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This is true but it ignores the possibility of adding families per square mile. Whatever rationale they want to give, planning for less density is a choice and it's not the only choice available. From Hough to Duck Island to Edgewater, Cleveland's anti-density activists are emboldened and increasingly vocal. Almost as interesting, the article closes with a plea to quit demolishing so much existing housing stock. I fully agree about that. Whenever anyone suggests rehab instead, it's always too expensive. Since when it the cheapest plan automatically the best? More expensive means we'd have to go slower, it doesn't mean rehab is out.

People who complained about the shoreway were shouted down as Agents of Westlake, as if there were no working-class Lakewood commuters who couldn't move downtown (or to Westlake) if they wanted to. To top it off, any high-density development nearby gets shouted down by new residents who want a cul-de-sac with a view and no traffic noise. There's your real Agents of Westlake right there. It's the same story-- residential peace and quiet prioritized over urban needs, particularly needs of the transit-dependent who can't solve their logistical problems by moving. Anecdotally, I've run into a lot of people who got screwed on bus transfers in recent months. Minutes can count for hours when you play that game. I deal with a lot of bus-dependent people at work. Less anecdotally, I thought RTA had already studied this and determined they need Superior open.

Some have been trying to brush off the scope of the delays here, but if you're dependent on buses for a crosstown commute it gets magnified quite a bit. For some it's a matter of barely keeping their family above water. People get harmed every time we slow down or close a road, and many of them are in no position to take that hit. While it's still possible for the moral calculus to say "close the road" it's not fair to those people to minimize their side of the scale.

Well put. IMO both sides have made some good points on this. We've yet to experience how not-awful it might be with the bus traffic anyway. Maybe it won't be all that bad. What if it wasn't buses? Would anyone oppose a Detroit-Superior streetcar line going through the square?

Odd placement here but I'm happy to see any retail downtown. Decent location if it can be hooked up to the WFL, but that's a big if, since the county-funded convention center didn't bother with that. I just hope they don't block the rail line with a parking deck, like Van Aken did.

I worked from home all week, but now I wish I'd at least gone down for a look. Sounds like we'll be getting more of these in the decades to come.

What does walking through the middle of a square accomplish? Sounds like one of those nebulous Boulevard Vibrant Greenspace benefits. The value of walking in cities is tied to the destination of the walker, the purpose of the walk-- not the landscaping underfoot. And comparisons between this and NYC Central Park don't hold any water at all. Aside from the obvious scale issue, Central Park isn't in the middle of downtown where transit converges. Manhattan is thoroughly dense and otherwise lacks greenspace, while Cleveland's situation is the opposite. Besides, if a big open expanse is what you want, free from messy urban activity, we already have that and it's a block away from the square. Closing Superior has clearly been a boon for the RNC and will remain a special event option in the future.

Not sure if this matters but I think 322 ends at Public Square, as do 42 and 422.

I still hear a lot of younger folks assuming the trend will continue until it encompasses everything and wipes out retail as we know it. I don't believe that, but has anyone even thought it through? The economic results would be devastating beyond comprehension, for workers and for local governments. That shouldn't be anyone's goal.

Sounds to me like he's misreading the market, with equal dashes of cynicism and outdated anti-urban thinking. Isn't Geis on the planning commission now?

Cool design! Say what you will about the tenets of brown and beige but at least it's a color scheme. It's also warm and earthy, and it helps glassy highlights like the new Hilton stand out.

http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2016/07/rob_portman_pulls_ahead_in_ohi.html#incart_m-rpt-1 Portman currently leading by 7 points over Strickland, who has negative net favorability. I put it in this old thread because I didn't see one for the senate race, and to ask if the party should be second guessing its decision to forgo a serious primary. Why run a "prevent defense" if you're not ahead? This, in essence, is why the state dems have been getting stomped. Remember Fitzgerald? It's like they're not even trying and there's no reform in sight. MODERATOR NOTICE: Post was moved into this 2016 U. S. Senate race thread.

They could triple it, have less than half Pittsburgh's, and still make a killing. It's also a green policy because of water runoff. They're already talking about more income tax, why not this? Unlike income tax, you can avoid a parking tax by using transit.

My favorite is two new bridges for the innerbelt even though I-90 inbound still narrows to a single lane at the Tremont curve. Bridge could be 15 lanes wide, wouldn't matter.

Buses can use the Opportunity Corridor as too, and they probably will. On the one hand, we're talking about how feasible it would be to keep Superior closed through the square, even though RTA has already opposed that. On the other hand, we haven't seriously considered any additional local funding like a hike in the parking tax. I just have a hard time blaming 480 or any other road for the transit funding situation.

I agree there's some elitism behind the Public Square issue, but 480? Everybody uses that including buses. It's not either/or.

My tastes change, my views change. The last thing I need is 20-year-old me yelling something forever across my neck.

Cleveland needs an outerbelt regardless of anyone's views on urbanization. Cities with outerbelts (i.e. all large ones) can approach regionalism and planning any way they want to. We've done a particularly bad job of it here and we can't blame the 480 bridge for that. We need the 480 bridge AND we need to do a better job of regional planning.

Traffic is growing because jobs are moving to the Beachwood and Independence areas, as well as the 91 corridor parallel to 271. These areas all have light population relative to jobs, receive minimal transit service, and are accessible primarily via interstate.

If hypothetically this was a major problem for the bus system, would it matter?

My contention is that someone holds a job in which this decision was made at a governmental level. And that's who I'm talking about. No need to name names here or call out anyone personally. But someone had that responsibility. And that someone should be taken to task for it, at some point, because these decisions matter and the community deserves better. EDIT: For clarity, I was talking about the kennel project. Did not realize at first that it was a story from last month! June/July they look the same sometimes. I'm now adding a quote to the original post, which I should have done in the first place. Sorry.

Really!? ... Then this kennel is even dumber than I thought. Zone definitely needs to explain this. Answer for all these questions: Someone is directly responsible, they are wrong for the job, and they should be removed from office. Cleveland needs to start planning like it knows what's going on. As with any change, the first step is deciding it needs to be done.

A cleveland.com commenter pointed out that while our surface parking tax is 8%, Pittsburgh's is 50% and used for transit funding. We could try that.

I'm not comfortable with credit card data on my phone, so I hope this eventually leads to smart cards. The vending machines remain a disgraceful mess, typically non-functional at the station near me. RTA needs to focus on keeping those operational until a comprehensive new system is ready.

How about a full-scale music festival, like Comfest? Edgewater seems perfect for that.