Re-opening of Club Moda site has ties to Tremont and 806 Winebar
Today's top story, from the West Side Sun.
Its time to join our Ohio City Neighbors in boycotting Howard Hanna. Picketting their offices and Councilman Santiago's offices are being organized in Ohio City as we speak.
Councilman saying no to nightclub
Thursday, August 14, 2008 By Ken Prendergast
kprendergast@sunnews.comWest Side Sun News
Ward 13 Councilman Joe Cimperman has a question for the owners of the Rialto Theater, which once housed Club Moda. "Which part of no' don't you understand?" Cimperman is opposed to a possible new tenant of the Rialto Theater, 1869 W. 25th St. Vista Hospitality & Logistics Group LLC, owned by Gregory J. Costa, is seeking to lease the theater from Rialto Corp. for an "upscale alternative entertainment venue." Costa is managing operating partner of the Westlake Bistro Group, which runs restaurant M Bistro in Westlake. Rialto Corp. is owned by Zvonko Cirjak and Jason Wein. Jason Beudert, a representative of Vista Hospitality & Logistics Group, will present his client's plans at a meeting of the Bridge-Carroll-Jay Block Club at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Carnegie West Branch of the Cleveland Public Library, 1900 Fulton Road. None of the owners could be located for comment for this article. However, at a public meeting last year, Cirjak and Wein told neighbors of the Rialto Theater they should move out of the city if they don't like noise coming from the theater. The public meeting was held when Hush Nightclub sought to relocate from the Flats East Bank to the Rialto Theater. The previous user, Club Moda, was a source of drugs, fights, noise and complaints. "I don't see what difference it makes," Cimperman said. "Having a liquor license in a place that big is a recipe for disaster. These guys are just intent on making a quick buck." Realtor Howard Hanna is handling the leasing for Cirjak and Wein. According to sources close to the negotiations, the owners have received numerous purchase offers, including from suitors not wanting to serve alcohol. None came close to their asking price of $1.5 million. Rialto Corp. bought the theater in 1999 for $80,000, county records show. For property tax purposes, the Cuyahoga County Auditor's office appraised the Rialto Theater at $225,200. The Rialto Theater is actually in Ward 14, across the street from Ward 13. Ward 14 Councilman Joe Santiago did not return a phone call seeking comment prior to news deadline. "It's going to be my people who are going to be punished by this," Cimperman said. "We want to work with them, but a nightclub is not one of those ways." Ohio City Near West Development Corp. Executive Director Nate Coffman said nothing has been finalized. "It would take a liquor license transfer with the blessing of the community (for a nightclub to open there)," Coffman said. "That always goes through the community process and it starts with the block club." Patricia Zolten, leader of the Bridge-Carroll-Jay Block Club said she wants to keep an open mind. But even if Vista Hospitality & Logistics Group proves to be a responsible user, it doesn't mean a future user will be.
"If the business shuts down, the liquor license stays there (at that address)," Zolten said. "Someone else can open up there and use it."
http://www.cleveland.com/westsidesun/news/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1218719230313640.xml&coll=4
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Comments
Councilman Joe Cimperman
Councilman Joe Cimperman Email on Moda site. Joe expressed to tell the world.
Thank you for the message. I did not, do not, nor will I, support a liquor license @ that address. Period. End of sentence. End of discussion. Amanda, please inform Councilman Santiago of our concerns with a letter, please inform Sue Bungard with same letter, please inform the block club immediately. I do not believe a liquor license in this facility in any way, shape, or form is a good idea. I feel the need to be consistent here: if it didn't pass muster for the previous owner, if I didn't support Eric and Mac, why on God's Green Ohio City would this be any different? I wlll object until I stop drawing breath. Is this clear enough? Please feel free to forward this to the world, block club, ocnw board, riverview cmha estates, Mr. Thelander and Mr. Senyak and Mr Charles Hoven if you so desire. Hope this is sufficient.
Joe Cimperman
Councilman, Ward 13
City of Cleveland
Ohio City, Tremont, St Clair Superior, Flats East and West, Forest City Civic Park, Downtown, Payne Sterling
Moda Public Meeting
Moda Public Meeting
You are invited to attend the next meeting of the Bridge/Carroll/Jay Block Club on:
Tuesday August 19th at 6:30 pm
The meeting will be at the Carnegie West Library, located at 1900 Fulton Road.
Meeting Agenda
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: joecimperman@gmail.com
Subject: Moda
Date: Friday, August 8, 2008
I did not, do not, nor will I, support a liquor license @ that address. Period. End of discussion. I do not believe a liquor license in this facility in any way, shape, or form is a good idea. I feel the need to be consistent here: if it didn't pass muster for the previous owner, if I didn't support Eric and Mac, why on God's Green Ohio City would this be any different? I wlll object until I stop drawing breath. Is this clear enough? Please feel free to forward this to the block club.
Joe Cimperman, Councilman, Ward 13
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless handheld
Inside Tremont August 08
Inside Tremont August 08
Please review this from the Block Club happenings regarding concern over 806 Wine Bar.
North of Literary Entry - Excerpt
(Another guest that evening was Jason Beudert, representing the management team of the new 806 Martini and Wine
Bar located at 806 Literary Road. Following Jason’s words of introduction for himself andthe business, a spirited discussion ensued regarding a new mural located on the exterior brick wall of 806. While welcoming the new business in general, some residents expressed support for the mural, while others objected to the subject matter, depiction,and aesthetics. Some residents also objected to the lack of public process and input prior to opening, despite unanswered invitations to meet with two block clubs and the TWDC Economic Development committee. Beudert did commit to modifying the lettering at the top of the mural to clarify a word appearing to read “sex” but in reality being “six.”)
Cleveland Scene stories
Cleveland Scene stories
This is to lay out the groundwork without denial that Jason Beudert is with, and or affiliated with Vista Hospitality & Logistics Group.
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Reprinted via Google and the Cleveland Scene C-notes
Published on May 14, 2008
Can't keep a good bar down: Tremont's 806 Martini & Wine Bar will soon reopen. Owner Tom Leneghan has partnered with pros from Vista Hospitality and Logistics Group to relaunch the popular spot by mid-June. Expect an elegantly updated decor, a small tapas-style menu, and plenty of daily Happy Hour specials.
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In Tremont, welcome back 806 wine bar
Wed May 14, 2008 at 12:21:11 PM
Jason Beudert’s restaurant-consulting business has a sort of stuffy name – Vista Hospitality and Logistics Group sounds more like something out of Clancy novel. But Beudert, it turns out, is a pretty down-to-earth dude. That’s good news for fans of upscale boozing, since Beudert and partner Greg Costa will soon reopen Tremont’s long-struggling 806 Wine & Martini Bar, probably in mid-June.
“It has a great reputation, and a wonderful location,” Beudert tells C-Notes. “Now let’s help it live up to its potential.” ...
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806 Martini & Wine Bar mural is worth a double take
By Elaine T. Cicora
Published on July 02, 2008
Long and leggy, the come-hither honey on the wall outside Tremont's 806 Martini & Wine Bar (806 Literary Road, 216-862-2912) is more than just a pretty face. Rather, the wall-spanning mural, by local artist Mike McNamara, is a symbol, epitomizing the laid-back vibe and casual 'tude the lounge hopes to channel when it reopens on Thursday, July 10th
Not to say the joint used to be stuffy. "But we really wanted to show we're more relaxed now, with an element of fun," says GM Matt Raynor.
Raynor and his bosses from Vista Hospitality and Logistics Group have been readying the bar for reopening for the past three months. Among the enhancements, find fresher fabrics, brighter wall colors, and an expanded patio for drinking in those warm summer nights.
Other draws include a daily happy hour from 4 to 8:06 p.m., featuring select $2 beers, $3 martinis, and $3 wine pours.
The lounge will be open at 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays.
Blog posting. Basement ?
Blog posting.
Basement ? Patio? Permits? Firecode? Sprinkler System? Influence?
Cleveland Mixologists
THE PREMIERE SITE FOR PROFESSIONAL BARTENDERS AND PROFESSIONAL DRINKERS.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
806 reopening?
Ok, so apparently 806 Wine Bar is reopening in June in Tremont. I can't wait. I know for a fact they're doing some re-modeling inside and expanding their patio. Also look out for full-use of their basement including fun stuff like a pool table and funky decor. Their menu will consist of small plates and tapas style food. When I know more, I'll let ya know...
http://clevelandmixology.blogspot.com/2008/05/806-reopening.html
It's the middle of August,
It's the middle of August, no one has opened anything . . . Again, why is OLD news appearing?
Hey - Curious, is this
Hey - Curious, is this current enough for you!
Compliments of Cleveland.com and the Plain Dealer.
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Businessman, investors want 'gay-friendly' bar in old Moda spot; officials, residents object to plan
Posted by Henry J. Gomez and Mark Puente
August 15, 2008 21:10PM
Club Moda had a reputation for gunfights and unruly crowds and was closed after the owner was found to have laundered money through the club. Businessman Jason Beudert want to open a new club in the same location despite opposition from the community.
A Cleveland businessman has rekindled talks to bring a nightclub to a near West Side location where many residents don't want one.
Jason Beudert wants to open a "gay-friendly" bar in a space on West 25th Street that most recently was home to Club Moda, which had a reputation for gunfights and unruly crowds.
His effort comes less than eight months after City Councilman Joe Santiago, under pressure from residents in the neighborhood, blocked plans for a different club there. It is unclear if Santiago supports the latest attempt to revive nightlife in the vacant building.
The councilman, who has been accused by critics of having cozy relationships with tavern owners, did not return several phone calls seeking comment and would not answer questions last week when approached by a reporter at City Hall.
Beudert, a restaurant industry veteran who said he represents a group of gay investors, describes his concept as a nightspot similar to the nearby Garage and Old Angle taverns.
"It is my intention to bring a world-class, upscale, gay-friendly lounge that I believe will add immense value to the Ohio City neighborhood with a niche that is not currently filled at this time," Beudert wrote Thursday in an e-mailed response to questions.
Councilman Joe Cimperman, whose ward borders the area, has been a fierce opponent of replacing Moda with another liquor establishment. In a recent e-mail distributed to constituents who live nearby, he vowed to campaign hard against Beudert's proposal.
"I will object until I stop drawing breath," he wrote. "Is this clear enough?"
Beudert's background includes work as a manager with the ESPN Zone national dining and entertainment chain in Atlanta and locally with the 806 Wine Bar in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood. City police familiar with the area say they have no problem with the wine bar.
He will share his Ohio City plans with members of the Bridge/Carroll/Jay Block Club at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Cleveland Public Library's Carnegie West branch on Fulton Road.
The block club's chairwoman said residents do not want another problem nightclub.
"I want to keep an open mind about this project," Patricia Zolten said. "It's something the community is very concerned about and will be watching very closely."
Nate Coffman, executive director of the Ohio City Near West Development Corp., met this week with Beudert and Santiago. Coffman said his nonprofit community group will respect the wishes of neighborhood residents and encouraged Beudert to share his plans in detail with them.
"He understands how contentious that space is given the Moda history," Coffman said.
Moda closed after its owner was convicted of laundering drug money through the club.
Since the property is in his ward, Santiago has considerable influence over state liquor permits issued there. His past dealings with bars in his ward have drawn scrutiny. In May, The Plain Dealer, citing three sources who said they had been interviewed by the FBI, reported that federal investigators were looking into Santiago's ties to bars in his ward.
Rialto Corp., which owns the Moda building and has been seeking a new tenant for two years, donated $250 to help Santiago beat a recall vote forced last year by angry constituents.
Rialto also gave him a 3,000-pound, cast-iron statue of a mostly nude male that once sat outside Moda and now sits in the councilman's back yard. Santiago maintained to reporters and on an Ohio Ethics Commission disclosure form that he did not know who delivered the statue.
But Rialto principal Paul Cirjak told the newspaper in April that Santiago was aware that the statue was a gift from the company, which had no further use for it.
Reached this week, Cirjak declined to comment about his potential deal with Beudert.
Plain Dealer Reporter Gabriel Baird and news researcher Jo Ellen Corrigan contributed to this story.
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/08/businessman_investors_want_gay.html
It's about time that
It's about time that something current has been posted. But, I find it amusing that the article states that the former MODA site is supposed to be a "gay friendly" bar . . . the way this discussion started it appeared that the former MODA site would be nothing but a LOUD, Crime Ridden, bunch. Most Gay bars like to keep a lower profile. and Ohio City already has several of these.
These articles are not about TREMONT. It seems that the borders of Tremont keep spreading further and further away.
I've worked for Mr. George
I've worked for Mr. George Costa, he's a piece of garbage and a frequent and habitual drug user. He was an attorney and stop practicing law so that he could get into the restaurant business. The only reason he is in the restaurant industry is to meet women and use drugs of abuse such as cocaine on a regular basis, thus, the will and want for him to reopen Moda. He is a sleazbag and so are all of his associates. I try my best to have people boycott Sushi Rock and 806. Everyone else should do the same.
Moda Story Update #1
Moda Story Update #1
Re-posted from Cleveland.com
Block club fails to support 'gay-friendly' lounge at old Moda site
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Patrick O'Donnell
Plain Dealer Reporter
The former Moda nightclub may have soured Ohio City on ever having a nightclub - or anything like it - in that building again.
Businessman Jason Beudert's plan to put a "gay-friendly" lounge at Moda's old 1871 West 25th Street site had trouble gaining support from neighbors Tuesday night at a block club meeting to discuss it.
The Bridge/Carroll/Jay Block Club meeting drew 50 people - about a third of the crowd a meeting about another plan to create a nightclub in the old Moda space drew in January. That bid failed.
This crowd was less hostile than before and drew a few supportive comments for the plan. But residents were decidedly skeptical. At the end of the meeting, club members voted 25-8 against it.
Cleveland City Councilman Joe Santiago, who has the site in his ward, did not attend but sent word that he would follow the will of residents. Councilman Joe Cimperman, whose ward abuts the area, also did not attend but is strident in opposition.
In presenting the plan to residents, Beudert, a former partner in the 806 Wine Bar in Tremont, said he would limit the lounge to 250 people - well below Moda's crowds. He also said that the gay clientele would be less rowdy than Moda and that he would have better security and generate less noise.
Residents were puzzled at the term "gay-friendly," noting most bars welcome homosexual clients. They also questioned Beudert calling it a "lounge" when city zoning laws would classify it as a nightclub because it will include dancing.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
paodonnell@plaind.com, 216-999-4818
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/08/block_club_fails_to_support_ga.html#more
Moda Story Update #2
Moda Story Update #2
Re-posted from Cleveland.com
Club takes a stance against lounge
Thursday, August 21, 2008
By Ken Prendergast kprendergast@sunnews.com
West Side Sun News
A man seeking to lease and possibly buy the Rialto Theater on West 25th Street for a lounge pledged to maintain law and order there.
But members of the Bridge-Carroll-Jay Block Club weren't convinced and opposed the proposal 25 votes to 8. They said they've heard promises before, and seen promises broken.
The matter now goes to the Board of Zoning Appeals, as a variance is needed for the lounge to open at 1871 W. 25th St. Block club chair Patricia Zolten said they will make their opposition known to BZA, as will the West Side Market Merchants Association.
The block club cast its vote Tuesday night after hearing a presentation from Jason Beudert, who said he is representing silent investors seeking to open an establishment called "Lounge 25." When pressed by members of the block club, he refused to identify the investors.
He also said he resigned from Vista Hospitality & Logistics Group, where he was a managing partner, so he could "focus his efforts full time on this project." No corporation has been formed to own or pursue Lounge 25, he said.
Vista Hospitality & Logistics is not involved in this project, nor is one of its managing partners Greg Costa, nor is Westlake Bistro Group also run by Costa, said Michelle Lefkowitz, a publicist for those firms.
She also said Beudert resigned from Vista Hospitality & Logistics last week -- the same day the West Side Sun broke the story about Beudert seeking to open a gay-friendly lounge in the space formerly occupied by the troubled Club Moda.
Beudert said Lounge 25 will not be a nightclub. He said a nightclub focuses on music, alcohol and dancing with little if any food.
While Lounge 25 will also not be a food-driven establishment, he said it will possibly have a raw bar, such as a sushi bar. He also said it will probably have dancing and period-style music such as from the 1980s. No one under 21 years old will be admitted, he said.
Beudert said he is investigating where the liquor license will come from.
Ward 14 Councilman Joe Santiago, in whose ward the Rialto Theater is located, said the decision about Lounge 25 is "out of my hands. It's up to the community."
He said he is aware Beudert must seek a variance from BZA to operate a nightclub there because the zoning code does not distinguish between a lounge and a nightclub. Santiago said wants the zoning code updated to differentiate the two uses.
Ward 13 Councilman Joe Cimperman, who represents neighborhoods immediately surrounding the Rialto Theater, is flatly opposed to Lounge 25. He reasoned that the Rialto Theater is too large for a liquor establishment.
But Beudert said he will redesign the interior of the theater and limit its lounge occupancy to 225 people, half its legal occupancy. Yet he said private events for nonprofit groups could exceed the 225-person occupancy.
He also pledged to hire off-duty Cleveland police officers for security, not to have exterior speakers and keep noise within the back patio.
http://www.cleveland.com/westsidesun/news/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1219327769171910.xml&coll=4
Moda Story Update #3
Moda Story Update #3
Re-posted from Cleveland.com
Suitor no longer seeking lounge at former Club Moda
by Ken Prendergast
Thursday August 21, 2008, 12:24 PM
After getting a cold reception from neighbors in Ohio City, a man seeking to open a "gay friendly" lounge at 1871 W. 25th St. announced today that he will back away from the proposal.
Jason Beudert said in a written statement that a vote Tuesday by the Bridge-Carroll-Jay Block Club against his proposed lounge was the deciding factor.
"Even though our group believes in this concept, at this time our group has decided to respect the wishes of the BCJ Block Club and not continue to pursue the venue at the Rialto Theater for our concept," Beudert said.
He said he was representing silent investors to open "Lounge 25" at the former site of Club Moda. Until it closed two years ago, fights, shootings, drug use, loud noise and other nuisance activity occurred at and around the nightclub. Moda closed after it owner was sent to prison for laundering profits from drug trafficking.
"We understand that this location is polarizing due to the past tenants behaviors and we respect the votes of the residents and opinions of elected officials but, hope one day the community can move past its history," Beudert added
The nightclub site, called the Rialto Theater, is owned by Zvonko Cirjak and Jason Wein. They were near to leasing the site last year to Hush nightclub which sought to get out of the way of the Flats East Bank redevelopment. The community opposed that, too, saying the 550-person theater was too large for a liquor license establishment.
Ward 14 Councilman Joe Santiago said he would respect the community's wishes on what it wanted, or didn't want, at the Rialto Theater. Ward 13 Councilman Joe Cimperman flatly opposes any liquor license establishment at that location.
Meanwhile, Beudert said his investors remain interested in opening a lounge or similar business somewhere else on the near west side.
"Our group will continue to work with the residents of the Detroit Shoreway, Ohio City and Tremont areas to continue to add value concepts to these first-rate neighborhoods," he added. "We believe that the landlord of the Rialto Theater will continue to work hand in hand with the Ohio City residents to procure a community-accepted tenant."
http://www.cleveland.com/sunnews/index.ssf/2008/08/suitor_no_longer_seeking_loung_1.html
Moda Story Update #4
Moda Story Update #4
Re-posted from Cleveland.com
Businessman abandons plans for "gay-friendly" lounge on Cleveland's near West Side
Posted by Henry J. Gomez August 21, 2008 15:30PM
Categories: Breaking News
CLEVELAND -- Residents in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood have won another battle to keep a new bar from opening at a one-time trouble spot.
Businessman Jason Beudert said Thursday that he and a group of investors have ditched plans to bring a "gay-friendly" lounge to the former Club Moda site on West 25th Street.
Moda, which closed in 2006, had a reputation for gunfights and unruly crowds.
Beudert's announcement came two days after members of a nearby block club overwhelmingly voted to not support the proposal. Their opposition would have been an obstacle to obtaining a liquor permit and zoning variance to allow for dancing and music.
"It wouldn't matter what the concept was if we served liquor," Beudert said in a phone interview. "We had to respect the wishes of the residents and the elected leaders."
City Councilman Joe Santiago, whose ward includes the property, vowed to follow the will of his constituents. Neighboring Councilman Joe Cimperman said he was against any liquor establishment opening in the building, which is owned and being marketed by Rialto Corp.
Moda shuttered two years ago after its founder was convicted of laundering drug money through the club. Landlord Rialto has been searching for a new tenant ever since.
In January, plans to relocate a Flats nightclub to the property fizzled after outcry from nearby residents and Cimperman, who pressured Santiago to oppose the move.
"We understand that this location is polarizing due to the past tenant's behaviors ... but hope one day the community can move past its history," Beudert wrote in an e-mailed statement distributed Thursday to community development officials, block club leaders and residents.
Beudert said he still believes his concept of an upscale gay lounge would flourish in Ohio City, or perhaps in the nearby Tremont or Detroit Shoreway neighborhoods.
"I think there is a home for this," he said in the phone interview. "I don't know where yet."
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/08/businessman_abandons_plans_for.html