Condos to rise at Avenue District this fall

** UPDATED SEPT. 4  **

Rising along East 12th Street, north of the existing, 10-story
 residential building (Phase I), will be Phase II of the Avenue
District. It will be a new condominium building that will serve
downtown Cleveland's market while testing it for more condos
in the near future (GLSD). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE

Geis Companies reportedly is on an aggressive timetable to build a five-story, 31-unit condominium building in downtown Cleveland, eyeing a possible fall groundbreaking if it can get city approvals in a timely manner.

The working title for the project is The Avenue Condos-Phase II, because it would be located at 1325 East 12th St. It is in the area where Zaremba Group planned and began building a multiple-structure, multiple-phase development along and between East 12th and 15th streets, as well as St. Clair and Superior avenues on the northeast side of downtown Cleveland.

Like Zaremba before it, Geis plans a shorter building just north of the first phase. The reason why this site was chosen is because the existing foundations for phase II that were built in 2008. However, they cannot support a larger structure.

Site of the Avenue District Condos-Phase II as seen from the
construction site of the phase I building in February 2008. As
one can see, foundations for Phase II already exist (KJP).

Zaremba in the late 2000s built a 10-story Avenue District condominium building, which since has offered units for rent, and 20 for-sale townhomes. Another 16 for-rent townhomes were built along East 15th, called the Milton Townhomes. All are now Geis-managed properties.

More for-sale townhomes are being built in the Avenue District by Knez Homes. They are selling quickly despite listing at prices near $500,000, or $250 per square foot. The 12-unit first phase sold out as construction continues, with a second phase of up to 24 homes approved by City Planning Commission. Knez is easily exceeding its 50-percent presale goals for each phase.

Geis proposes to build at 1325 East 12th Street the Avenue

District Condos Phase II, to be located next to and to the north

of the Phase I building seen here. This view looks from the

north side of St. Clair Avenue at East 12th (GLSD).

Prices for condos in Geis' Phase II of the Avenue District are expected  to start at upwards of  $400,000. The project builds off of Knez's success. And it builds off of Geis' success at the high-rise Metropolitan at The 9, a rehab of the 29-story, 383-foot-tall former Ameritrust Bank headquarters into apartments, a hotel, grocery store and two restaurants.

Rumors about the new condo building have circulated for a while, but became official when the project appeared on the city's Design-Review docket. Planning documents were submitted to the city in July and meetings were held with top city officials to move the project forward. GLSD, Geis' in-house architect, designed the project.

Geis representatives were not prepared to comment publicly at this time.

Site plan for Geis's Phase II of the Avenue District.
North is at the top of this image (GLSD).

This is Zaremba's original site plan for the Avenue District
from 2006. The top of the map is east and left side north.
Most of the development was proposed along East 12th
Street, from Lakeside Avenue on the left to Chester
Avenue on the right (City Architecture).

Knez's success with selling townhomes at the Avenue District combined with strong occupancy rates at Geis' Metropolitan at The 9 prompted Geis to pursue the new condo building. In addition to its Sky, Luxury and Boutique apartments, The 9 also features a Metropolitan at The 9, Autograph Collection Hotel, full-service Heinen’s grocery store in an attached, soaring Gilded Age bank rotunda, wine cellar and restaurant along with a rooftop restaurant and bar.

The tower is the favored address of Cleveland professional sports stars, business executives, medical specialists in Cleveland’s globally regarded health care field, and others seeking the best in luxury downtown living.

This was Zaremba Group's vision for the Avenue District
when proposed in 2006. However, only the building at the
center of this view (looking north on East 12th) was built,
along with several dozen townhomes. (City Architecture).

The Avenue District condos may be Geis' introduction into new-construction condominium offerings in downtown Cleveland. There are rumors that Geis may be interested in building a new condo tower on East 9th Street at Bolivar Road.

Downtown Investment Group LLC, a Geis Companies affiliate, bought the former New York Spaghetti House and razed it for future development. Although there is not yet a timeline for this project, the city in 2015 gave Geis permission to use the property for a parking lot for up to five years.

Geis representatives aren't commenting on that project either.

END