ccars

My memories must be beer-blurry then.

^ Rent. It's not that a house is a bad investment (at this price point, you probably can't go wrong anyway) but the different neighborhoods offer a really diverse set of options and different "feels" that can't really be appreciated by a single visit. You may move into a house in Lakewood but find that all your favorite spots are in Ohio City. FWIW, you can rent a house for pretty cheap in most of these areas, and I found out last year that such rents are negotiable. Check Craigslist for options.

^ There are several great grants and low-interest loans available to potential homebuyers (some with no income requirements/qualifiers) in those developing areas. The websites should discuss them. Average home price in the city and in the inner-rings is probably around $100k, I think, so the "developed" nice areas are priced above that threshold. Foreclosures can be had for nothing even in the nice areas and you can pick up a 2.4% rehab loan from the local nonprofit called Cleveland Action to Support Housing ("CASH").

I think comprehension of such a basic principle is a good litmus test for anyone's ability to be a leader. It's my impression that he's approaching the issue with the attitude that "any increased spending" = "bad". Normally I'd be fine with that, but I'd much rather see this rail system get off the ground than sink another dollar into the interstate highway system. It's hypocrisy.

I work in finance, and some of my acquaintances/family members and I have been sitting on some cash lately, and if I have my way it's not going to come near the stock market again. I've been running the numbers on purchasing two or three foreclosures, rehabbing them and becoming a vanilla landlord right around the Waterloo Arts District in the "model block." I have family in the renovation business who has been giving me favorable cost estimates using leftover construction materials from other jobs that seem to make the numbers work. Opinions of landlording in general aside (personally I think that home ownership is a correlation but not a causation of an improving neighborhood but that's not the debate here), I've administered a rental property before and I'm aware of the standard "pitfalls." What I'm looking for are reasons not to do this in North Collinwood, specifically around Waterloo. I spoke to the Northeast Shores CDC and they gave me some useful information about incentive grants and loans, although it appears that they're not very landlord-friendly. Honestly, though, it really seems like it's darn near impossible to find an available rental anywhere there between 90 and the lake. Seems odd to me, since everyone keeps calling the area "up-and-coming." I have never lived in North Collinwood, although many moons ago my father grew up there on E. 152nd. I know the area, I have spent a lot of time up there, but I don't know what it's like to *live* there. Currently I live in Cleveland Heights, where the properties are out of my price range. I would like to move to whatever neighborhood in which I purchase property but I'm still skeptical of the living conditions up there. If I didn't want to live up there, who's going to rent from me? Throw me all the constructive criticism you can think of. With money down and city rehabbing loans I have enough capital to offer some pretty nice apartments. Northeast Shores seemed to imply that there is significant demand for rentals, but there's no supply. Seems like there's something strange going on up there. This area could be a fantastic investment, and the numbers do not belie a "lose your shirt" scenario especially due to the popularity of the nefarious FHA loan and lots of willing buyers (not my desired endgame but a possible stoploss). Do you have any insight to offer me?

I think the intermodal center is the result of a federal funds grant that's separate from the 3C rail project. RTA already gave about $300k to the city for planning. Of course, to these people that's a thimble's worth of cash for all the planning and talking that's going to happen for the next millennium. I for one hope (and think) that steam will pick up on this project if the Medical Mart construction gets underway (and they say groundbreaking might happen by Oct/Nov.)

^ I think that's the plan of the intermodal transportation center where the Amtrak station is located now. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/06/intermodal_transportation_cent.html

Hope not. No booze allowed in the parks! Just kidding...but seriously.

I'm not worried about cannibalizing. This is exactly the type of development this area needs. They can build the highrise apartment buildings on top of parking garages later. Don't write off graduate student demand though. Many of them have more money (or loan proceeds) than they know what to do with. I wonder what "student housing" means, too? Apartments at market rate that only rent to students, like what Case does with the old apartment buildings on E. 115th [not the Village]?

It's very true that new rentals are very rare, which makes me worry that this new development might cannibalize the heavy graduate student population living in Little Italy and Coventry because they "have to." Then again, I have faith that this project will generate great interest in commuters who work at UH/CC. Many of those people dislike Coventry/LI exactly because the housing stock is so old and lacking in amenities.

Considering the lack of population growth in the region, building too dense might take away vibrancy from other nearby successful areas. It takes time (and maybe a mortgage modification) to convince people to move out from the outer-ring suburbs and back to civilization. Let the area become popular, then the density will be in demand.

^ They're legal in Cleveland Heights, either that or the law is not enforced because they are widespread. And for something to be legal in Cleveland Heights but not Cleveland is a real shocker.

Fantastic! Anything we can do to encourage entrepreneurship is a win in my book. At this rate, we'll be the gourmet food capital of the country :)

Frequent stop signs at cross streets do much to reduce speed. Short blocks formed by a grid pattern also tend to increase pedestrian usability, which in and of itself can slow traffic down. I prefer brick as the best solution. I consider it a crime that the streets of Cleveland were paved wholesale with asphalt without consideration as to the intended use of that road.

^^ On that chart of employment provided above from the BLS, those numbers aren't seasonally adjusted. Graphically, it just looks like a standard seasonal upsurge in employment, though starting from a lower low of about 50,000 jobs less. Could be different, though, as it looks like the seasonal run-ups are coming earlier and more strongly in many sectors. Areas like health care, leisure and government, unaffected by the cyclical economy, continue to grow at their same pace. Financial activities, which have slumped since their peak in 2005, are making a sharp upturn this summer even though it's typically not a seasonally affected job.

^ What about curbless rural roads with ditches? Does your proposition not apply to asphalt-paved roads of this style? I'd think an impermeable cloth laid along the contours of the crown would direct runoff toward either side of the road. Don't think gravel roads in medium-density developments are really feasible, but they're more reasonable in the exurbs, where few roads are curbed.

"But, when the recovery gains steam, how will CLE's unemployment rate fare? Will it substantially improve? Will the rate in the economic hot spots improve? This is a key indicator. " I think a lot of the reason for the net emigration out of state was due to the housing boom creating what were essentially temporary construction jobs in places like Florida, Georgia and California. The growth of these places was almost entirely fueled by the housing boom, hence their unusually high unemployment now. Chicago is also severely struggling in this department as entire downtown skyscrapers were simply halted in 2008/2009 after digging the foundation or partial construction (see the Chicago Spire and Waterview Tower). I predict that we're going to see a bounce back as much of the Cleveland diaspora move back home after struggling in these places to find any work at all.

I still don't think it's right to judge someone based on their clothing. You're making a value judgment based on arbitrary standards as to whether that kind of dress is a result of desirable versus undesirable "culture." In other words, it looks ugly, so you dislike it and you dislike the person. Are we out to kill creativity and independence already? The worst criminals these days seem to prefer Armani suits, at any rate.

When I was in Cincinnati one time, in the suburb of Springdale, I was refused the purchase of alcohol on a Sunday afternoon....3ish. The check-out guy said it was a local law. Very annoying. I was in college and one time tried to buy beer at 2am Sunday (Saturday night) and was denied due to local laws. Very annoying. But then I knew what the law was and adjusted so I didn't have to worry about it. Still doesn't mean that it's OK to have a law like that. If the legislator asks me, "what business do you have buying beer at 2 a.m. on a Sunday," my response is, "that isn't, and shouldn't be, any of your business."

The Mayfield Rapid stop, thanks to extravagant overplanning, is going to take years and years to build. I could rant and rave about it here, but this really isn't the proper place. Think 2013-2014. As for the rental cycle, usually it begins in May. Most everything on the market now is what didn't get rented then. There's a lot more on craigslist than there was when I was first looking a few years ago in September, might have something to do with the economy as a lot of people I knew around here were blowing $1000/month to live by themselves in a double. To be completely and frankly honest, and at the risk of being crucified, taking the Red Line downtown really isn't worth the time and cost unless your employer reimburses you. At $2.25 each way, I found I was spending an extra half-hour and 50 cents more than it costs to park at the garage on Prospect and E4th in the morning. Depending on your field, too, you might end up driving out to Beachwood to work, so keep that in mind. At any rate, I'd choose LI over Coventry for rapid access, but barring that, Coventry is the superior choice as your only choices for reasonably-priced entertainment in LI are Lou's Tavern, Lounge Leo, the Case campus bar and the Barking Spider, which are not exactly riveting places (and I think this is important, because it's the easiest way to meet fun people of similar attitudes, though minds can differ). Either way, though, if you get used to walking 20 minutes at a time, you can hit both places. You'll find that the housing stock is more high quality in Coventry than in LI, and parking is less of a hassle, though your mileage may vary. I always used to love hitting Presti's for a coffee and snack in the morning on the way to school or work.

There's a "local option" which allows a township or municipality to vote on whether to allow Sunday liquor sales. I don't think there are any local options in force prohibiting Sunday sales in Cleveland, but Cincy is dangerously closer to the Bible belt...

As said above, unemployment in Cuyahoga has remained below the national average for the entire crisis. And we're doing better than most of the state on balance (even Franklin was doing worse than us for a time, but not anymore). Here's a visualization: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/03/03/us/20090303_LEONHARDT.html Other MSAs have been hit really hard by this crisis but Cleveland just trudges along as always. Take a look at the Case-Shiller housing price index data here: http://i.imgur.com/by4N1.png Amazing how on average, our market stayed the flattest throughout the entire bubble. Maybe it was because blight dragged down the average, but I like to think it's because we never bought into this bubble BS. :)

Coventry is probably your best bet. Investigate the duplexes to the west of Coventry Rd. The location is ideal and landlords are willing to negotiate quite to your favor, so don't be discouraged by prices. Best to find a roommate and live in a house, but there are singles available. I can make it from my house to the Rapid in about 20 minutes, though the Healthline is the real asset in this area (runs late). Though some claim that the bar scene is declining in Coventry, you still have a few other hotspots within close distance, like Cedar-Lee, Cedar-Fairmount, and my favorite, the campus bar at Case. :) The tract west of Coventry including Little Italy has to be the highest concentration of twenty-somethings in the whole city. I've found that almost all of the other neighborhoods in the city cater toward crowds in their late 20s/early 30s (who tend to act like people in their mid-late 30s from NYC/CHI), which is probably why so many people in those areas complain about how "bad" Coventry is (they're jealous of youthful energy). But don't worry about the bar scene quality, the better benefit is meeting people around the neighborhood of similar age and educational background. There are still too many NIMBYs and "get off my lawn" passive-aggressives who illogically complain about college student antics after moving there with wide-open eyes, but you'll probably find that anywhere except in a downtown highrise. But nevertheless, the street in front of my house is active with pedestrians at pretty much any (reasonable, sometimes unreasonable) hour of the day. You will probably pay $500-600 for a single in Coventry, less in Little Italy but parking is typically more difficult (sometimes street only). Your price can drop drastically if you find a roommate. Watch out for the heat bill, though. 'Nother thought is Waterloo if you want to be a little daring. The area is still gritty and rundown but there's a really cool group of artist types living down there trying to generate some excitement and rebuild the area. It's where the Beachland Ballroom is. Some of my Coventry-expat friends have told me it's a cooler place to be. And God, whatever you do, don't live in Mayfield Heights. I have always been puzzled as to why home prices are so high there. I guess people still believe their real estate agent when they claim that the Costco is an "amenity" that "increases value." PM me if you want to get a beer and some advice. I had no clue what I was doing when I moved into town either.

As for the "prison-related" style-- --if you were to pay a visit to one of the 'better' suburban high schools, you might be surprised to see what the products of $100,000 household incomes are wearing today. While there might be some evidence that certain styles of dress are supposed to indicate a certain propensity for crime, it cannot be conclusive. Some styles become popular to the point where they lose their meaning, or their meaning to begin with was mere urban legend. Think about the urban legends associated with men wearing earrings, which many used to think was a conclusory sign that the wearer was homosexual. And of course, for those who adjudged it a social ill, also condemned the practice of wearing earrings. Certainly, that's not the case now, if it ever was. We have to be careful to separate dress style and lawful behavior from a propensity to commit unlawful behavior. When we do too much of this, we create divisiveness and cultivate mutual hatred, which does nobody any good. To a greater extent, it's very similar to the kind of attitude that cultivates racial tensions.

Frankly, I don't see what all the brouhaha is about. by my experience W. 6th has been somewhat rowdy for many years. I've never seen any all-out fistfights, though I was out the day after the shooting at the Spy Bar some years back. Every time I've been there, though, there has never, ever been anything short of complete police supervision. I don't stray from sensible dress that often but I'd encourage a little more acceptance as to dress styles of today's youth. Just because they're different doesn't mean you have to go into "old-fogey" mode and scowl at them, when they in fact could be physics PhD students. To judge them as otherwise would be prejudice. I'd bet you anything that 60% of all complaints originating from W. 6th behavior involves that age-old "get off my lawn, kids!" attitude that will never be satiated until liquor is outlawed again. There really ought to be an exemption from minimum wage laws for people under 21. studies have shown that minimum wage is the number one contributor to a lack of job availability for that age group that wants to work for extra spending money and doesn't need to worry about putting food on the table. It's irresponsible from a business standpoint as well. Fights on the street tend to drive paying customers away, and if bouncers standing outside clubs knew better, they'd do their best to keep the peace themselves. especially considering the general negative attitude toward cops most of today's youth shares.