Affordable Downtown Living - Part 3 of 3

For those looking at buying a downtown property, or transitioning from renting to buying, there are plenty of resources available, including educational tools and affordable finance options.

For example, Zaremba offers a financial savings calculator with each available floorplan on TheAvenueDistrict.com, that estimates monthly payments using four different mortgage scenarios. Check out the townhomes page and click on Savings Calculator to the right of each floorplan for details. There are also many 'Renting Versus Buying" automated calculators available online, such as Yahoo Real Estate or Ginniemae.gov.

Zaremba recently launched a rent-to-own financing option for The Avenue District, designed to help renters achieve home ownership. Qualified program participants, with loan pre-approval, can select any available inventory home, lock in the purchase price and start to build equity. Depending on the individual monthly payment for the home, 50 to 65 percent of the payment will be applied towards the down payment for a 12-month period.

“With our rent-to-own option, home ownership in The Avenue District is more attainable than ever before, all with the added benefits and convenience of living in a downtown walkable neighborhood,” said Nathan Zaremba, president of Zaremba, Inc.

Hard Hat Fridays at The Avenue District - Open to the Public

The Avenue District is hosting Hard Hat Tours of 1211 St. Clair Ave., with the next tour scheduled for Friday, March 7. The tours will take place every other Friday from 2 - 4 p.m, and include up-close views of progress on the 10-story condo building.

In addition, The Avenue District is hosting Hard Hat Tours on the last Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Space is limited to 10 per tour, so be sure to reserve your spot.

To schedule a tour, contact Frank Lalli at (216) 589-8524, or stop by The Avenue District Sales Office, recently relocated from The Galleria to 1238 St. Clair Ave.


March Hard Hat Tour Dates:

• Friday, March 7
• Friday, March 21
• Saturday, March 29
  

Downtown Cleveland Townhomes Photo Update

The photos below, taken 1-31-08, show The Avenue District townhomes at East 15th Street and Rockwell Avenue.

(Above) In this photo, framing work continues on Building Two, future home to ten townhomes. In the center background, you'll notice the tower crane and construction of the ten-story Building One of The Avenue District at 1211 St. Clair Ave.


(Above) A view of the townhome block looking west down Lindazzo Avenue.


(Above) Townhome Building One, which features 10 completed units.

Fox 8 Features The Avenue District

Cleveland Fox 8 news reporter Angele Ringo visited The Avenue District on Thursday, Jan. 24, for a hard hat tour of 1211 St. Clair Ave.

Ringo conducted interviews with Nathan Zaremba, president of Zaremba, Inc., and Mark Panzica, Panzica Construction project manager, and reported live from The Avenue District for the 5 and 6 p.m. broadcasts. The Avenue District segment ran five times between Thursday evening and Friday morning.

Fox 8 News also provided links to the segment and The Avenue District Webcam on MyFoxCleveland.com. Click on the screenshot below to view the segment (available as of 1/28/08).

Signs of Progress on Downtown Cleveland Townhomes

The street signs are up at Site 3 of The Avenue District, where townhome buyers began moving in last month.

Located at Rockwell Avenue and the newly created E. 15th Street, Building One includes 10 townhomes, complete with parking garages and rooftop patios.



Foundation work continues on Building Two at Site 3, which includes 10 additional townhomes adjacent to the west of Building One.

Thirty townhomes are planned for Phase 1 of the walkable neighborhood, with floor plans ranging from 1,800 – 2,100 square feet.

Inside The Avenue District - Podcast with Resident Michael Ciccolini

As the first residents begin to move into The Avenue District, townhome owner Michael Ciccolini discusses his new home and downtown neighborhood.

The Avenue District Photo Update

This photo, taken 10/9/07, shows the progression of Site 3 construction. In the background, the first ten townhomes in Building One near completion, while foundation work is underway for Building Two in the center, and the ground is being prepared for Building Three in the front.


This photo of Site 1 at 1211 St. Clair Ave. (looking south on East 12th Street) shows the start of digging for the underground parking garage and the future foundation of Building Two at The Avenue District. Building One can be seen in the background.


Building One at 1211 St. Clair Ave. (taken 10/9/07).

The East 12th Streetscape Podcast with Nathan Zaremba

"The whole notion is that 12th Street will be the premier residential, mixed-used street in downtown Cleveland." - Nathan Zaremba

One Year of Progress at The Avenue District

What a difference a year makes. This time last year, community members gathered to mark the beginning of a new era in downtown Cleveland living at The Avenue District groundbreaking ceremony.

Today, the first buildings of The Avenue District are rising to the challenge of revitalizing Cleveland’s urban core, and serving as a sign of progress to come.

Residents have gotten the first look inside of their future homes with the first buyers scheduled to move in later this fall.

Check out the timeline below to see how The Avenue District has changed the urban landscape of this downtown Cleveland neighborhood:

Sept. 29, 2006 – Zaremba breaks ground on The Avenue District - 1211 St. Clair Ave., on the northeast corner of East 12th Street and St. Clair Avenue. Mayor Frank Jackson joined Nathan Zaremba, president of Zaremba, city dignitaries, local media and community members for an 11 a.m. ceremony, followed by a catered reception.

Oct. 26, 2006 – Zaremba earns two regional 2006 Smart Growth Awards. One is the Silver Award for The Avenue District Development Proposal in Cuyahoga County and the other is for the WoodHaven development.

Dec. 15, 2006 – Excavation begins on the Site 3 townhomes at Rockwell Ave. and the newly created E. 15th Street.

Dec. 21, 2006 – Zaremba secures the Foundation Permit to allow underground construction to begin at Site 1. Construction fencing for Site 1 had been up since early December.

Feb. 8, 2007 – Zaremba obtains an option on 1.4 acres of vacant property at the southwest corner of St. Clair Avenue and East 12th Street, adjacent to The Avenue District Site 1.

July 26, 2007 – The Avenue District launches blog. Publishes photos of Panzica Construction fully mobilized at Site 1, with foundation and framing work underway for both the underground parking garage and Building One.

Aug. 2, 2007 – Zaremba, City Architecture and the City of Cleveland officially release E. 12th streetscape plans and renderings to enhance The Avenue District. The three-year project is slated to begin in fall 2007.

Aug. 25, 2007 – Tower Crane appears at Site 1. The Plain Dealer writes teaser Aug. 23: “A bird? A plane? A tower crane? Construction advances on Avenue condos…Next week, a tower crane will rise in downtown Cleveland to begin superstructure and core work…”

Aug. 27, 2007 – The Avenue District Web Cam goes live, positioned atop the One Cleveland Center garage, streaming still photos (refreshed every 30 seconds) of Site 1.

Sept. 6, 2007 – Masonry work gets underway on the Site 3 townhomes.

Sept. 12, 2007 – Zaremba begins grading work for Building 2 of the Site 3 townhomes.

Sept. 22, 2007 – Zaremba hosts The Avenue District Hard Hat Tour for future residents of the walkable neighborhood.

The Avenue District Hard Hat Tour

A top-to-bottom look at The Avenue District

On Saturday, Sept. 22, 2007, Zaremba hosted The Avenue District Hard Hat Tour for future residents of the walkable neighborhood.

The day started out at 9 a.m. with continental breakfast, and then participants split into two groups – one lead by Matt Zaremba and Site 3 project manager Mike Sathre, and the other by Nate Zaremba, Jr. – to visit both Building One at 1211 St. Clair Ave. and the Site 3 townhomes at Rockwell Avenue and E. 15th Street.

At the townhomes, participants were able to view the inside of a townhome in the drywall phase, as well as get up to the roof to see how the rooftop decks are being constructed.


At 1211 St. Clair Ave., participants first toured the first floor and proceeded down to the basement level. Mark Panzica from Panzica Construction explained how each of the buildings 10 floors would be poured and constructed.

Revitalizing Cleveland’s Urban Core

Revitalizing an urban core, and restoring prosperity to a once vibrant community, takes a colossal effort, but it’s happening in Cleveland!

A rising tide lifts all boats, and billions of dollars are being invested into exciting new developments to bring positive change to the region: East 4th Street, Uptown at University Circle, the Euclid Corridor, University Hospital, Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland State University expansions, MOCA, the Flats and Warehouse District projects, Stonebridge and The Avenue District.

According to the Brookings Institution, there are 12 steps to turning around a downtown, and Cleveland is already at Step 10, with the re-emergence of the for-sale housing market.

Urban pioneers, including empty-nesters and young professionals, are driving demand for walkable urbanism in downtown Cleveland. These buyers are seeking vibrant, 24-hour neighborhoods with convenient access to the waterfront, public transit, parks and recreation, universities, medical facilities, shopping, entertainment, arts and dining.

Homeowners create community and attract others to live where they work and play, right in downtown Cleveland. Homeowners build demand for services and amenities, which fuels business development and leads us through Step 11 (“develop a local-serving retail strategy) and Step 12 (“re-create a strong office market”) in Cleveland’s revitalization.

The Brookings Institution recently released Restoring Prosperity: The State Role in Revitalizing America’s Older Industrial Cities, and in the executive summary they captured the importance and value of a strong urban core:

“(These cities) were vibrant communities where new ideas and industries were conceived and cultivated, where world-class universities educated generations of leaders, where great architecture and parks became public goods, and where glistening downtowns grew up within blocks of walkable, tree-lined neighborhoods, where the middle-class swelled and thrived. They were, in short, physical testaments to the innovation and spirit that shaped the nation and its citizens. And so they can be again.”

- Nathan Zaremba

Site 1 Update – Digging in at The Avenue District

Panzica Construction is fully mobilized at Site 1 of The Avenue District on the corners of E. 12 Street and St. Clair Avenue. Foundation and framing work is underway for both the underground parking garage and Building One at 1211 St. Clair, future home to 50 elegant lofts and eight penthouses.

Superstructure and core work is up next, which is when you will see the first visible signs of the out-of-ground structure.

Foundation work at 1211 St. Clair Ave. (July 24, 2007)

Site 3 Update – Townhomes Rise into Cleveland Skyline

It’s an exciting time at Site 3 of The Avenue District, located at Rockwell Avenue and the newly created E. 15th Street, where wood framing is 95% complete on Building One, which includes the first 10 townhomes.

Windows are in, and the rooftop patios are taking shape, offering breathtaking views of Cleveland’s skyline (see below for pictures). Roofing has begun, and will be followed by interior buildout, and then occupancy in fall 2007.

Zaremba also is in for permit on Building Two at Site 3, which includes 10 additional townhomes adjacent to the west of Building One.

Thirty townhomes are planned for Phase 1 of the walkable neighborhood, with floor plans ranging from 1,800 – 2,100 square feet.

View to the west from a townhome rooftop deck. (July 24, 2007)

View to the western skyline from Rockwell Avenue. (July 24, 2007)

Eastern side of Building One at Rockwell Avenue. (July 24, 2007)