Map Boy

well, i can think of a few prime spots in PHSq that have been vacant for some time! Namely, the old Christian Science Reading Room, the old Oberlin Art Gallery and the space next to the vacant gallery... There's also that building over at Star Plaza that was supposed to be converted to condos a few years back. It now has a for-sale sign on it and some grubby-ass windows!

kinda like Fado that used to be in the Flats? where is this place going to go?

wow, this is really shocking! I look forward to reading/hearing more KJP!

I didn't know where else to put this, so I changed the subject for my post... Over the last several months, I thougt that I'd discovered the most friendly bus driver in the system (and perhaps, the nation!). He picks up at 8:53 at the corner of W.30th & Bridge Avenue in Ohio City, just in front of Heck's. He's the kind of driver who accellerates and brakes with finesse, so that everyone who's standing, walking or sipping coffee will be able to maintain their balance for the duration of the ride. (Seriously, how many times has my coffee ended up in my lap on an RTA bus ride?!) He'll also stop for you if he sees you running down the street! Amazing! Well, I've been getting up late these days, so today I was waiting for the bus about a half-hour later. I caught the 25, heading east, at about 9:30 this morning and was delighted to find that there's not one, but two "best drivers in the system!" And they're both on my line! Many of us transit riders don't speak or interact with another human being before stepping onto the bus, so when this guy says good morning and asks how you're doing in a sincere way, it makes a difference. He made sure to caution the not-yet-seated riders as they moved towards the back, he warned of large steps or gaps when riders were stepping off, he greeted everyone - young and old, male and female - with the same respect and sincere tone. And I tell you what, I was smiling by the time I got off the bus! So, kudos to you, friendly bus drivers! You keep my pants coffee-stain-free and your cordial banter really does make a difference.

^that's a classic "punch"-line I'm interested to hear about this new venue, as I feel that there needs to be/should be much more activity in and around PHSq at night. It's a shame that none of the uses on Star Plaza are open late or encourage any interaction with the street level. Vinea is just a bit too far down the row to really affect the plaza. The furniture store is quite attractive, but that row right there just to the west of US Bank would be an ideal spot for some eateries with sidewalk seating... I can't remember if Otto Moser's has outdoor seating in the spring-fall. Anyone else?

Guess you'll just have to spend more time in Tremont then! What's the view like from where you are?

15-1 thwomping of the O's tonight...don't you just love it when a cleveland team beats up on a baltimore team?

Listen, I played some B.J. Thomas this week, so you never know what I'm going to come up with on a Monday morning! As for why the museum will take so long...well, I guess it takes a while to spend $260 million! Have you seen the plans? Have you visited the site? Do you know how complicated it is to relocate and store priceless works of art during the process? I'm interested to see how the phased openings will go. We're supposed to have exhibits as early as this summer!

fantastic! I love the views down Center Street...can you imagine if you were up in one of those Stonebridge apartments, looking out and seeing a ship going by at even height?

you're right on that one...only in your dreams! I'm sure bosh will be out of reach too. Lebron's obviously priority #1 and after that, I doubt we'll even be able to keep Flip Murray. Who else on this team will be up for a new contract soon? In response to your commentator comment, clvlndr, TNT and some of the other national broadcasters really don't do their homework. That, or their stats/info people are shoddy. I've watched nationally televised games where they've just spouted out false information from beginning to end and it really gets irritating!

Are John George and Tony George the same person?

Wow, thanks for that incredibly coherent and comprehensive post, KJP! There are a few questions answered and many more posed there. This has become a much more interesting (and significant) proposal than I think most of us would have expected on page one of this thread. On a side note, the Flats Oxbow Association is run by one of the oddest men I've ever met. Their website is pretty nice, though! www.clevelandflats.org Check out the photos by Munroe Copper...

The thought of this guy wielding any sort of power is frightening...

Good points, FrqntFlyr. Maybe Wolstein has done most of the hard work up to this point, but he's also getting a lot out of it. He's hasn't in the past and will not in the future buy the properties based on the value that they will have, but rather on the value that they have at present. That means, prior to infrastructure and other improvements that the City has pledged to do. This is an interesting question, though, about who gets to reap the benefits. Basically, the public sector is putting in millions of dollars for improvements that will enable a developer to build a gigantic project that will ultimately increase the city's tax base and pay huge dividends to the developer. But how can the City deny another developer the right to reap benefits from the public investment as well? If the dozen or so property owners said they were going to rehab their buildings and ensure viable uses into the future, would that be a good enough reason for the City to commit this much money? Not likely. Is it really necessary to bring in a new developer to make all this happen? At the scale that Wolstein is proposing, probably. Would he do it without full ownership/control? Probably not. Hence, conflict. When it applies to Shaia's property, however, I see less of a necessity for this conflict. It's on the fringe and is viewed as a long-term prospect for the FEB. How this is made to fit into the scope of eminent domain proceedings escapes me, but it will definitely make the case a lot more controversial if it goes forward. The group of property owners that currently exist would be hard-pressed to produce a plan for their properties, one at a time, that is as viable as Wolstein's. In the case of Shaia's property...on the fringe of the FEB proposal, do we know that Wolstein would be the best person to develop the site? And as we've speculated on here, how do we know that either one of them will ever build what they say they're going to build? I'm still waiting to hear some sort of official statement from Wolstein. Hearing from Lesick isn't enough for me!

are they against this project? word to that...the only way that this makes any sense is if this is an ABSOLUTELY necessary staging ground for the construction. That, I doubt!

nice! thanks musky!

Is it fair that a parking lot owner, whose property isn't slated for any improvements, would like to propose a "higher and better" use for his property after the announcement that the public sector is putting tens of millions of dollars into infrastructure improvements on adjacent land? This is also no small plan...228 units and over $80 million would be a BIG boost. Much more so than someone saying that they're building a new night club or just another parking garage on the site... One thing's for sure, though. If the planning commission sees this through, they have to get a commitment from Shaia that the project will be built and built well. He can't just build the garage and call it a day. That would be f'ed up!

A pleasant surprise: The fans at Jacobs Field did their part as a record walk-up crowd of 8,510 turned out for the series finale. But despite forging a four-run lead against the Mariners and their ace-in-training Felix Hernandez, the Tribe was turned back down the stretch. Ben Broussard and Ronnie Belliard homered. Total attendance last night was 24,638, which is just under what they drew on Saturday evening (April 8th: 25,107).

oh, I can see it now! We're standing roughly where the Q is now, looking at the building that Flannery's now occupies. The Arcade looks like it's right there, but it's actually visible through the block. Is that right?

By the way, I'm impressed with the drawings you posted, KJP. When were those from? Who was the architect? Do they represent massings or actual renderings?

Low Income Housing Tax Credits have this requirement so that a developer can't just take the free money and then price it out of reach of this large share of the immediate market. If they have enough upper-income buyers to support the project without this subsidy, then they can forgo the LIHTC and go right to for-sale!

I'll give him somewhere around 1%. I'll give Urban Ohio on the whole about 5% credit. The Levin College, about 20%. Friends and Family, about 25%. The combination of growing up here, loving the city, missing it, and wanting to replant my roots here with my girl all account for the remaining 50%. I'll give you 1% of that UO 5% too, KJP!

They've put a banner up on the future Fantasy One night club at Prospect & Huron...it's now set to open in July. from page 7 of this thread:

BTW, did anyone else notice that TNT was using stock footage of Downtown Cleveland for their broadcast last night? I've seen this on FSN Ohio many times, but never noticed it with TNT before. It's easy to tell now because we've got scaffolding on the TT. I remember watching a game earlier on in the season when the weather was really nasty...lots of fog and rain. TNT had their blimp/chopper out there and the shots were amazing because you could see the towers glowing through the haze and fog.

Just had another look at this thread and remembered how excited I was to see it while I was still living in Brooklyn, NY... thought I'd send it to the top of the list with a new reply!