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I had very little water this morning in Lakewood, and my office downtown has none. That must be one big pipe.

I've never quite understood the allure of this project. There are obvious benefits, like being able to drive down 73rd to Edgewater. And there will be more crosswalks to Edgewater, which is generally hard to get to. Other than that, I don't see how this conversion does anything to connect neighborhoods to the lake itself. It connects neighborhoods to another slow E-W road, but we have plenty of those already. Much of this shoreline will remain industrial into the forseeable future. That's what cuts neighborhoods off from the lake. This highway is less intrusive than many others I can think of. I would much rather see a better innerbelt arrangement with a better bridge, or perhaps a rail expansion. While many people support the shoreway project and are anxious to get it underway, I know quite a few living along this stretch who don't want it at all. I'm not sure that another program to slow down traffic is the most user-friendly thing Cleveland could do.

Those look great!

I think that may be the very last thing western civilization needs right now. But here it comes anyway.

I didn't appreciate that being in high school during those peak Nirvana years, all the girls wore 3 layers of sweaters and generally dressed like they had grandkids. Now the high school girls dress like hookers. I know this because my brother just graduated. Wouldn't have minded the 70s or 80s... wouldn't have minded the modern era, but no no I got to go to high school just in time for the Kurt Cobain misery tour. Thanks for taking all the fun out of rock music, Kurt.

Totally agree with all of that. Instead of computers, I'd like to see more teachers hired. A lot of my friends and family are teachers and that's part of the reason, but hiring more would fix employment and class size at the same time. That, and rail. He hasn't said much about rail yet at all. He talked about fiber optics during the campaign, and housing was one of his resume items so I don't see it getting left out.

This bit about the non-US parts hasn't been news for years. It doesn't change the fact that the big 3 still have substantial operations in northern US cities while the foreign makes don't and won't. We want desparately for compaines to invest in this region. Here are 3 who have. They've globalized like everyone else, but unlike many homegrown companies they still have a major presence in the great lakes area. Things are a lot more complex than that "rice ready" idiot makes them out to be, but elementally the big 3 are still the core of US industry. If you think that can be tossed aside, you're nuts. After reading months of debate on the subject, I'm still amazed at the sentiment that the auto industry's collapse should be treated lightly or even welcomed. Every single urban development we hope for is tied to the viability of the local economy, which for the forseeable future is tied to to auto industry. If that rug gets pulled out, it will be some time before we reach any kind of tipping point in the other direction. Face it, we don't have much going for us in terms of climate or terrain... cities here need a reason for being, and heavy industry is a good fit. It's the only one that's worked here so far. Without it this whole region is no different from the rural south, except that it's colder. We aren't going to replace automotive jobs by stealing companies from San Francisco or Texas. It's time to start taking more pride in what we do have, turning it around, and building off of that.

"I've got these gigantic surfaces to deal with and I already used up my window budget on the atrium. What can I do?" "Can you think of any material that looks like vinyl siding?" "Sure, and it comes in Depressing Grey #5." "Well, slather it all over the building and let's get lunch. Sometimes I think you want things to be difficult."

Don't forget where the National City tower is now. Goodbye corner, hello plaza-- and the section that is flush with Euclid is just a series of billboards for the bank. In general though I agree. It's instructive to look at downtown birdseye views of various cities. Despite the WHD madness, we've retained a lot of core density that others have lost.

I think it's so the bus can always stop after the light instead of before, no matter which direction it's going. Easier to coordinate the signal timing for maximum speed that way.

Where does Polensek stand on this? It's like his ward is on a witch hunt for old theaters.

I don't think the utility of an enclosure that fails to enclose is debatable or open to opinion. Red isn't blue and up isn't down. Are citizens allowed to duct-tape these things, or would that be considered defacing them? If you have to use one regularly it may be worth it.

That seems clear at this point. They're using wildly different standards. GM can't fly to Washington, but it's critical that AIG be allowed regular resort vacations.

They do look a little like the Coltman project, and I like the emphasis on windows in both. These are pretty much all glass in the front.

Maybe we could use this money to move the county offices off Ontario and make them an anchor tenant of a big new development in the WHD, tied in with RTA's west side transit center. That would open up room for the medical mart, and other things. It shouldn't be hard to line up law firms as tenants for a sizeable office tower where the county building is. It's right next to the justice center and probate, there couldn't be a better location for a law firm. This building could also house the hotel component of the new convention center, with the med mart attached.

Go FBI! This big push was sorely needed and I hope it continues, although I do feel bad for the $500 guy on council. What a way to go out.

That wasn't much of a boom, as booms go.

I'm not sure what the distinction is. If congress can't establish or prohibit religion, the two sound pretty separate to me. My pet peeve is people who act like the Establishment Clause isn't there, or who insist that "under God" was always in the pledge of allegiance.

These are prime examples of buildings we can't afford to lose.

If I could pick anywhere in town to live, it would be in this area. So I'm just glad they're doing all this new housing there. I like these and I like the other ones too. That stretch of Euclid is going to look very different in a few years and the new stuff mostly looks good on paper.

Undoubtably, but they also get other new projects with traditional styling. Check out the Columbus E Gay St thread. Why can't we do something like that once in a while? Plus, other cities haven't torn down as much of their original building stock.

That's a common feature of a lot of recent construction. I think it's to create a sense of privacy and security. Seems geared more toward local suburbanites than those looking for a traditional rowhouse. I also hate the little landscape buffer around everything... but there's a lot to like about this project and I'm optimistic.

It really is bad here and needs to be addressed. For the most part, those other cities aren't fighting quite the same uphill battle we are. OK maybe New Orleans. We can't afford to have people wanting to get "greased" before businesses can locate here.

Height is very important in this area of town. I think height-extending elements like turrets are underutilized in newer residential, particularly when there are lake views to be had.

Not really, you asked what I was buying. Education is what I'm buying. Can't buy two things with the same dollars. I'm not unhappy with what's being developed downtown, and I like the Avenue Dsitrict. I like the townhomes too. I'd prefer they don't have townhomes abut Superior. I'd like something taller there instead. I had the same concern about Stark's last WHD plan. This doesn't seem too much to ask. There have been some developments around Cleveland that don't reflect the best possible direction the city could go. That new housing between Euclid and Chester near the Clinic, with the asphalt setback-- bad move. I'm sure these boards lit up when that was being built. The McMansions in Hough are similarly awful. Not thrilled with the newer housing in Central either. I believe that's too close to downtown to be building detached look-at-my-yard type houses. Commercially, don't forget all the CVS monstrosities we've allowed to go forward with anti-urban siting and design. None of these developments has been helpful in reestablishing Cleveland as an urban setting. Given that buildings last awhile, they will serve as negative anchors for much of our lives. AD and the rest of the current downtown projects are much better. That said, I think building townhouses on Superior would be a mistake. Adding a story to them, as mentioned above, would help some.