The Moda nightclub building was a black spot on Ohio City when it was open, the scene of fights, drugs, and crowds that drew countless complaints from residents. Then the owner was put away for laundering money and the building sat empty for years, a black spot in a whole new way. Efforts to open a new bar or club were blocked by just about everyone involved.
But ice cream? Who doesn't love them some ice cream.
The PD reports today that Mitchell's, the local purveyor of some of the finest ice cream known to man, signed an agreement to buy the Moda building where it plans to open a store and move its kitchen operation.
"We have no interest in having a store anywhere outside the Greater Cleveland area," Pete Mitchell told the paper. "So we want to make sure we have a presence in the city of Cleveland." For now, Mitchell's has been centered on the fringes of Northeast Ohio — Bay Village, Beachwood, Rocky River, Solon, Westlake and soon to be in Avon and Strongsville.
As for the nitty gritty on the numbers:
Cleveland has offered Mitchell's $220,000 in loans, through programs aimed at reviving vacant properties and supporting retail businesses.Mitchell's will assume the balance - $76,798 - on a $120,000 loan that the city provided for the Moda redevelopment in 1999. The loan term will be extended to 20 years.
The ice cream slingers say they hope to be operational in Ohio City by Spring 2012.
