Buildings are left in limbo awaiting convention center

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Sarah Hollander
Plain Dealer Reporter

The lobby of an eight-story office building on St. Clair Avenue sparkles with fresh paint, a new floor and updated furniture.
But a looming question threatens to upstage any improvements made to 113 St. Clair in Cleveland: Will a convention center expansion gobble up the block?

"Every time you turn around, someone is saying a convention center may go there," said Mark Dottore, whose company is operating the building and a nearby parking garage while the properties face foreclosure.

Potential tenants hear the convention-center speculation and run, Dottore said.

The two buildings will go to sheriff's auction soon if they're not sold first.

The block of Ontario Street between the Justice Center and the Mall has been a potential convention center site for years but is in the cross hairs now more than ever.

The Convention Facilities Authority, in charge of recommending the best spot for a center and a financing plan, hopes to name a site this year.

The authority has narrowed its choices to two - a riverfront space behind Tower City Center or the current Lakeside Avenue location. If the authority chooses the currentspot, the group would decide whether to push north toward Lake Erie or west to Ontario.

The northern option would bridge the divide between downtown and the lakefront and could boost development near the water.
The western option envisions a center that would mirror historic structures around the Malls in size and include underground parking, a lobby, meeting rooms, a ballroom and a lakeview terrace.

Aside from the uncertainty about the building and garage, there is the land belonging to Cuyahoga County.

The county owns two-thirds of the possible western expansion area but plans to move to Euclid Avenue and East Ninth Street. Construction on the county's new location won't begin until next fall.

County commissioners want to sell their property, which includes the main administration building, and the former Chicago Title building.

Turning the property over for a convention center might help the city land one, but it could also block private development.
While the county doesn't pay taxes, others in the area do.

Taxes from the office building, parking garage and Sportsman's Restaurant contribute more than $300,000 a year.

Judy Fiore, whose family opened the Cleveland deli in the 1940s, said no one has approached her about selling, but she said she's been on pins and needles over the idea.

The Convention Facilities Authority realizes the area is in flux and will watch developments, Chairman William Reidy said.
City and county officials are wooing owners of Chicago's successful Merchandise Mart, where retailers from around the world go to choose items to sell in their stores.

If Merchandise Mart executives pursue the idea, they could influence the center's location.

While the region considers a convention center, Dottore continues trying to improve the occupancy rate at 113 St. Clair.
The courts appointed Dottore's company as receiver for the building and a profitable garage two years ago when the property owner defaulted on the mortgage.

Dottore said he's not against a convention center but worries about the side effects of the prolonged process to land one.
He said. "I just wish it would happen if it's going to happen."