This Week in Shaker©

An Independent E-Letter for the Residents of Shaker Heights, Ohio

Founded April 14, 2003

     Volume 7, Number 37                  Monday, November 2, 2009

Jane Wood, Editor                                                                 Street and Alley, Proofreaders

This Week in Shaker will be emailed every Sunday night or Monday morning,
if news warrants.  Sometimes that schedule changes.
If you like it, pass it on; if you would like to be on the distribution list, email thisweekinshaker@sbcglobal.net. 

This issue has 4 pages.

News Briefs

• 650 Gold (http://www.650gold.com/), 16933 Chagrin Blvd., is a new occupant of the Shaker Towne Centre strip shopping center.
• Election Day is tomorrow (Tuesday).  Running for Council (vote for 3) are Brian Gleisser, Richard Pace, Isaac Powell, Lynn Ruffner and Rob Zimmerman; running for Board of Education (vote for 3) are Norman Bliss, Drexel Feeling, Jennifer Mearns and Annette Sutherland.
• The League of Women Voters’ web site (http://shakerlwv.org/) has posted links to videos of City Council and Board of Education candidates’ opening statements made at a recent forum. 
• Walgreen’s has been granted another liquor permit allowing it to sell beer “only in original sealed containers for carry-out only” and wine and “certain pre-packaged mixed drinks in sealed containers for carry-out” at 16400 Chagrin Blvd., across from the Main Library.  It previously received a similar permit for 20200 Chagrin Blvd.
• RTA is going before the Architectural Board of Review this morning (Monday) for a “door alteration” to accommodate a snow removal machine at its substation at the end of the Van Aken line.

Fiber Optic Cable May Be
Coming to a Right-of-Way Near You

City Council* last week approved granting a license to Northeastern ITS to install underground conduit and fiber optic cable in the City’s right-of-way (median strips and tree lawns) that would enter Shaker from Cleveland Heights in Fairmount Boulevard near Eaton, go to Warrensville Center Road, turn south down Warrensville and turn east on South Woodland to Sulgrave Road and the Beachwood border.

According to a memo from chief counsel Bill Gruber, “There will be 3, 5’x 8’ hand holes used in the route through Shaker Heights.  They will be labeled as Northeastern ITS, LLC along with an 800 contact phone number.”

The memo noted that Northeastern “does not intend to serve any customers in the City (or in the County at this time.)”

Gruber told Council the cable was “just passing through the region.”

The City will receive no fee from Northeastern, according to Gruber, who said the company will pay for a permit only.  There will apparently be little disruption, “mostly directional boring” and “some trenching.”  The cable will be installed “through a number of communities in the County.”

Council member Jim Brady (councilmanbrady@gmail.com), who also raised questions about fees and construction issues, said, “We don’t really have a choice.”

*Jim Brady, Al Foster, Brian Gleisser, Nancy Moore, Lynn Ruffner, Earl Williams, Rob Zimmerman

Following Up . . .

• Coventry Pointe Condominiums: The Architectural Board of Review will do a preliminary review of the development this morning.  The website TWIS cited last week no longer mentions this project.  The condos are proposed at the corner of Shaker and Coventry, on the north side of Shaker, directly across Haddam Road from Moreland Courts.  Coventry Pointe, LLC, bought the property at 14001 Coventry Rd. in 2008 for $240,000.
• Van Aken Cut-Through: City Council* last week approved eliminating the vehicular cut-through of the Van Aken median strip just west of Farnsleigh Rd. as requested by RTA.  The existing pedestrian access will be maintained.  According to a memo from the Planning Department, a recent study concluded that “even a 1-way, un-signalized crossover is in the ‘catastrophic’ hazard rating level.”  Although the memo says, “The City Planning Commission approved the case with the condition that there be less parking and more landscaping” than the original proposal, 10 new parking spaces will be added on the south side, which may be used by RTA riders and apartment building residents.  5 of the existing 7 trees will be saved.  [Ed. note: In 1990, the City modified 2 existing cut-throughs and created a third on Warrensville Center Road between Farnsleigh and South Woodland.]
• CVS:  City Council* learned last week that recent survey and title work revealed that the City owns “a small strip of land along Chagrin Boulevard adjacent to the westerly portion of the [proposed CVS] site.”  According to a memo, “This strip is not needed by the City, and we desire to quit-claim this long, narrow piece of land to CVS” without competitive bidding.  According to Economic Development Department director Patrick Campbell, the property is “in no man’s land” and “only came to our attention within the last 6 months or so.”  He said the property had been “reserved for road widening, which will never happen.”  [Ed. note: The widening of Chagrin Boulevard from Farnsleigh Road east to I-271 occurred in the late 1980s, when the City asked the Ohio Department of Transportation to add a lane to Chagrin between Farnsleigh and Warrensville Center as part of the ill-fated Van Aken project; in the early 1990s, a new traffic lane was added in front of Shaker Towne Centre, “rebuilding a better transition from 4 to 2 lanes between Avalon and Normandy,” according to the January/February 1991 issue of Shaker Magazine; 3 left-turn slots were also added.  During the widening of Chagrin between Lee and Avalon, wiring for electric utility lines and the street lighting system was to have been installed underground.]   “A development agreement for this development will be brought to Council for action next month,” the memo said.  “The development agreement will allow the City to collect Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenues on this new investment.”
• JCU Student Housing:  City Council* last week placed on “second reading” an amendment to the zoning ordinance that would limit the expansion of student housing in the City.  According to a memo, John Carroll University has purchased 4 apartment buildings in the Fairmount Circle area of the City “and the University is believed to be in the process of purchasing a 5th . . . In addition, 2 of the 4 buildings are being rented through the University’s Student Life office, and students living in the apartment buildings are being offered meal plans through the University.”  Mayor Earl Leiken told Council that “discussions [with JCU] are continuing.”  The amendment will go to Council 1 more time, and a public hearing is scheduled Nov. 9.
• Outside Legal Counsel:  City Council* last week approved increasing the “maximum potential hourly rate to $225/hr. for specialized legal services.”  The “standard rate will remain at $175/hour.”
• Library Court Apartments: Plans will be re-submitted to the Architectural Board of Review this morning.  As noted last week, a public hearing (site plan review) will be held by the City Planning Commission on Wednesday.
• IT Budgets: According to an email from School District treasurer Bryan Christman, “The combined budget for both the IT and the Data Processing divisions for 2009 totaled $1.42 million, including a combined $426,000 for salaries and wages.”   Christman told TWIS that figure includes all telephone costs, including monthly telephone bills; it does not include benefits.  As reported last week, the City spends $342,320 and the library spends $260,204, including salaries and benefits, on IT.  Library director Luren Dickinson emailed that $144,300 of the library’s IT costs are for membership in CLEVNET, a consortium of libraries in 9 northern Ohio counties.  Membership fees are expected to be less next year.

*Jim Brady, Al Foster, Brian Gleisser, Nancy Moore, Lynn Ruffner, Earl Williams, Rob Zimmerman

Real Estate Report

As of yesterday (Sunday), Realtors had listed 229 single-family houses for sale* (excluding condominiums and townhomes) in Shaker Heights, as follows:

• $100,000 - $199,000: 80 (77 last issue)
• $200,000 - $299,000: 53 (57 last issue)
• $300,000 - $399,000: 29 (27 last issue)
• $400,000 - $499,000: 19 (20 last issue)
• $500,000 - $599,000: 14 (14 last issue)
• $600,000 - $699,000: 7 (8 last issue)
• $700,000 - $799,000: 7 (7 last issue)
• $800,000 - $899,000: 4 (5 last issue)
• $900,000 - $999,000: 4 (4 last issue)
• $1,000,000 - $1,999,000: 7 (7 last issue)
• $2,000,000 - $2,999,000: 2 (2 last issue)
• 3,000,000+: 0 (0 last issue)

In addition, there are 25 (25 last issue) houses priced under $100,000, for a grand total of 254. 

As of Friday, there were 29 foreclosure sales pending (including 8 condominiums) and listed on the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s web site.**  In addition to those, there are sometimes foreclosure sales listed by the U. S. District Court.

[Editor’s note:  TWIS has been reporting these numbers since March 12, 2007.]

*228 last issue

**29 last issue; addresses include 16625 Aldersyde, 17623 Chagrin, 3536 Daleford, 3663 Daleford, 22450 Douglas, 3598 Glencairn, 22700 Holmwood, 3450 Ingleside, 3292 Milverton, 3585 Normandy, 3601 Normandy, 17600 Parkland, 3618 Rolliston, 20306 Scottsdale, 18231 Sherrington, 3348 Sutton, 3367 Sutton, 15610 Van Aken #10, 15610 Van Aken #27, 15820 Van Aken, 15820 Van Aken #103, 16100 Van Aken #402, 19101 Van Aken #522, 2705 Warrensville, 3271 Warrensville #2A, 3333 Warrensville #204, 3158 Warrington, 17408 Winslow and 17705-07 Winslow.  [Editor’s note: This week’s foreclosed properties include those listed for Sheriff’s sale on Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 and Dec. 7.  Foreclosed properties are listed every week until they are sold or withdrawn; the total listed here, therefore, always includes some properties that have been listed in previous issues.] 

The following commercial properties are for sale: gas station, 3746 Lee; Tower East (designed by Walter Gropius), 20600 Chagrin; 3393 Warrensville Center (“redevelopment opportunity”—“The owner will consider leasing, ground leasing, joint venture or selling the property,” which “sits at the signalized intersection of Warrensville Center Road and Farnsleigh Road, across the street from Van Aken Shopping Center”); Kingsbury Building, 3427 Lee (corner of Van Aken); Warren Gardens, 3610 Warrensville; Lewis Electronics, 3536 Lee: http://www.loopnet.com/Ohio/Shaker-Heights-Commercial-Real-Estate/

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