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Maybe the law could use some nuance to address the relative scale of the brewer. Basing this rule on distance was clearly a workaround, which has now resulted in over-inclusive effects.

Thank you for that info. Are there no federal funds available for this particular need?

We've spent a lot recently on rail station rebuilds and infrastructure for the bus system. Those seem like lower priorities. Can't do the math right now, but if we had not built the 1) STJ transit center, 2) Clifton BRT-lite, and 3) the new Mayfield Rapid station, how close does that get us to keeping the rail lines open?

I didn't realize 80s towers were a problem. To me they're like the sun coming up after brutalism. But the design of this signpost likens the tower to... a signpost.

By the time the tax credit program emerged, Cleveland had already lost a ridiculous portion of its built environment. That sad fact has to be acknowledged in this calculus. I agree with those who feel we should hang on desperately to whatever remains. 100% preservation may be too high a bar, but current policies have set it far too low-- it needs to come up. Councilman Johnson is on the right track.

That's prime land no matter how you slice it, capable of generating significant tax revenues and spinoff development. Budish's "many areas in the county" language suggests it might not go downtown at all. That doesn't seem right to me.

Seems like a good topic for a new thread. I bet a lot of people on this forum have ideas that could help.

The longer the fix, the more important it is that we get plans underway quickly. I do believe it is possible to come up with workable plans, not just for the current war zone area but for the city as a whole. And I agree more tax base is needed, although I don't believe current municipal development policies are ideal in that regard. The key right now is to (notably and visibly) focus more available resources on improving the city's worst neighborhoods. Huge strides have been made downtown, uptown, and on the near west side-- huge enough strides that the discrepancy has gotten out of hand.

I believe so, both locally and nationally, but I'm not sure how that helps anything. We currently have a gang war that is spilling over into downtown, and we can't just call the 1990s and ask for assistance. The last few mayoral administrations have presided over better times for a few areas and worse times for most of the city. A lot what's being developed with local tax money is so high-end and exclusive that residents of 93rd and Union can't even get in the door. Other than nudging up the tax base, there's little benefit for them. These people can't buy $50 steaks or rent apartments for $50k a year. I realize we need those things to be available, but we also need things that make life better at 93rd and Union.

I'm glad others are starting to realize this. I know I was saying it from the start as I recognized it living in DC when Barry was Mayor and then saw the same disfunction and inability coming from Cleves Mayor. Its just too bad it had to come to this kind off stuff. Although, I guess that is what it takes for people to open their eyes and stop saying things like "this can happen anywhere......." Which is totally the WRONG attitude! As well as things like "But Frank is a nice guy" from people that work for the City. He's a solid enough administrator, but the city needs a leader right now. That's not what he is.

Saga is a great book. I do wish we could capitalize more on the city's comics heritage, with all the currency it has these days. Even a storefront museum would be nice.

We do need them near to the center of our transit system and current legal offices, which is much closer to the existing site. That was my first impression too, but 12th isn't far from there on foot and 18th is reasonable. This could even generate some spinoff development nearby.

A friend of mine recently died from "alternatives" after his prescriptions were cut off. And I've had defense clients who ask for jail time over rehab/probation, because jail time will get them back to heroin quicker. To the extent that the drug trade fuels gang wars, it is insane to continue with prohibition. Just hand out some heroin and be done with it. But I think there will still be gang violence so long as there is concentrated poverty. Drugs are only a small factor in that.

Location seems OK to me. W 14th is an artery and home to the majority of Tremont's apartment stock.

Crocker Park pursued a balanced tenant mix and it seems relatively successful. While I believe the "ship everything to my home" approach will always have its takers, I don't believe there is much overlap between that group and the group which favors urban living. Urban living, as most people conceive it, does involve actual physical shopping. Retro? Maybe, but that's part of the appeal. Brick and mortar is retro too.

Hey data points-- settle down already, you're causing us difficulty. Do you have any idea how much paperwork your rodent-like existence is creating?

Tactically speaking, that lawn will allow each nursing student to fire 3 additional arrows at anyone who dares to invade.

That a lot of cash, and this city has a lot of needs. Bridge looks nifty but seems unwise in the context of those needs.

Everyone who accepts credit cards is looking at brand new liability rules as of today. I suspect these 2007-era machines are not up to code anymore, which could lead to significant exposure for RTA.

I don't believe Ohio law allows for a county income tax. However, the affected municipalities could do it. Or they could all merge into the county, eliminating both the distinction and the problem. In politics, wherever there's a will there's a way. Besides, there are other funding mechanisms available to RTA-- it already gets a dedicated stream of county sales taxes. And county sales taxes recently went up, by decree, to fund the MM/CC and presumably the Hilton as well. Maintaining our rail service seems at least equivalent to that need.

We each decide that for ourselves. Depends on where you are, what you can offer. I provide free and discounted legal services to the poor. Later this month I'm taking unpaid days off and doing a whole trial for free. Trust me, I need that pay. But I'm not the only one who needs things. Again the threshold issue, for each of us individually, is deciding that it is our problem and we do need to help. Where you go from there is up to you.

Yes, we all bear responsibility... you, me, those hypotheticals, everyone... or it isn't a community at all. Instead it's walls and borders, segregation and inequality, a collage of anti-social attitudes that invariably result in a violent underclass, throughout history and throughout the world. I'm not telling anyone what to do, other than to care, to accept some shared responsibility for the existence of the ghetto. I believe that's a threshold issue to finding any long term solution. The ghetto can no longer be someone else's tragedy to bear.

I don't mean to pick on you. I'm always amazed when I hear statements like "Cleveland needs to get its act together" as if Cleveland is a monolithic entity that, in its entirety is even remotely capable of "getting its act together" or whatever that means. cities are loose collections of millions of people all doing different things. Within cities are people doing amazing things, people sitting on the couch doing nothing, and people blowing each others heads off. No city in a free society is an exception to that. This is a great post. In many ways, Cleveland has gotten its act together tremendously. The Crime rate, while it will be increased this year doesn't tell a different story of the city. It has been a violent city for a very long time. You should go tell the people killing each other to "get their act together". These rest of us very much have our act together. I don't see anything wrong with calling out a community, particularly its elected leaders, for problems that arise within. Or problems that persist. It isn't enough for people to say "not me!" Part of being a member of a community is accepting responsibility that extends beyond ourselves, and understanding that a neighbor's problems are to a certain extent our problems too. A lot of people in greater Cleveland would like to wash their hands of all the poverty, all the violence that's happening in the rougher parts of town. But if we all start accepting those problems as our own, I think they'll improve a lot faster. If that crap is happening right down the road from me, then yes, I'm one of the people who needs to get their act together.

There's been a lot of belt-tightening at the County recently. Didn't they just announce 10% cuts in every department? This might be why. I'm surprised it's just now getting media coverage. Hopefully this time they do build something capable of serving multiple generations. 40 years is a ridiculous lifespan for an office tower. Quite the scandal in retrospect!

That makes the most sense... by a mile, really... but I'm a lawyer who rides the Rapid, so I wouldn't mind keeping it near Tower City. Maybe they could use a WHD parking lot and put jail portion on Frankfurt, as out of the way as possible. Regardless, anything is better than the current Justice Center. That building is just awful, top to bottom, inside and out.