In neighborhood development news, a Board of Zoning Appeals hearing regarding plans to reopen the Aragon Ballroom on West 25th Street as a conference and banquet center has been postponed until May 11.
After a heated community meeting earlier this month, City Councilman Brian Cummins and local development leaders wanted more time to address residents’ concerns.
For background: local businessman Ali Faraj (by all accounts, an absolute prince of a guy), bought the Aragon on the cheap a few years back, just before it was condemned by the city. The illustrious dance hall actually opened as roller rink in 1905 and wasn’t christened the Aragon Ballroom until 1937. For the next fifty years, it was #boogiecentral.
Faraj, who already owns a banquet center in Brook Park, and who’s hip to the West 25th St. corridor revival, sees potential for corporate lunches and weekend weddings in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood (with the heart of Ohio City to the immediate north and artsy Tremont to the east). Barring unexpected delay, Faraj intends to open later this year.
But nearby residents are up in arms. The stretch of West 25th St. between Ohio City and Old Brooklyn isn’t what most visitors would call “family friendly.” And a history of drugs and violence (stemming in many cases from shady establishments with liquor licences) have hardened locals to the sinister specter of “new development,” in particular, the booze-related sort.
The two primary issues posed at community meetings thus far — and Stockyard, Clark-Fulton, Brooklyn Centre Development Corporation’s (SCFBC) Economic Development director Adam Stalder says it’s tough to gauge true community response based on public meetings: “No one who supports the project shows up,” he told Scene — is the parking situation and, predictably, the liquor license.
“The concerns are perfectly understandable,” Stalder said. “I think the residents want some assurances that this won’t turn into a crazy bar. The difference is that this time, we’ve got an owner who owns banquet centers, who has poured a lot of money into this project, and who is going to do things right.”
Faraj, who fielded questions at the community meeting earlier this month, agreed to provide his cell phone number to any resident in the immediate vicinity to signal his willingness to be responsive to their concerns.
Still, a banquet center with a capacity of 800 — Faraj already agreed to reduce it from 1,200 — and an estimated 10 events per year that may not wrap up until 2:30 a.m. have a vocal contingent worried. Community leaders and Faraj, though, have been clear that this will not be “the next Moda.”
Even opponents have said their problem is not with Faraj himself. They’re concerned that with the zoning variances in place, if Faraj were to abandon the project, say, in five years, an operator with less noble intentions might step in.
For now, Faraj, Councilman Brian Cummins and development people will meet with block clubs and conflicted residents until the May 11 BZA hearing, hoping to assuage as many fears as they can. (Faraj has already agreed to pay for complimentary valet parking, for example, and has negotiated a lease with CMSD to use the Lincoln-West High School parking lot for evening events).
“These old buildings are always tough, and these conversations are going to happen a lot,” Stalder said. “But ultimately I think this will work out and will really improve West 25th St.”
This article appears in Apr 15-21, 2015.
you’ve already got sleazy bars in the neighborhood, people are idiots, this is 10 steps above what exists in the neighborhood. total improve ment to ariel castro’s neighborhood…some people are so ignorant of what this means. i’ve been wondering what’s going on over there…sounds like a good project if they can convince people of the safety of the neighboorhood, armed security guards will be a must
been
Here’s the problem in a nutshell – http://realneo.us/content/turnpike#comment…
I live a block and a half from this project. Very few of my neighbors are comparing it to Moda or La Copa.
We’re worried about actual issues, not manufactured ones. We’re worried about an occupancy of 800 people and a liquor license that will allow them, by state statute, to serve like it’s a nightclub. This building sits about 12 feet from a home and a residential district. This article makes it seem as if it’s going to be used for business meetings and weddings and parties. The owner already has stated that he plans to hold “events” there as well and he will be able to serve until 2:30 am if he chooses to amend his liquor license. Events at his other location, which is on Brookpark Road and has a large parking lot to accommodate his guests, have included concerts and wrestling matches. It’s not difficult to imagine that if this location does not succeed as a party center, that it would be easy to turn it into a very large bar.
Residents also are concerned about where, exactly, 800 people are going to park. It’s a one-mile round trip to and from the parking lot proposed for the valet cars. Does anyone honestly think that patrons who are waiting to get into a concert or party are going to wait in a line of 100-300 cars to drop off or pick up their cars? And what about the valets, dashing across W. 25th on foot to get the cars or return from dropping off the cars? The city’s streets department – as of the last community meeting – had not been notified about the valet zone or about valets running across the street 2-3 blocks from the closest traffic signals.
And the Lincoln West parking lot, which has been offered as a poor solution to the parking issue, won’t be available once construction starts on the school in the next two years. Where do all of those cars go then? No one – the councilman, the owner, the community development corporation – will answer that question BECAUSE THEY DON’T HAVE AN ANSWER. There is no other place in the neighborhood to park that many cars.
And what about their garbage? A banquet hall that can hold 800 guests generates A LOT of garbage. There is no place for them to put dumpsters. The building takes up the entire property. There is a 12-foot-wide alley behind it to provide access for emergency vehicles. Where will the dumpsters go? My guess is that like the rest of this project, no one thought this through…
What about smokers? Thirty years ago, when the Aragon was open, you could smoke inside. Are there going to be 50-100 talking, shouting, laughing people hanging out on W. 25th Street or worse, the alley behind the building right next to a home, smoking at any given hour of the night?
And what about fire codes? There’s one exit on the narrow alley, a single door on the side and doors in the front of the building. I can’t imagine that those exits come CLOSE to meeting modern fire codes. Has anyone asked the Cleveland Fire Department about that?
I love Adam Stalder’s response, that people who support the project don’t show up to public meetings. Since when? Maybe there was no support at the public meetings because the people who will have to live with this project don’t support it as proposed.