Cliffs Condo Project: Withered on the Vine?
To the Lakewood Observer:
The Cliffs condo project on Sloane Ave. seems to have withered on the vine.
I don't understand why the LO has been cheerleading this project, as well as every politician, and every "Up With Lakewood" Group. The Foran Group's performance has been abysmal at best. I urge you all to reexamine your blind support.
Every day a lot of western Lakewoodites including myself have to drive past this eyesore. As people cross the bridges eastbound into Lakewood, is this any way to say welcome to Lakewood? Rocky River's Foran Group has brought real "blight" to the West End.
These guys have shown their commitment to Lakewood the following ways:
* Chose Rocky River for their offices.
* Rented a crummy fence to secure the site. The wind blew it over last week.
* Threw piles of trash out the back and let it sit for over a year
until the boarded-up houses were finally demoed.
* Cut and cleared over an acre of forest to sell the the logs,
destabilizing an already fragile shale cliff.
For over three years, it almost seems as if they wanted the site to look as bad as possible.
Recently the Sun paper had an article with the latest list of excuses. You could read in between the lines why this project will never be built. Foran blamed his financial shortcomings on "the holidays" and his snow-bird investors. Give me a break. And the fact that the success of phase 1 will dictate phase 2 is an admission that they don't have the money or equity to pull it off.
The units are advertised as "luxury" condos from $350K - $1 million. How much would you pay for a concrete box of 1,250-square feet? As far as I can tell from the drawings, you would only have windows on the front of the front rooms. And, it is not a lake view. It's under a busy bridge, with the view of a river, a beat up railroad bridge and a big building across. The plans I saw showed surface parking at the Slone elevation and at river level. Would you spend half a million to park outdoors in a very weather-exposed open lot?
Then there is the current climate of the economy, housing and lending. I don't see much of a demand for this type of unit. Would a bank even lend that kind of money for that kind of dwelling in a pending development?
I've seen discussions in the Plain Dealer and online that they are several years behind on their property taxes. Is this true? If so, why are they allowed to slide?
Before the City cuts them any TIF checks (our money), they should scrutinize the developers. Apparently, the last administration was very impressed by Power-point presentations and Photoshop renderings.
I urge the new mayor and council stay on top of this and hold the developers accountable for the upkeep and appearance of the property while it remains dormant. It's an eyesore and a black eye for Lakewood and its residents.
Sincerely,
W. Davis
Lakewood
The Cliffs condo project on Sloane Ave. seems to have withered on the vine.
I don't understand why the LO has been cheerleading this project, as well as every politician, and every "Up With Lakewood" Group. The Foran Group's performance has been abysmal at best. I urge you all to reexamine your blind support.
Every day a lot of western Lakewoodites including myself have to drive past this eyesore. As people cross the bridges eastbound into Lakewood, is this any way to say welcome to Lakewood? Rocky River's Foran Group has brought real "blight" to the West End.
These guys have shown their commitment to Lakewood the following ways:
* Chose Rocky River for their offices.
* Rented a crummy fence to secure the site. The wind blew it over last week.
* Threw piles of trash out the back and let it sit for over a year
until the boarded-up houses were finally demoed.
* Cut and cleared over an acre of forest to sell the the logs,
destabilizing an already fragile shale cliff.
For over three years, it almost seems as if they wanted the site to look as bad as possible.
Recently the Sun paper had an article with the latest list of excuses. You could read in between the lines why this project will never be built. Foran blamed his financial shortcomings on "the holidays" and his snow-bird investors. Give me a break. And the fact that the success of phase 1 will dictate phase 2 is an admission that they don't have the money or equity to pull it off.
The units are advertised as "luxury" condos from $350K - $1 million. How much would you pay for a concrete box of 1,250-square feet? As far as I can tell from the drawings, you would only have windows on the front of the front rooms. And, it is not a lake view. It's under a busy bridge, with the view of a river, a beat up railroad bridge and a big building across. The plans I saw showed surface parking at the Slone elevation and at river level. Would you spend half a million to park outdoors in a very weather-exposed open lot?
Then there is the current climate of the economy, housing and lending. I don't see much of a demand for this type of unit. Would a bank even lend that kind of money for that kind of dwelling in a pending development?
I've seen discussions in the Plain Dealer and online that they are several years behind on their property taxes. Is this true? If so, why are they allowed to slide?
Before the City cuts them any TIF checks (our money), they should scrutinize the developers. Apparently, the last administration was very impressed by Power-point presentations and Photoshop renderings.
I urge the new mayor and council stay on top of this and hold the developers accountable for the upkeep and appearance of the property while it remains dormant. It's an eyesore and a black eye for Lakewood and its residents.
Sincerely,
W. Davis
Lakewood
Volume 4, Issue 2, Posted 11:54 AM, 01.18.2008
