Everything posted by 327
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Cleveland: Lakefront Development and News
Companies do that all the time. No reason to doubt them in this instance though. We all know urban redevelopment costs more than building on a green field.
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Cleveland: Midtown: Development and News
Technically, the Corridor was created a very long time ago and for general purposes. I don't see how the current "health tech" rebranding has been all that helpful. That plan is now old and has delivered minimal progress. The most significant business investment in the area thus far is from a tire company. That fact alone suggests broadening Midtown's mission.
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Cleveland: Rocket Arena (Gund Arena)
Some would say you can't build a downtown on restaurants and bars. Astronomical beer sales aren't a bad thing but they don't solve much apart from a lack of astronomical beer sales. Some would further say that the money we have no problem spending on this sort of thing never seems to be available when other priorities are suggested. We're always broke, except for those times when we suddenly aren't.
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Cleveland: Lakefront Development and News
In this case I agree. Once there's a whole neighborhood around the stadium, sure, it'll need retail. But this one building alone? No way.
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Cleveland: Rocket Arena (Gund Arena)
I'm torn on this one. On principle I think it's money wasted on misplaced priorities. But in practical terms, it's probably not a bad move. And unlike the Public Square debacle, at least this investment doesn't entail destroying services.
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Greater Cleveland RTA News & Discussion
I got stuck in my parking lot, so that took care of that. But even if I got out, every street out of Lakewood was backed up as far as I could see this morning.
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Greater Cleveland RTA News & Discussion
Why was nothing plowed this morning? That goes beyond RTA. We were talking about this storm at the office last week, everybody knew it was coming.
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Cleveland: Lakefront Development and News
I'm curious what the FAA height limit is. If this isn't close, if it's small for small's sake, then try again. We can't afford to underdevelop anything.
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Cleveland: General Business & Economic News
Our sports venues aren't good enough, that's the problem!
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Cleveland: Detroit-Shoreway / Gordon Square Arts District: Development News
Cheap construction is cheap construction, even though cheap sometimes works out and expensive sometimes doesn't.
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Cleveland: Zoning Discussion
Every time people try to sell me that Cleveland is a "progressive" city I think about these kinds of backward, regressive policies. Much like the Democratic party, it's coasting on a reputation but hasn't been progressive for years. Cleveland just spent $50 million removing mass transit from a place called Public Square.
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Greater Cleveland RTA News & Discussion
The Ontario crossing south of the square sees a lot of jaywalking. But it almost always says Don't Walk, regardless of what the other lights are doing. This is the direct crossing from Tower City to Euclid Avenue, so it's fairly busy. More buses are coming around the square now-- and more are turning there-- since they can't turn at Superior anymore. Opening Superior won't fix that because they would still have to drive through a statue. So, what we need is a monorail.
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Cleveland Area TOD Discussion
The area around the station offers nothing to pedestrians. There's a harsh dead zone between W 110 and the 90s. RTA's parking lot doesn't help, nor does the use/disuse of historic buildings nearby, nor the private institutional developments that are prominent along this stretch.
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Cleveland Area TOD Discussion
Crime remains a significant issue throughout that area. Most potential residents are not interested in breaking it down block-by-block. Realistically it affects the entire neighborhood and into Lakewood. Additional police involvement would be helpful.
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Ohio Census / Population Trends & Lists
I don't have numbers on this but it seems like a lot of Mahoning Valley people around my age have ended up in Columbus.
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Greater Cleveland RTA News & Discussion
They had a sign in the W 117 station saying it's closed, so both directions. Take the replacement bus it said. This was around 11.
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Greater Cleveland RTA News & Discussion
Red Line is down again today. I gave away my pass and I'm hesitant to buy another. Leadership needed to get in front of this a while ago, at this point we just need new leadership.
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Cleveland: Population Trends
I agree that larger parks are more effective, but Luke Easter is already over there and is one of the biggest and busiest parks we have. "Prewar sprawl" is a funny term, because I don't see how prewar neighborhoods share many characteristics with sprawl. Back then we designed communities properly and I think it's important to recognize that as we move forward. The SE part of town has been battered by crime and job loss but I don't think it needs to be reinvented. What we need to do is fix up Union Avenue and get some businesses open there. The area is neither bland nor featureless, but it's absorbed more than its share of economic blight and that has to be directly addressed. Its biggest problem is people constantly writing it off as hopeless.
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Greater Cleveland RTA News & Discussion
The "Tower City" sign at the rebuilt westbound platform is still wrecked. It looks awful and I feel like they just had a golden opportunity to fix it. While they're at it, one of the "Ohio City" signs is wrecked too and has been for years.
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Cleveland: Population Trends
I'm glad we have the parks we have. Who isn't? It's the Forest City. The question was whether we needed to add more as the city's older housing is replaced. I think that would have a negative effect on Population Trends.
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Cleveland: Population Trends
We needed to spend that maintenance money on bus stops for Public Square, and "closed" signs to hang on the bus stops.
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Cleveland: Flats Developments (Non-Stonebridge or FEB)
Bad plans lead to bad results. The original plan for FEB, the one that looked like it belonged downtown, should be used as inspiration for how to fix it. Unfortunately it's too late to lay out the roads in a proper grid.
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Cleveland: Population Trends
Great, let's aspire to the lowest common denominator. Not having enough things for kids to do is why many kids get into trouble and why many families will never live in certain places. BTW, try to get your kid into the few programs that Lakewood offers. It's not enough. Nor are the parks/playgrounds very good. My wife/kid had better playgrounds (including several well-equipped indoor playgrounds provided by the government) in a much poorer Ukraine. Maybe one day you will have a kid of your own. If/when that happens, you wouldn't be writing the things you're writing. I used to think like you did because I didn't have the experience as a parent to know any better. But by all means, continue to have an opinion. We're all very proud of you. When I was younger I played outside and explored the town I lived in. Occasionally went to a park. Didn't feel deprived. I did enjoy the playground at my grade school, which alas is gone now. But my childhood hardly revolved around that-- it revolved around my local community as a whole.
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Cleveland: Population Trends
If people's kids are bored with playgrounds that you're driving an hour and paying admission for... God Bless. Most of this region's population can't afford any such thing. That's why it's important to have good public parks & rec, but we already do (Lakewood sends out a nice magazine about it), and we all know that no amount of spending will ever fully satisfy children. That can't be the benchmark.
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Cleveland: Population Trends
I grew up in the burbs and had a similar complaint: nothing to do. Other kids my age were too spread out and everything was designed for cars, so it was a hassle just getting around. City living eliminates some of the biggest hurdles kids face. In many ways, walkability means more to them than to anyone. And greenspace, especially little bits of it smattered everywhere, works against walkability by creating pedestrian dead zones and reducing population density. Less population density means less ability to provide the distinctly urban amenities and experiences that give cities a chance to compete. Cities cannot compete with suburbs in providing suburban lifestyles, which emphasize open space. Seeking more open space is the core premise of suburban sprawl design principles.