I know a lot about the warehouse district. Before D’Vine, Liquid, Wish, Blue Pointe, XO and all of the apartments and condo, the effort was on to fix up the area. The Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation threw “Hats Off Parties” trying to raise money for the restoration project.
Now a bigger push is underway on several fronts. Robert L. Stark, of Stark Enterprises, is planning a multi-million redevelopment. He’s going to build retail, office, housing, and structured parking. The first phase is supposed to be finished by 2009. Stark already has opened a downtown headquarters for the project. Stark has the cash. He developed Crocker Park and it’s thriving in Westlake. Stark told the Jewish News “People want to live in a mixed-use environment and engage in the aesthetics of the urban experience. It’s about that buzz you get in urban places like Chicago and New York.”
Last week, (ironically while I was in Detroit) the Cleveland City Planning Commission approved plans from the Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation to add greenspace, banners, lights (my friend, Brad will love that since he’s moving to the area) and other developments which embrace the Warehouse District’s history. For the cleveland.com article, click here.
