theguv

another idea for the Moda Space, suggested by an OC resident on i-neighbors: "The Hush liquor license application has been much on the ohiocity list lately and I just posted the following. I know it's been discussed before and come to naught, but Moda would be an excellent match for this, and the community will most likely fight any nightclub or concert venue to the death. This would be a great resource for the entire west side including Lakewood, downtown and many of the suburban parents who already bring their kids in to the Science Center. _____ What are the alternatives for that space? What type of business does the community envision there, and what can be done to recruit such a business? One possibility that might be worth exploring is an adventure play space for children that includes play and climbing areas for older children as well. Think a less migraine-inducing version of Chuck E. Cheese without the video games and creepy animatronic animals - where parents can get a decent meal. Gosh, maybe parents could even get take-out from the great restaurants in the neighborhood. If you're an energetic 9-year-old, there is pretty no much nowhere in the city [add: and *nowhere* on the near west side) that your parents can take you to blow off steam. You're not welcome at the Children's Museum, the Science Center offers no physical activities, your gym class has been cut to once or twice a week and if it's cold, you don't even get outdoor recess. The rec centers have limited hours when you are welcome to swim or play basketball. Many parents just grit their teeth, drive out to the suburbs and hold their temples for a couple of hours while kids play at Chuck E. Cheese or one of those bounce-a-round places. I would give my LEFT ARM to have a place like that to take my child that didn't make me want to gnaw off my limbs. And I know I'm not alone. Bar Cento's Tuesday night pizza night has been a great success. Can you imagine the appeal to families of having these two businesses on W. 25th?"

Would seem to be a good fit to combine a smaller venue, say grog shop size, with another income generating, like minded business, say Alt Press

^ does the tremont tap house have any sort of protected patio, either for cold weather use or for smokers? that's one thing i wish we had more (any) of here in NEO, patios designed for sitting outside in the winter......complete with a gentle snow fall.

walked through the old cantina del rio (phase 6) space today. they've done a very nice job carving up the space while honoring it at the same time. the plaster work seems to be an homage to the motif of the guardians of transportation sculptures on the lorain-carnegie bridge, though it does not dominate the space. the upper levels are framed in drywall, though the majority is glass. most is office space for k&d with about 500 sq. ft. rent-able and another small area being a fitness center. the bottom floor features one large room consisting of a coffee bar, a pizza/sub shop, and a martini lounge delineated only by furniture style, counter tops, and artwork. the entire room opens out onto a large patio. I think this is could very well be the crowning achievement by k&d thus far. a very activated space with lots of daylight. hopefully the food and management will be good and create a great community spot - the potential is certainly there!

Any thoughts on the quasi suburban new urban housing on the northeast corner of severance town center in cleveland hts?

^ the chinese buffet in on the north side of euclid in the theater district. i think it's called China Sea? re: snickers (cheddars), since the move to detroit, it's been a great place for biz lunches as they offer a $10 menu with ten items where the $10 includes drink, soup/salad, tax, & tip! it's quick and eliminates potential haggling over the bill. plus snickers (cheddars) has big comfy tables and it's usually pretty quite making it ideal for working lunches.

I too attended this opening and was really impressed with the topography, quality of materials, and design innovations. However, I've never really been to this area before, so I parked my car on Mayview and decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. Walking east on Mayview past many tidy well kept homes (with not one vacancy!), I came to a dead end with a dirt path leading into the woods. Of course I followed the path, thinking that maybe it would connect with Treadway. Although it never did, it was a fascinating hike. The dirt/paved path ran above a creek for about half a mile. It looks like it was created for either sewer related work or perhaps for the construction of Jennings. Anyway, where the trail ends, there is a lowhead dam on the river, which means you can walk the rest of the riverbed and get an understanding of how (it appears) they dammed the natural flow of the river when they constructed the Jennings. Some pretty revealing stuff that you just cannot appreciate from an aerial map. I continued to hike along the ridge of a the river valley, along the Jennnings, separated only by one of those concrete/faux brick highway fences. I ended up in some guys back yard on Plymouth Rd. I think it might have been a bit jarring for him to have someone appear in his back yard, but he was okay with it and gave me directions to Harmody Park. It would have been helpful to have the attached map with me, but probably not as much fun! I'd recommend this hike to anyone who heads out to Harmody. It's a beautifully wooded area - maybe it will be preserved as well?

Anyone know who/what is moving into the in-progress renovate near W. 28 & Detroit, across from the Bop Stop? So far, it's a beautiful renovation. A sign on the window reads ICA. Maybe another architecture/design firm?

^and folks are always worried about competing with great lakes, but the way i see it, all craft brewers are competing for the 96% of beer drinkers who don't drink craft beers on a regular basis. this is a HUGE market to turn-on to craft beer - i think we are entering the second golden age of beer brewing...... excitingly delicious!

I also had the pleasure of eating at market cafe on opening day. I agree with 8 Shades that for a sustainable restaurant, the menu seems a bit heavy on the meat. But when you get your food, in my case the italian Panini, they do a really good job of filling up and flavoring the sandwich with a lot of non-meat items, i.e. giardiniera, tapenade, etc. thereby enhancing a small amount of quality meat rather than doubling-up on low grade meat. For the quality of food and presentation, the price points are very reasonable. Between two of us, we ate a bowl of soup with a side of snowpea slaw and an italian panini with a side of potato salad which totaled $14 As 8Shades pointed out, they have good signage regarding where they source their food. They work with 7 or so local farms and invite each one to come in one day of each week to represent and sell their wares, thereby furthering the connection between plate and farm. Yesterday a mother and daughter were selling maple syrup among other maple based products -yum! They also do a good job connecting the beautiful wood tables with their original incarnation (barn). Great to see such attention to sustainability all wrapped in a beautiful package as an investment in downtown cleveland - hopefully we'll eventually see some spin-off.

You're a sissy! My best barhop of dwntwn cleve was in the heart of winter. (ontario st. cafe, HOB, moriarty's, rathskeller, aj roccos) Me thinks you need drink some harder stuff.... ; > )

I attended the opening of the treadway creek trail this past saturday. this is the first trail in cleveland to connect to the towpath. the 3/4 mile asphalt trail begins at Harmody Park and ends about 1000 ft from Zelezniks tavern/Harvard Rd. terminus of the towpath. http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Broadale+Rd+%26+Mayview+Ave,+Cleveland,+OH+44109,+USA&ie=UTF8&ll=41.438142,-81.692426&spn=0.007384,0.014591&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1 I would highly recommend a visit to anyone interested in how the future of Cleveland may very well look/function. Very exciting prospects indeed. http://www.pluggedincleveland.com/restaurants/2146+zelezniks+tavern.html

Agave is owned by Luchitas

couldn't find a general thread on cleve's economy, so i put it here! cleveland public library compares greater cleveland's top employers from 1950, 1962, & 2006 http://cpl.org/?q=node/2409 < note the new Drupal based site : > )

Cleveland Free Times Volume 15, Issue 29 Published November 21st, 2007 Arts News Cleveland is an old-school manufacturing town. What we know how to do is take raw materials and make something out of them, a fact that continually resurfaces as neighborhoods are reborn - not just in the old warehouse and factory space we find new ways to use, but even sometimes in the ways we find to use it. The much collected artist Tom Balbo recently announced the establishment of the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory and Education Foundation, which will be known as the Morgan Conservatory, for short. A graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College and Syracuse University, Balbo began his career as a potter and print-maker - media he continues to pursue - but over the last 25 years his interests have increasingly turned toward paper-making, casting and paper-based sculpture. He's worked mostly in Cleveland and maintains a gallery on Hough Avenue. He's in the process of equipping and moving into the space that will be the Morgan Conservatory, a former machine shop with 15,000 square feet of industrial space at 1754 E. 47th St., between Commerce and Payne. When it's all up and running, the new organization will have three directions of programming: a kind of apprenticeship program that teaches and certifies people in the making of paper; an art lab, which Balbo says will bring artists of various disciplines to work in residency to make paper-based work, which could be anything from sculpture to cast paper to print-making; and a book arts program, which will bring master book-makers and printers to teach a range of skills and techniques involved in the hand-making of books, from binding structures to printing with letter press machines. The organization will also distribute fine, handmade papers. A small gallery will show the paper-making process, examples of papers and the work of artists. In addition to parking, there's space on location where Balbo plans to grow kozo, a plant whose fiber is used to make one of the many Japanese styles known as "rice" paper. The Morgan Conservatory plans to operate in conjunction with nearby printmaking cooperative Zygote Press, which should make the neighborhood even more noteworthy as a destination for printmakers and other artists. Details of the relationship are not yet worked out, but the two organizations plan to work together on visiting artist programs, as well as gallery shows and openings. Balbo says the Morgan Conservatory established its 501 © (3) nonprofit status in August and is now raising funds. The space is under renovation, but he's planning a short workshop to take place in January, and hopes to have a residency program underway by summer 2008. http://www.balbogalleries.com/

This is indeed exciting news, especially if they decide to produce panels here as First Solar is doing in Toledo. Check out the haps in Toledo's burgeoning solar panel industry with this great article from this past week's Toledo Blade: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071118/BUSINESS03/71117032

if you gotta shop on Black Friday, do it in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood - a few stores will be having their grand openings....

Lakewood's plan for consolidated parking, mixed use development, enhanced transit waiting environments, bike racks, rain gardens, etc.......as a gateway to their central biz district Bunts/Detroit area to get a facelift Thursday, November 08, 2007 By Tony Lima Lakewood Sun Post As part of a plan to create an "eastern gateway" into the city's downtown or central business district, the corner of Detroit Avenue and Bunts Road is schedule for a facelift. A development project at the site of the empty Giant Eagle supermarket on the southwest corner, along with the adjoining parking lots and three nearby houses, will kick-start the project. Plans call for both residential and commercial units and include a two-level parking deck. The vacant building, which would be leveled, was left empty when Giant Eagle moved across the street into the former Tops supermarket building. The proposed parking structure would not be visible from the street and would be accessible from entrances/exits to and from both Bunts and Parkhaven Row Avenue. In addition to the parking deck, the new streetscape plan includes a handful of additional on-street parking spaces near the site. As part of the streetscape plan, the Bunts-Detroit intersection would become the eastern gateway into Lakewood's downtown or central business district. While the location is touted as highly desirable, the vacant supermarket structure is one of a handful identified in the streetscape plan as "unfavorable" in the new eastern gateway area. P&P Real Estate, LLC and Global Fitness Holdings, LLC, of Kentucky, has purchased the parcels for approximately $3 million from Rego Realty. Mark Yates, of P&P/Global Fitness Holdings, has chosen not to comment on the project at this time, stating it is "too preliminary." Global Fitness Holdings is the largest Gold's Gym franchisee in the world. While it's likely the development will include a Gold's Gym, the city is promoting a mixed-use development of additional commercial and residential units to be developed on the site. The streetscape plan recommends new custom-designed RTA bus shelters to create a transit waiting area that will include special landscaping, signage and shelters. The purpose is to clearly define the "gateway" and let motorists and pedestrians know they are entering the central business district. "Downtown Lakewood" signage is to be integrated into the streetscape in the area. The streetscape plan also calls for integrating rain gardens and other "ecologically friendly methodologies" into the design of the proposed expanded tree lawns and green spaces. Additional suggested amenities include a variety of seating surfaces, trash receptacles, bicycle racks and newspaper boxes. A tiny park or public green space at the southeast corner of Detroit and Parkhaven Row is included in the suggested streetscape plan. Additional suggested plans for the area include a high-density residential building or individual townhomes on the north side of Detroit west of The Winking Lizard and immediately west of the entrance to the new Giant Eagle location. The "western gateway" to downtown or the central business district, begins at the newly renovated and expanded Lakewood Public Library. The Drug Mart Plaza and Kauffman Park, across from the library, became the subject of some controversy recently when it was reported the same streetscape plan calls for selling the park to developers for a retail and office complex. Glitz & Associates, of Canton, recently purchased the shopping strip center on the north side of Detroit. The company is also attempting to purchase the 7-acre park site, which is tucked away from many residents and bordered by homes, railroad tracks and a parking lot behind the strip center. "While it's true we are studying a report on the park move," said city Planning and Development Director Tom Jordan, "we have not come to a decision on this. More importantly, the Detroit Avenue streetscape plan does not call for total removal of park space." The current streetscape plan allows for developing the park space for residential and commercial use, but also for creating park space or a 'community green' in the area where the strip center is to be torn down. "Kauffman Park is not used to its full potential because it is difficult to access," said Jordan. "The new plan calls for a park space or 'community green' that will be accessible from the street." Jordan stated he and other city officials value the city's park spaces, adding future streetscape and development plans call for more green space, not less. "Before we would agree to selling Kauffman Park, we would see to it that the baseball activities at the park could be moved elsewhere," Jordan said. The Central Business District is one of five defined areas or sections in the new Detroit Avenue Streetscape Plan. Others include the following: Rockport District, approximately 1/2-mile from West 117th Street west to Lakewood City Hall; Garfield District, 0.61 miles from city hall west to Bunts Road; Cultural Arts District, from the Lakewood Public Library west to West Clifton; and the Entertainment District, from West Clifton to the Rocky River.

^"It could be that this area is over built retail wise." gee, ya think? you mean 50 new stores doesn't sound inviting to you? i'm always looking for more disposable crap to fill my house with. when is jacobs gonna see the light?!? we recently had an event at the universalist unitarian church on hilliard, about 5 blocks from westgate. i took the #326 out there from detroit shoreway. it was a quick 30 min ride from W. 65th to the west gate transit center. i can't say i've spent much time out that way beforehand, but i was surprised by the amount of dense housing in this area, so to end up with this car-centric development is beyond a wee-bit dissapointing. when are clevo developers gonna figure this stuff out!? i'm with Edisou in creating some sort of urban awards for land use. anybody can stage a press conf in the internet era, so i says let's do it! i'll meet you at the harbor inn amigo.

^this station, branded a sunoco, will also be sellling B20 biodiesel. they should be open within a month.

lawmaker cyclist gets hit by a car and makes law to protect children. hmmmmmmmm........ it would seem to be more beneficial, to all transportation cyclists, to push for complete adoption of the Ohio Bicyling Federation's recommended law reforms: http://www.ohiobike.org/ORC_Proposals.htm

how's this t-shirt http://www.wireandtwine.com/store/products/cincytransit.html boast for the future of Cincy? I wish we had someone making something similar for Cleveland..... Off topic, is there a hostel or reasonably priced hotel in downtown Cincy? Me and my wife are planning on heading down to check out some new recent developments financed with market tax credits. you can PM any recommendations to me so as not to clutter this thread.

What the hell is a Holistic Transportation Guidance!?

"Not that I disagree with all of your post, but out of curiosity - have you ever worked in Tower City? I try to be diplomatic and I truly try to give people the benefit of the doubt but ummmm... " I'm unclear with what you are saying here. Are you implying that's it's the MAJORITY of teen-agers that ARE causing the problems at TC and therefore that the ban on teens is fully justified? I agree with 8shades that articulated protest is indeed a requirement of participatory democracy, something that we could use helluva a lot more of in this country. formal education has always lacked any meaningful curriculum on civics, but it is exactly what we need lay the foundation for healing this city/region. also, regarding your comment, "as if the city or Forest City Enterprises is obligated to be their babysitters." To twist your words a bit, I do believe the City/OUR CITY/Us/WE, is obligated, to some degree to babysit/befriend/tutor/watch-over, those less fortunate than ourselves. Isn't that what a civil society is all about?

Not sure if this falls under retail, as it's more precisely a service, but it appears that the old Giant Eagle on Detroit Ave in Lakewood is going to become an Urban Active (previously Gold's) Gym, possibly with some condos and small retail. http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2007/11/urban_active_replaces_golds_gy.html