Foraker

If the population is growing such that the density (people/area) remains constant or grows even while the area increases, that isn't sprawl. Sprawl is not just an increase in a city's footprint. It's an increase in the footprint without the necessary tax base (people) to support the increase. I think we are all (almost all) in agreement. I'm not really sure what you're point is Gramarye. If we're discussing sprawl, the reason it's a problem is because of the taxes collected/spent ratio to provide city services to low-density areas. The people who want to get away from people don't mind well water, gravel roads, septic systems, etc. Those people are not the problem and a suburb outside the city with five acre minimums, gravel lots, well water, and septic systems are not what we are talking about when we say sprawl is a problem. It's the people who want paved multi-lane highways, city water, city sewer, and city trash collection, AND object to the high taxes needed to pay for such amenities to their low-density residences that don't support the taxes needed to provide those services. In paving roads and providing city services to those developers we have created our sprawl-problem.

Sprawl means a similar number of people (taxpayers) spreading over a larger and larger area, thereby necessitating more miles of roadway, powerlines, water, sewer, more fire stations, more police stations (and/or more miles put on police vehicles), more demand for schoolbuses, etc. I fail to see how can that be financially sustainable over the long term. What is your definition of a "successful" city? And can you explain how cities could "embrace and accommodate the sprawl" to be successful?

This is what the Ohio 3C train would have done -- completed the two-lane road so that high-speed improvements could be made.

Let's just put this behind us and change the name. Cleveland Guardians is good enough for me.

What "projection" are we talking about here? There was some thought that PHS would "project" advertising for shows on the side of the parking garage facing Euclid. The parking garage facade seems to be done. All that would be needed is whatever they need to light it up. Could be projected from a building across the street. Likely one of the last things we'll see (particularly with the theaters being shut down I don't think PHS will be in any rush).

Electric buses entering service in Washington state. https://cleantechnica.com/2020/06/28/washington-transit-agency-getting-10-electric-buses-wireless-charging/

I thought we were past the "just a bank" buildings, particularly on main streets. Consolidating four parcels for a bank with a drive-through and a parking lot would be a very unproductive use of the real estate. I'd like to see the city to push for something more multi-use as a condition for granting any relief from the current zoning.

Looks like the developer is now referring to this project as "The Ascent at Top of the Hill" https://flco.com/company-properties/top-of-the-hill-cleveland-heights/

Truth.

Don't hold your breath. Cleveland Heights city council gave the developer another extension -- to the end of July I believe -- but their patience is running thin. If there's no news by the end of that extension, they'll start over....

After further research, I think I was mistaken -- it appears to have been an Ohio State/Jim Tressel policy, not a mandate from the state as I had thought.

Several years ago the state legislature mandated at least one in-state game -- to keep the preseason game $$ in Ohio. Edit: After further research, I think I was mistaken -- it appears to have been an Ohio State/Jim Tressel policy, not a mandate from the state as I had thought.

We have all seen lots of great ideas on this site, ideas to increase density around stations, improve connectivity, improve the rail system, etc. Very few of the big ideas seem to be making any headway (of particular personal interest -- a downtown loop, and the lakefront intermodal bus/rail/rapid station). I guess I'm just too impatient -- thank you for carrying the torch for so long, KJP!

Are you seeing a north-south divide in those numbers? Is north-of-Mayfield selling as well?

This rant isn't directed at you LifeLongClevelander. I agree that that sentiment is widely shared, but it's shortsighted. If we just say "RTA sucks" it won't be long before there is no RTA. Our taxes will increase, however, and the desirability of living in Cleveland will fall. Without transit, we will increasingly demand more and better roads out to outlying suburban jobs to absorb the volume of personal vehicles at rush-hour. Our taxes also fund road maintenance and repair, and we already have too many miles of roadway in Ohio to maintain in good condition. Building more lanes is the opposite of economic efficiency in that situation. We subsidize the oil industry (including at the state level), which is another expense that we are paying for but not generally considering on the expense side of the ledger. Oil prices are likely to fluctuate quite a bit and will rise significantly in the long term. Low prices do not provide an incentive to maintain lower-quality wells or to spend vast sums to dig deeper or in deeper waters, etc. While it seems that the day of the electric car is coming, and more electricity is coming from natural gas and renewable wind and solar, the roads are still asphalt. Road maintenance that we cannot currently afford is only going to get more expensive in the long run. More cars on the road also means also more pollution. Even if we convert to all-electric and solar battery recharging, friction between tires and roadway lead to road wear, tire wear, and brake wear -- and those particles end up in our air and water. Spreading our jobs throughout the county also makes it much harder to have an efficient public transit system, making it even harder for the poor to get to their jobs. And the working poor increasingly have all the jobs that require a physical presence -- it's the professional office-worker who is able to work from home. And all this further increases wealth inequality in our community. It's one thing to run a couple of buses from a central location in Cleveland to a central location in Solon -- but once you're in Solon how do you efficiently move people to the all the spread-out businesses? I don't see how it can be done. Transit greatly reduces, but does not eliminate those issues. But when you're in a hole, stop digging. So I disagree with those who argue that our first priority should be to provide what cannot be anything other than poor and inefficient transit from Cleveland out to "all the jobs" in Solon and other outlying suburbs. Instead, I think we need to have a strong transit system in place in Cleveland first, then we can talk about running a line out to Solon. RTA should invest in a big way in TOD, own land and lease it to developers, to increase ridership while providing another source of revenue; and increase the quality of service in a more limited area (starting with the downtown rail loop we've been discussing forever). The city should reduce the availability of cheap and abundant parking. Make places in Cleveland that people want to visit and live near and make it easier to get around Cleveland without a car than it is with a car. That will be a far more efficient use of our resources.

And raising money to buy land near stations for development.

I'd bet that we have nuclear fusion about the same time all the technical challenges of the hyperloop are worked out. https://interestingengineering.com/biggest-challenges-stand-in-the-way-of-hyperloop But maybe Musk will surprise. Someone will get a fast ride later this year, right? https://www.esquireme.com/content/32091-worlds-first-hyperloop-system-to-open-in-abu-dhabi-in-2020

Council is not very up to date on development projects across the city. As you know, there are far far more plans that never come to fruition than there are projects that actually advance to construction. But several board members expressed an interest in getting more informed, if not more involved, in knowing what planned projects are out there. Mike Ungar chairs the planning committee and offered to host the rest of council at a planning committee meeting that would include an update on all of the projects in the planning pipeline. So we'll see. The project across the Euclid Heights Blvd. from the Buckingham was proposed by Integrity and if anyone is looking for more information I've heard it referred to as the "Integrity project." I still say that this project won't really be visible from the street unless you're really looking for it. It's cheap housing for students -- of course it's going to look cheap. Cheap housing has its place as do the expensive houses along Fairmount. The screening of this project by the wall and trees is far better than in other locations. So at the end of the day I don't see too much to complain about here. YMMV

Not necessarily. There is the potential for a Buffalo-Detroit line through Ontario instead. And if Ohio refuses to contribute funding to interstate routes, there is a possibility that Ohio would get no say in where the stations are, if any. The train could simply travel through Ohio without stopping. Although I would be surprised if it passed through any of the 3C's without stopping.

And this is why the sooner we move to a weight-based vehicle licensing (tax) system to pay for roadways, the better. (A semi truck weighs upwards of 80,000 lbs. in comparison.)

Nah, I don't think there is much there is to complain about (but then again I may be in the minority that thinks that Top of the Hill will be good for Buckingham property values). First, the Buckingham is on the other side of the very wide Euclid Heights Blvd. with its center green space. Then there's a tall stone wall bordering Euclid Heights Blvd. on the property site. With a large number of mature trees just on the other side of the wall, most of which (the ones close to the wall) will remain. (The City did raise that issue and the developer promised to keep the trees.) There's a vacant house on the site, and that will remain (and be renovated). If you take a google streetview look from the Buckingham, you can barely make out the existing building. https://www.google.com/maps/@41.5010838,-81.5964044,124a,35y,337.5h,45t/data=!3m1!1e3 Then there's the matter of the ugly EXISTING apartment building at Euclid Heights and Overlook..... these new buildings will fit right in and disappear behind the trees and wall as soon as they are finished, and won't change the character of the view nearly as much as Top of the Hill. Hooray for increased density.

Then electricity generation is not a huge pollution problem. Transportation would be my guess -- more trucks and SUVs. And industrial activity. No one wants to live downwind of a refinery!

This is going to hurt a lot of companies -- everyone hoarding cash, delaying payments helps you but hurts the recipient's cash situation. The subs at the bottom of the construction food chain will get hit hardest.

Here's hoping that Michelle sticks around. https://talkingbiznews.com/they-talk-biz-news/plain-dealer-lays-off-real-estate-reporter/

Crain's?