Director Jolene M. Molitoris. “It would send a great message to Washington if we could get two-thousand or more fans before we submit our application to the Federal Railroad Administration for stimulus funding on October 2nd.”

COLUMBUS (Tuesday, September 22, 2009) – Like a virtual train quickly filling up with passengers, Ohio’s 3C “Quick Start” Passenger Rail Plan is quickly growing an online fan base well before the first trains run.

Your Walk Ability Score Could Add to Your Home’s Value on Resale

Carole Cohen — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 22:41:03 +0000

Many of us have gone to walkscore.com to check out how this national study rates our own home/street in terms of walk ability. But if you are looking for a new home, how valuable would your investment be if it had a high walk ability score? My opinion? It adds a lot of value.

Think about the trend towards homes being near public transportation, schools, shops, parks, restaurants, movies, libraries…..if anything, my buyers over the last two years have considered these amenities to be even more important than before. High fuel prices have played a part, for sure.
So you want to buy a house, you want it to be a good investment, even if you are living in it as a home to enjoy for many years. Even if YOU don’t care to walk, I’m here to tell you that it’s one of the least expensive ways to add value to your home. Given a choice between a home with a poor walk ability score and a high one, all other things being similar, I’d go with the latter.

People have always moved to places like Lakewood and South Euclid (among others) because they want to be close to bars, shopping, food, parks, shops, etc. And it’s true that both of these communities have a lot of amenities to offer. But not all streets are the same. Some streets in Lakewood and South Euclid get below 70 pts which means less walkable.

I have a few examples, using 1300 sq feet minimum of living space, a garage, a yard, move in condition (although paint colors could matter) and priced between $95k and $125k. Both communities had over 30 homes meeting this criteria. But not all were considered walkable.

Here are two in each community with so many amenities nearby they were rated very walkable!

Lakewood: first, a two bedroom ‘condo alternative’ single family with front and back porches, and you can move right in. $99,000 is the price (cheaper than renting for most of us). And an amazingly high walk ability score. This home is on Morrison.

Second home is a 4 br with a newer kitchen and lots of other updates, on Rockway. Rockway is what I call central Lakewood and this home is within walking distance of many things (like the new Nunzio’s pizza branch, yum). It’s listed for $109,900.

South Euclid: a 3BR brick home, clean, close to Cedar and Warrensville so very high walkable score (and close to Geraci’s…I should never post when I’m hungry, but you get the message lol). It’s for sale for $95k and is on Warrendale. About 1400 sq feet of living space.

The second home is a huge split level, so different era. over 2000 sq ft of space, a/c, very large yard, close to hardware store, shops, and a coop food market, among other things. So high walk ability score. It’s listed at $109,900 and is on Rushton.

The next time you are making up a list of homes to see with your Realtor®, go to Walk Score and type in the addresses. Not only does it rate the walk-ability, but the left hand side bar lists names of parks, schools, shops, bars, etc within walking distance of that home.

Peace Out -3C

3C is Me and it’s also The Three C Corridor

Carole Cohen — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:32:31 +0000

The Ohio Dept. of Transportation has set up a website just for 3C Corridor, passenger rail issues. It’s 3C and Me. It can help keep you informed of status of the Corridor development, upcoming meetings, issues.

An additional good feature: you can comment on the site. In fact, comments are encouraged. Especially as it would relate to your future passenger rail needs.

There are many times I would love to be able to hop on a train and go to Columbus to sit in on legislative meetings. What would passenger rail in our Corridor do for you? Let them know! Or comment on anything else related to it. This is one of those times when the Internet turns out to promote transparency and keep us all informed so kudos to ODOT.

Peace Out 3C

How Fluid Is A Master Plan Designed to Be?

Carole Cohen — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 03:10:29 +0000

One thing has puzzled me since I moved back to Cleveland, and it’s about adherence to the City’s Master Plan. I know these plans are and should be fluid. But I always had the nagging suspicion that Cleveland is pretty good at looking the other way regarding her master plan. Am I wrong?

Now here is an article in the Plain Dealer about Midtown development, what the Master Plan and the development peeps perceive for the area, and what seems to be in the works instead. Michelle Jarboe covers this very well, interviewing Chris Warren, Jim Haviland, etc., people with either a vested interest or emotional commitment to making the Euclid Avenue Corridor work. I would say, and maybe this is naive on my part, that even the people with monetary vested interests also have a commitment to making the Corridor work.

When the Master Plan says Midtown is supposed to attract private development, what does that mean, exactly? When the Cleveland Planning Commission was dog and ponying their Connect Cleveland updates to our Master Plan, they said the idea was to encourage cluster development, transit oriented development, trails and park development and connection, depending on where you looked at the plan. But they also seemed to say it wasn’t etched in stone. That makes no sense to me because, for example, I have a four family home with an ancient two family home zoning that doesn’t even exist anymore. Yet, adherence to the rules seems to only apply to some.

It seems to make for confusion which hinders development. Am I wrong to think this way?

A technology center, large one at that, was planned for the area. Then the commercial market went south. Then non profits said let’s get the space ourselves and put in social service places, homes, senior housing, etc. And a mental hospital.

Is the Corridor good for a Mental Hospital because after all, it is in a medical area? Or should we all wait for the market to improve and a technology center to be built there?

Sometimes this place makes me crazier than a bed bug (I might need that hospital eh?). I honestly don’t know the answers here. The article says ‘real estate’ peeps are happy with the senior housing, social services, mental hospital because 500 or so jobs will be created and then people will want to live close to where they work.

We are already an established medical city. No doubt there. We aspire to be as established in technology. But we aren’t all the way there yet. So is a mental hospital better there than a tech center?

I would most definitely love to hear your thoughts on this.

The first commenter on Michelle’s article is not one of the usual nut jobs who comment, krazyk47 said this:

This is an important article, and underscores one of the main conflicts holding the city back… As soon as you get developers interested in investing a bunch of special interests jump in and claim their due, which kills the potential for private development.

I’m Not saying that the public housing/ mental hospitals don’t belong in cleveland, or that private interests should always trump public policy… but in this case I would side with Midtown cleveland and the private developers… (check out the PD article for the rest of the story).

If you go to Midtown Cleveland Inc’s website, you can see the pdf of the goals of the master plan as they supposedly relate to this area. This is how they open their pdf:

The organization’s city-adopted master plan,

Beyond 2005: A Vision for MidTown Cleveland,

enhances MidTown’s distinct sub-districts through

transit-supportive development, which leverages

the investment in the Euclid Corridor Transportation

Project to foster a mix of residential, commercial,

office, civic, and green spaces.

That sounds to me like it could include a hospital AND a large tech center – but it is still a very good question, should a spot assembled by a development corporation for one purpose be used towards a different purpose?

Peace Out – 3C