According to walkscore.com, The Avenue District, centered at 1211 St. Clair Ave. in downtown Cleveland, scores a 95/100 in walkability. Addresses with scores in the range of 90-100 are dubbed a Walkers' Paradise with most errands able to be accomplished on foot.
Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by mapping nearby stores, restaurants, entertainment and more. Click on the graphic below to check out Walk Score.
Monday, June 30, 2008
The Avenue District Walk Score=95
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Looking Up: Cleveland Real Estate News
This past year has brought monumental change and uncertainty to the real estate industry and economic environment. From the mortgage crisis, to the housing market, to today’s rising fuel costs, consumers feel the pressure at every turn.
During this time, there are those choosing to shift their thinking toward the return to urban cores, reducing reliance on automobiles and promoting healthier lifestyles through walkable neighborhoods.
Across the country, and here in Cleveland, new developments are underway, the real estate forecast is starting to brighten, but more importantly, people are taking action and gaining control of their futures by investing in downtown living.
The Plain Dealer has recently taken note of the progress in Cleveland, and reader interest in the topic, with the launch of a Real Estate News section on Cleveland.com. Here reporters Shaheen Samavati and Michelle Jarboe guide readers through news and notes about construction and communities in Northeast Ohio, including some of the timely selections below:
Guided tour of Northeast Ohio's new home construction projects
Check out the video on that highlights new construction in Northeast Ohio and features The Avenue District.
| Home building in Greater Cleveland |
Cleveland area housing prices up first time in year
Shaheen Samavati
June 25, 2008
"Home prices in the Cleveland area increased in April for the first time in almost a year, with improvement across all price levels, according to data released Tuesday.
The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home-price index looks at existing single-family homes sold in 20 major markets, including the Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor area.
Nationally, the index dropped 1.4 percent from March to April. But the Cleveland-area index rose 2.9 percent, marking the first month-to-month home price increase here since May of last year -- and the biggest one-month gain in the 20 metro areas..."
You can view the full article, and other articles and blog posts, at http://www.cleveland.com/realestatenews/
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Costs of Commuting Part Three: Driven to the Brink?
Also, below is an online video, "Driven to the Brink," that shows a fresh take on the relationship between the price of gas and the price of homes.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Costs of Commuting Part Two: Influence
The reality of rising gas costs, combined with relatively steady home values in downtown cores, are influencing today's homebuyers to consider downtown living. New information, including that found in the graphic to the right, was released June 18 from a Coldwell Banker real estate survey, published in the follow AP article and accessed through MSNBC.com:
Cost of gas is influencing housing purchases
Urban, homes near commute options holding value better than suburbs:Click here for story
Also, view the video below on NBC Nightly News with Matt Williams on how skyrocketing fuels costs are influencing people on where to live.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
East 4th Street Thursday Patio Parties
WHAT: Thursday Patio Parties - Live music, food and drink specials
WHERE: East 4th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44115
WHEN: Thursdays starting at 5 p.m.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Costs of Commuting Part One: Tracking National Trends
The rising costs of commuting are driving Americans back to downtown living.
The Avenue District, located at East 12th Street and St. Clair Avenue in downtown Cleveland, is designed as a walkable neighborhood, placing residents in walking distance to shopping, dining, arts, work and more. Its central proximity to several major Cleveland districts is a strong advantage for those looking to eliminate their dependence on cars, and make the lifestyle change from suburban to urban living.
The Avenue District is not alone in this transformation, as there are multiple revitalization projects underway throughout Cleveland, that will connect segments of downtown and set the stage for a thoroughly walkable metropolis.
The following three-part blog series will take a look at the financial, environmental and health advantages of walkable neighborhoods, and the significance of downtown Cleveland taking this first step in bringing residents back to the City.
PART ONE: TRACKING NATIONAL TRENDS
On any given day, media coverage is dominated by the topic of rising fuel costs. In addition to the impact on peoples’ wallets, and the trickle-down effect throughout the economy, new emphasis is being placed on the ongoing environmental issues of fuel consumption and non-renewable energy sources.
Suburbs a Mile Too Far for Some - Demographic Changes, High Gasoline Prices May Hasten Demand for Urban Living
Jonathan Karp - Wall Street Journal
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
"In recent years, a generation of young people, called the millennials, born between the late 1970s and mid-1990s, has combined with baby boomers to rekindle demand for urban living. Today, the subprime-mortgage crisis and $4-a-gallon gasoline are delivering further gut punches by blighting remote subdivisions nationwide and rendering long commutes untenable for middle-class Americans..."
Is America's suburban dream collapsing into a nightmare?
Lara Farrar - CNN
Monday, June 16, 2008
"Instead, they are looking for what Leinberger calls "walkable urbanism" -- both small communities and big cities characterized by efficient mass transit systems and high density developments enabling residents to walk virtually everywhere for everything -- from home to work to restaurants to movie theaters.
The so-called New Urbanism movement emerged in the mid-90s and has been steadily gaining momentum, especially with rising energy costs, environmental concerns and health problems associated with what Leinberger calls "drivable suburbanism" -- a low-density built environment plan that emerged around the end of the World War II and has been the dominant design in the U.S. ever since..."
Market blamed for fuel costsBob Dart - Cox News Service
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
“Gasoline should cost about $2.25 a gallon at the pump, and everything above that is "funny money" largely tacked on by speculation and manipulation in the energy markets, a consumer advocate told a Senate committee Tuesday…”
As gas prices rise, commuters hop on mass transit wagon
Sarah Karush - Associated Press
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
"Around the country, high gas prices are pushing more people to leave their cars at home and crowd onto trains, buses and subways…”
Small cars overtake Ford trucks
Dee-Ann Durbin - Associated Press
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
“U.S. auto sales in May brought the starkest signs yet that gas prices have dramatically shifted the market to smaller cars, as the top-selling Ford F-series truck was dethroned by cars from Toyota and Honda…”
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
AIA Developer Series - The Avenue District (June 26)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Cleveland AIA (American Institute of Architects) Urban Design Committee Developers Forum: Zaremba and The Avenue District.
Location: AIA Cleveland Chapter Office, 1001 Huron
Time: 6:30pm social, 7pm program
Email: aiadocs@aiacleveland.com
Contact: 216.575.1242
Reservations are required as seating is limited.
Monday, June 9, 2008
The Avenue District Insider: Exterior Update
Exterior skin build-out of 1211 St. Clair Ave. at The Avenue District is scheduled for completion in early July 2008. The 10-story condo building, situated on the northeast corner of East 12th Street and St. Clair Avenue in downtown Cleveland, is the cornerstone of Zaremba Inc.'s $300 million walkable neighborhood.
The Avenue District is being finished with a variety of building materials, from metal panels that are durable, state-of-the-art, low maintenance and energy efficient, to stone and brick, which are produced locally, thus adding another green element to the project by reducing carbon emissions.
"The most important aspect is that the building's superstructure is concrete, which means it's extremely durable and soundproof, and offers high-quality construction," said Paul Volpe, The Avenue District architect and president of City Architecture, a Cleveland-based firm specializing in urban design. "Plus, the building is conceived with wonderful proportions and rhythms that interplay with natural light."
To date, the concrete has been poured for both the floors and ceilings, and installation of the metal stud wall framing and substrate along the exterior perimeter is complete. Masonry work on the lower floors started in early February.
Glass is being incorporated throughout the 10 floors to create a contemporary design that accommodates the living units, as well as the shopping district at the building's first floor.
The building's base is caste stone and features large pieces of glass to expose storefronts and show windows at street level. The upper nine floors of the building are primarily brick with stone accents and metal railings, as well as metal trim and panels.
The picture below, taken in April 2008, shows a close up view of exterior materials.
Monday, June 2, 2008
The Avenue District Insider: Interior Build-Out
The interior build-out of 1211 St. Clair Ave. in The Avenue District has begun on the lower floors. The 10-story condo building, situated on the northeast corner of East 12th Street and St. Clair Avenue in downtown Cleveland, is the cornerstone of Zaremba Inc.'s $300 million walkable neighborhood.
To date, the metal framing is complete and electricity has been wired throughout the building. The drywall installation has begun with most of the interior finishes still in the rough stages. The move-in date for residents is set for the fall of 2008, with a building completion date scheduled for spring 2009.
"The living units are ultramodern and include premium fixtures," says Nate Zaremba, project manager for The Avenue District. "We really put some more thought into the design to create interest."
Notable interior amenities include expansive glass, patios, near 10-foot ceilings with drop-soffits, wood flooring in designated areas and granite kitchen countertops. The unit bathrooms feature premium materials including Corian countertops, ceramic tile floors and tiled showers, instead of the standard acrylic.
"What really separates the building from others is the superstructure," said Zaremba. "It's modeled after buildings in cities like New York, Chicago and Miami that use concrete post tension as opposed to a lightweight steel structure, making it a premium build."
The post tension construction allows for higher ceilings and larger spaces that are not split up by obtrusive support beams.
The first floor is designed to accommodate retail users, built with large pieces of glass to expose the storefronts and show windows at street level. The upper nine floors are living units, with penthouses on the top two levels, and the fifth floor is divided into eight corporate suites.
This photo shows a hallway in the 10-story condo building.
The photo above shows the future location of a kitchen. You'll note the red and blue pipes (hot and cold water lines) connected to the island area.
This view looks down the elevator shaft currently under construction.
PD Article on Downtown Retail Vision
In a June 1 Plain Dealer business article, The Avenue District was featured among four downtown Cleveland areas currently under development, including the East and West banks of the Flats, Euclid Avenue and the District of Design, and the Warehouse District. The article, written by reporter Michelle Jarboe, focused on the retail vision for the developments.
Range of retail planned for downtown Cleveland
Plain Dealer
Michelle Jarboe
June 1, 2008
"...Retail -- both stores and restaurants -- plays an important role in most of the major downtown projects in the works or scheduled to open within the next few years. But in a challenged center city, during tough economic times, developers have their own vision of what type of businesses will succeed..."
Click here or on the graphic below to view the full story and Cleveland.com blog post.
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