MayDay

"singles and couples without children - spanning ages 24 to 35 and earning $25,000 to $125,000 a year. "What we're targeting is that young couple that sees themselves on the move," Kremer said. "... They truly want the Gucci and the BMW and that sort of thing." If that sort of thing means overextending and living beyond your means... :roll: Other than that, the project sounds like a nice addition to the area.

Born and raised in Salem, Ohio (Youngstown area) Live in Cleveland.

"He best understands the city because he has family members in prison, who are homeless or have suffered from drug addiction." Sooo, it's the city's responsibility to keep family members out of prison and off drugs? (The homeless issue - well, I would like to see more services available for them but who wouldn't want that?) Again - if there's one thing that Campbell has done - she's made City Hall approachable and functional again. Jackson just seems like a return to Mike White provincialism and that doesn't bode well.

"His successor, Mayor Jane Campbell, who lives in another part of town, has cut police jobs." And the police union, unlike any other part of Cleveland's safety forces, wouldn't budge an inch as far as concessions to save ANY of their jobs.

Yes, it's the building in the center of this pic with "Payless Shoes" painted on the side. Fortunately no one was hurt and the building was unoccupied. Unfortunately, it was in the process of rehab and may have to be demolished - and the offices inside the neighboring Orange Blossom Press building suffered some water damage:

"I am a former City of Cleveland employee and in 2000 the budget was 1.3 billion dollars." Welcome to the forum! I have to say though - when Michael White was in office, it didn't seem like the books were the most "accurate", if you get my drift.

Yeah, they have one of the absolute best patios in town. There's been a lot of buzz among "my people" about Battery Park - the whole Detroit-Shoreway area may well become an extension of the Clifton/Edgewater gayborhood.

"why is the tower offset from the main parking structure?" The elevator core is located closer to the southeast corner of the garage. My guess is that the tower would just continue from that. It would be interesting to see this building in the skyline - it would be at a distinct angle from 5/3rd since it would front Euclid.

Basically it's the equivalent of Mall A or B in downtown St. Louis. It's been used by the homeless and criminals to screen their activities. Scroll down to "Twain" and you'll see why it's held in such high disdain: http://www.art-stl.com/PublicArt.cfm?where=Downtown+St.+Louis

Ugh - just ask the folks in St. Louis how THEY feel about Richard Serra and the effect one of his pieces has on a major plot of downtown real estate. Yes, they're interesting but they don't belong in the public realm (but in a warehouse annex setting they're appropriately dramatic).

Check out this article from propertiesmag.com - it has a small rendering of the condo tower... I think this project would look much better with *that* on top. Please don't post their pics here, folks :-) http://www.propertiesmag.com/current/2005-09/515.htm

zaceman, you're correct - it was basically a goodwill donation from BP to the city. Here's another piece of significant public art in Cleveland. This is "Portal" by Isamu Noguchi, created in 1976 and stands in front of the Justice Center along Ontario: It's considered one of Noguchi's better works - mainly because the viewer can look "at" it, or "through" it (i.e. standing next to it and seeing how the piece "frames" your surroundings). One of the most well known public artworks in Cleveland - the illuminated bridges in the Flats (I believe there are six that have been lit): Other public art in Cleveland (images from clevelandpublicart.org): Nancy Dwyer's "Who's On First?" and "Meet Me Here" in the Gateway sports complex: A temporary installation of Louise Bourgeois' spider sculptures in 2002:

The Free Stamp is a work by Claes Oldenburg that was commissioned by BP in the late 1980s. It was originally supposed to be placed on the plaza in front of the BP Building facing Public Square, across from the Soldiers and Sailors Monument. It was also to have been designed standing upright (with the "Free" facing down) and to have been substantially taller than it is now. The corporate board at BP took one look at it and didn't like the idea - they said they didn't want to be represented by a "rubber stamp" (implying they were an ineffective board). So they donated the commission to the city of Cleveland, who then designated it to be placed in Willard Park, at the corner of East 9th and Lakeside (where it is today). Oldenburg re-designed it to resemble how it would look had it literally been "tossed aside" from the BP Building. Oldenburg had a way of making his feelings known about BP's rejection - he made sure that the "FREE" was visible from the executive offices of the BP Building. :lol:

So basically Center Ridge Road will continue to be the cleaner junior version of North Olmsted's clusterf#ck along Lorain Rd. Woo.hoo.

Just to clarify, I'm not offended but I do want to make sure that allegations of shoddy workmanship (in ANY project) are backed up by reliable sources - owners or construction/contractors who worked on the project itself. Obviously in some cases, such issues might be visibly apparent. If owners are truly dissatsified - I'm not opposed to them voicing their concerns here. I do know that Stonebridge utilized light-gauge steel which may explain some of the issues you've mentioned. I believe it's touted as the tallest building in the world which was constructed with such steel and perhaps the limitations are just now being realized? Just a guess on my part. This forum is blessed with quite a few people in the industry and I'd hate to see them be reluctant to participate because of posts "alleging" shoddy workmanship. Can you tell us specifically where on the building that you're seeing the facade buckling?

"Locutus does spew off some shit, but the difference is that I back up my statements, Locutus rarely does (although sometimes he is on the right track)." Correction - Locutus did and no longer does and has been banned.

When you say something like shoddy construction about a specific project, let's have examples. It's also potentially libelous so keep that in mind. I know several condo owners at Stonebridge - most have had a pleasant experience, and only a few have had issues with their unit. They were quick to say that the K&D Group have addressed said issues and are now pleased with their new homes.

"Unless ... the ore industry in Cleveland, we're fucked." Maybe that one-horse-industry town in that corner of the state is fucked but the last time I checked, Cleveland's economy has substantially diversified. There's a little cluster of buildings between Little Italy and Midtown - we call that University Circle and all the institutions there are growing and drawing people from across the globe to work there. That's just one example. Another is the federal government - not the sexiest of employers but it's a provider of solid paychecks to plenty of people in Greater Cleveland. The legal industry in Cleveland pumps a ton of money into local coffers and I haven't even started with the other employers and institutions that are doing just fine and/or growing along with young entrepeneurs who have made their mark nationally and are staying put in Cleveland because they want to. And yes, some of those places involve the "creative class". I'm sorry but it seems like people don't actually research the realities behind the perceptions but that would require possibly letting go of the jaded views that make us Ohioans so prone to write off our state as "fucked". It's easier to have a pissy outlook on life than try to be informed about the positive things that are happening.

^What's the big deal whether it's mayoral campaigning? So many uninformed people (not you, KJP) think that absolutely nothing is getting built in Cleveland - and that includes residents of the city. That perception has plagued Campbell during her entire term, and what better way to dispel it? She'd be foolish NOT to make an appearance and try to get an image boost. I'll be there, with camera in tow. :-)

"My constant question has been "why can't there be more of a mixture of uses incorporated into this plan?" But then I wonder if people would really want to live so close to other industrial facilities and brownfields. " If I understand correctly, the soil is so contaminated that standard brownfield remediation wouldn't even come close to making the site appropriate for residential use.

^According to the site, Steelyard Commons will have eight bus stops throughout. Granted that's not as desirable as a Red Line extension but the developers could have easily said "we're not accomodating public transportation, period". With Tremont's Community Circulator and other bus lines going through, car-free residents won't be shut out. As others have said - I'm not a fan of most big-box stores or Wal-Mart but I have to give First Interstate credit for trying to get it right. I really like the incorporation of the former factory elements and that they'll be brightly lit at night (a la the bridges in the Flats) and as a former resident of the area, the Quigley Road improvements will be a godsend for Tremont residents by diverting truck traffic away from West 14th Street. It's also going to raise property values for the area of Tremont south of I-490 which hasn't seen as much of the revitalization as the areas north.

I attended a mayoral candidate forum tonight that addressed the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered) community. My overall impression is that it will most likely be a race between Campbell and Jackson. As for the candidates, here's my rundown: Mayor Jane Campbell: Well-composed and much less timid than I've seen her in previous appearances. She handled most of the questions with directness, although some were a little cool to the fact that the city does not offer domestic partner health benefits. She definitely got points for charisma and wit - and she knew her crowd. One of the first points she addressed was the fact that she was the first mayor to fly the rainbow flag at City Hall during the Gay Pride events. A largely symbolic gesture but what better way to affirm that the city is one of inclusion? She also took time after the forum to further explain to me about the domestic partner health benefits issue and why things are the way they are. She will get my vote. Frank Jackson: Lacked charisma and failed to truly deliver a solid answer to many questions. One of his big points is that he's endorsed by a lot of the black pastors of the larger urban congregations. Unfortunately, those pastors usually point to people like me as the downfall of society. He's nice, he means well but he simply lacks the focus and presence that others had. He's also not the most well-spoken of the group - I was ready to nickname him "Mumbles" after the Dick Tracy character. Robert Triozzi: Overall not bad - got bonus points as the only one to approach me and shake my hand prior to the forum. Didn't introduce any truly innovative ideas - just went with the "we need jobs, education, safety, etc." approach. Bill Patmon: Carried himself extremely well - lots of poise and confidence but maintained an approachable demeanor. If he had more name recognition, he could give Jackson a run for his money. He also pointed specifics that he accomplished as a city council member that directly benefitted the GLBT community. Michael Nelson: As a first-time runner for public office, he wasn't as polished as Patmon, Lynch or Campbell but his very down-to-earth response to questions were a breath of fresh air. A little too brusque though - he had a Daley-esque demeanor but he's not in office yet. David Lynch: Former mayor of Euclid - well-composed, and reminded me of the good points of Howard Dean. The problem is that he referred to his accomplishments in Euclid. Sorry, Euclid has some nice areas but it's apples and oranges compared to Cleveland and he suggested that he had successfully run a "big" city. Euclid isn't big and for the most part it needs polishing. I do see him having a political future though - great charisma and he knew how to work the room. James Draper: Didn't show. Buh-bye. Anthony Brown: One of the questions presented was 'how did you vote on Issue 1?". While I'm glad he was upfront, it's probably not wise to tell a room of about a hundred or so gays and lesbians that you don't support their equal rights. If that wasn't bad enough, he said something to the effect of "I don't know a lot about homosexuality, but I know what happened to Sodom and Gommorah". He then proceeded to assure us that he supports diversity and would support our rights. I've never EVER seen a politician heckled and booed at such a forum - until tonight. In addition to being a bigot, he's obviously not the brightest blinker on the Buick. He said that when he audited the city, the budget was over $1 billion - apparently it's down to $477,000. Yes, that's what he said. He was seated next to Jane who held her head and cringed during most of his idiotic diatribes. So that's where I stand - if I thought Patmon stood a better chance, I'd consider him but as that isn't the case, I'm voting for Mayor Jane Campbell.

Sorry for the delay in posting these but here are some views of the model for the Rockport Square project: Looking east from the western end of the project: Looking south - the low-slung white structure is the existing building where Enterprise, the Shore Restaurant, and City Dweller/Diverse Universe are located: And looking west:

I'll believe it when I see it, but yeah - if he's truly bringing 5K people to "check things out" - I seriously doubt it's just to boost employee morale. 5,000 new downtown workers - I can't even fathom the kind of boost that will bring.