MayDay

Of course the number of accidents is well below projections - only one store is open at Steelyard. Round-abouts are fine, but the one at the end of West 14th is too tight for the location.

"Still on the market: The 16-story AT&T building at Erieview Plaza and Lakeside Avenue. " If ever there was a building that as a condo project that could advertise "amazing views" ... it's this one.

"Come Saturday, there will be signs blocking views of the huge, for-sale residential project as it continues to take shape." ^Fear not folks, I have my vantage point staked out so just like Pinnacle and Stonebridge, there will be photos! :-D But yeeeah... as much as I am 100% completely in support of the project itself - the signage is fine and all, but "world-class" is pushing it.

"The views from the top of Key Tower are even better." Okay, it's a little off-topic, but what the heck :-D All right, show's over - move along, nothing to see ;-)

TownEhomes? Oyyy... Looks like they're closer to the northern part of Tremont: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=2100+W+7th+St,+Cleveland,+OH+44113&ie=UTF8&z=15&om=1

"Admission: Admission is free, attendees must register via event website" And the direct link to the event is where? And don't *even* tell me that I have register to yet another site that'll fill my inbox with spam... :whip: Sending an email request to register is fine but it's 2007 - setting up an account with a site, just for the sole purpose of attending one event is more hassle than necessary.

*Ahem* (though the last time I was by there it seemed like mounds of dirt). http://www.westgateohio.com/ And check this PDF if you want an overview of this auto-centric tripe: http://www.westgateohio.com/pdfs/Westgate_lease_full.pdf

By whom? Common-sense enforcement of simple loitering laws to prevent teens from harassing people is hardly bigoted. Making a place inaccessible (or less accessible) to groups like the elderly and disabled under the guise of "trash cleanup" and "dispersing unruly teens" is most certainly classist and discriminatory. Perhaps the residents could have lobbied to encourage better (more pro-active) security at the center rather than putting the burden on people who can least afford it.

With a Fifth Turd bank branch and an Aldi going on the parcel with the best TOD potential, not bloody likely. :-(

Technically that would be the Temple Tifereth Israel, built in 1923 and named after the Tifereth Israel congregation: http://www.ttti.org/article/article_view.aspx?UID=0D8B5798-E9BE-428F-9619-09E8166EC5DC The congregation's main facilities are in Beachwood, but the Temple is used for special events such as high holidays.

"Residents also helped lobby for Metro buses to stop outside the center on Glenway Avenue instead of pulling in. That helped cut down on trash and on the congregating teenagers who were intimidating customers," Great idea - punish all residents, especially elderly and/or disabled transit users for the stupidity of a few. Awfully bigoted of them.

Carole, welcome to the forum - I like what you suggest about shifting the 100% abatement to 'green' and transit-oriented projects. Those are two areas that developers haven't seemed to "get it", at least not on the scale that they should be.

^From what I gather, it wasn't so much that they are against clubs, but more that they didn't want a large dance club there. And who can blame them for not wanting a repeat of the shady nightmare that Moda was? I know a lot of people in the area are fine with places like Touch - a club to be sure, but it's not a massive dance club that attracts throngs of drunken/drugged-up twits. Also, a lot of the people living along West 25th aren't exactly pioneers - the pioneers have probably moved on or have been priced out.

Given the proximity to Cleveland State, I think rental might actually be a good option - and besides, it's not like they couldn't convert to condo later on. I don't think Euclid Avenue is at the point where we can poo-poo someone converting a currently-derelict building into residential.

God, to think that Cedars is respectable and everything - with its name on a streetpost banner? Who'da thunk?!?

Just to reinforce how much of a planning f#ckup the West 117th corridor has become: The good - RTA's redeveloped West 117th/Madison station, with a more prominent structure that's closer to the sidewalk and a small but modest parking area. Good job RTA!: The bad - an overview of how the 5/3rd/Aldi project could have redeemed a very prominent corner (West 117th at Madison). Even as set back as the Home Depot is, there's a small outparcel plaza that although not pedestrian-friendly is at least somewhat accessible: And the ugly - Fugly as it were, a photo from the curb lane of West 117th showing just how far from the street the Target is. If you want to be known as an idiot extraordinaire when it comes to site planning, I don't think there are better examples than this. Simply turning the structure to a east-west alignment with one end fronting West 117th would have been better than this sh!t but apparently that's too much for some people to grasp:

Lillian Kuri is the former executive director of Cleveland Public Art - she spearheaded the Detroit-Superior pedestrian/bike promenade. Glad to see she's sticking to her guns about ODOT.

"Currently homeowners who rehab are eligible for a 10-year tax abatement. Cummins said both new and rehab abatements should be 12 percent." I believe a lot of people have asked if rehabs are eligible - here's the answer. I have to agree that if abatements are given to new construction, rehabs deserve equal treatment. Like Fannie Lewis said, if there's a better tool out there let's use it - but is there?

^I believe those are actually closer to the Valley View site in Tremont.

I'm about as much of a handyman as Lovey Howell (Thurston's wife), but I definitely think there would be people interested in that.

^Hasn't Cleveland developed revenue-sharing agreements with local municipalities in exchange for supplying water? Hmm, I wonder if we could run water pipes that far :lol:

Talk about a boulevard of botched opportunities... I really hope someone in charge reads this because they obviously lack any sort of vision. I thought there was some kind of development agreement along the Cleveland/Lakewood border to promote better planning? More like promoting a string of steaming horsesh!t. You have a redone Rapid Station, a neat little historical strip on Madison, the Graftech buildings... Birdtown in walking distance, Rockport Square just to the north... But no - god forbid anyone actually utilize the potential! Instead, we have the asphalt-swathed Home Depot and Target (even further back from 117th than H.D.), fast-food drive throughs galore, and now a low-end grocery store and yippee-f#cking-skippee, a bank branch! How about some check-cashing joints while we're at it! When asked, I tend to describe the area around Berea Road as dumpy but I thought that at some point, a sensible redevelopment plan would come along. I'm glad some bonehead planners have insured that 117th will maintain that rep for quite some time. :roll:

Rather than quickly skim my post and jump to the conclusion that I'm obviously wrong, perhaps you should read the link I posted: http://www.cleveland.com/convention/index.ssf?/convention/more/c19effect.html It's a good summary of how and why things work the way they do in the convention business. Convention centers, like casinos, would prefer that attendees spend their time and money within the confines of the exhibit halls and ancillary hotels. They have little to gain the moment people step out the doors and add foot traffic to the local vicinity. I spent several years working for GES Exposition Services, the largest tradeshow contractor in the world - I think I know just a little about the business, and how the cards are stacked. I'm not saying that there aren't economic benefits, but as X said so welll, I have a very clear idea of where those benefits go - do you?

Weather helps but it isn't always a deciding factor - Chicago's McCormick Place is one of the largest in the world. Another reason Chicago, Orlando, Vegas, etc. get such large shows is that they offer facilities that are gargantuan. For example, ONE exhibit hall in Chicago's McCormick Place is 869,000 square feet - on ONE floor. That's like taking one Tower at Erieview (a 40-story office tower in Cleveland) and putting it on one floor - and McCormick Place itself encompasses 2.2 million square feet, the equivalent of almost TWO Key Towers. Add to that the 38 loading docks for trucks - now tell me, where in downtown Cleveland, Columbus, or Cincinnati would you want such a monster? You have to understand that convention centers by nature are faceless behemoths that only serve a purpose to enclose as much contiguous space on a single floor as possible. In and of themselves, they add nothing to the urban fabric. Chicago's McCormick Place: The problem is that the convention industry is all about large groups getting the best "deal". Often, that means free rooms, free meals, or other perks that might be great for the attendee but do little for economic impact. Those "many small things" they offer are great for you, but those free meals translate into lost revenue opportunities. And when you say that the cities "make more money" - that isn't money going into city coffers, that money is often going to pay off bonds specifically earmarked for the center facilities. In many cases, the convention center is bleeding money and unprofitable: http://www.cleveland.com/convention/index.ssf?/convention/more/c19effect.html What makes matters worse is that taxpayers often end up footing the bill for the losses, and cost overruns. Maybe Phoenix doesn't mind sticking it to their residents, but perhaps the reality is that Ohio cities are a bit more shrewd about how tax dollars are used?

Absolutely - it's easily accessed from Ohio City, Downtown and Detroit-Shoreway, close to some prime transit lines, you name it. Plus, it's somewhat sheltered if inclement weather pops up. Heck, even though I wouldn't use it, there's adequate parking adjacent. peabody, you're onto something!