Map Boy

Not sure when it launched, but it's a great website: http://www.buildingcleveland.org/

Oh, I'm sure that's coming! As for which architects are doing what... I can't recall precisely, but they went through that at one of the Planning Commission presentations. Some architects are doing entire buildings, while others are doing parts of buildings. For example, there are townhomes fronting a parking garage on Front Street. There's a small local firm doing those, while they work as a team on some of the larger buildings. It should yield some interesting variety and should push each to do something special with their piece. Of course, I'm looking forward to the green building innovations that we haven't seen on this scale to date in Cleveland. Think of all the experience that these local designers and contractors are getting that they'll take with them to the next job... very cool!

Sheesh, miss a day, miss a lot... miss a week and you're buried, eh? It's great that RTA is working on improving its maps, and rider legibility, especially as it looks to take on new riders and improves or rebuilds infrastructure. It's slow going, but it's progress! I'm also glad that our advice, as a forum, is sought and taken seriously. On the subject of the airport and ease of use... I was at a LEED summit yesterday Downtown and one of the speakers was from the USGBC in DC. He lives car-free and is pretty savvy when it comes to city living and transit. And needless to say, he'll opt for the "green" alternative when there's one present. Yet, when I asked him about his trip, he said he took a cab from the airport. I asked him if he knew there was a direct rail connection between the airport and Downtown and he looked at me with a somewhat shocked expression and said, "no!" We talked a bit more about this and agreed that there are a large number of urban travelers who look first for the transit directions when arriving in a new city and only when they can't be easily deciphered or other circumstances apply, will we opt for a cab or rental car. This is just another case in point about the need to ramp up the marketing and wayfinding at Hopkins in regard to the RTA! Oh, and the Cedar-University or Cedar Glen or University or University Circle station is one of the most difficult to decipher in the entire system. More on that later (I've been taking pictures), but from the fact that no one can decide on a name to the dearth of directional signage at the station, it's in pretty bad shape. It's still going to be a couple years before it gets rebuilt, so I hope some minor changes can be made in the meantime that can yield some major improvements.

I can't believe the negativity I'm hearing on this board. Aside from a few of the more even keeled responses I see here, it's all about slamming this thing before it's even begun. I'm not going to speak to the Eaton thing, because I know nothing about it, but if we just talk about the stuff that's really happening in the near term: the hotel, the theater, the waterfront, the housing, the grocery store, etc, we're looking at one of the most exciting, dense, expensive, complex, urban, transit-oriented developments this city has seen in decades. This is why the City is so invested in the project. This is why it's being recognized nationwide as one of the most cutting edge, sustainable building projects in the country. This is why retailers and companies (and eventually residents) want to locate here and why it's going to do far more than fill a gap in our urban fabric... And it's going to happen in the midst of one of the most challenging dips in the housing & development market in more than a decade. I'm not going to tell anyone to chill out or tell people what to think about this project. I'm just going to ask that we keep an open mind and acknowledge that we're watching something really monumental being developed here. There are a number of very interesting architects designing intriguing buildings in this district and I, for one, am really looking forward to seeing each one of them become real as part of a neighborhood that already exists and will now reach down to the riverfront. Some of them may fall short, but I think, on the whole, FEB is going to be something we can be very proud of.

As for the July 23rd public meeting time... it's 6:00 at Judson Manor. Let's see some UO representation!

wow, amazing reporting team... one of the feel-good stories of the year!

it seems more like a feasibility study of what's "possible."

I only use 5-ride cards. I started when my single-seat ride to work was split into a two-bus affair and I needed the built-in transfer that comes with the 5-ride. My wife used to take the bus home on occasion and would have to transfer at Public Square and hated that she had to pay twice. I set her up with a 5-ride card so she wouldn't have to. So, they're great for those of us who use the system anywhere from 3 days/week to once a month... you don't have to worry about having exact change on you and you can get your transfer on. Please keep them as an option!

Update on the E. 120th Street (new Mayfield) station: The Planning & Development Committee reviewed Request for Proposal (RFP) candidates for architecture/engineering design services to relocate the East 120th Street Station about 1,000 feet to Mayfield Road and to reconstruct the transit track bridge. The proposed vendor – City Architecture -- is expected to be voted on July 15. (from the July 1 RTA News) The second in a series of community meetings on the $10 million Cedar-University Station upgrade and renovation will be held on Wednesday, July 23rd at Judson Manor (1890 E. 107th Street). I will post the precise meeting time soon, but mark your calendars!

amazing... I've been biking by there daily and didn't even notice with all the other construction going on!

They did say it's a 14 acre site, so I doubt we're talking about something vertical here.

Another great summer weekend at the market... the wife, child, & I got our foodstuffs, picked up a falafel and took in a nice set from a band from Chicago (Mittens on Strings) out on Market Square. Good crowd, good tunes, great atmosphere... one of my absolute favorite things about Cleveland!

this is what I've been saying for months... the new boxes have been very sketchy from what I've seen and I've reported this on a number of occasions. I've also mused on here for a couple years about what happens when a driver just waves people on... do they get counted or not? I care because I want my service to continue and I want to be able to accurately represent the usage and demand when asking for federal and state $$$! I also posed the question some time ago of whether the bus/train operators understand how important this stuff is. Is it part of their training?

^Same here! Keep up the great photo-documenting! It's amazing to see those window spaces with people standing in them for context...

are you asking if it's the old sign, refurbished?

^good idea! I used to have a show up at WCSB too, by the way...

where's the site plan? was it nothing we haven't seen before?

Very exciting stuff, Blinky!

^ I agree! How funny!

Not being from C-bus, I was having a hard time picturing where this was and what the site plan looked like. This is from their neighborhood launch website:

more from Cleveland: http://urban.csuohio.edu/planningcenter/research.html

^I agree.

I agree. It's hard to tell who owns it by the name on the Auditor's site, but there are some businesses who operate parking lots and have no desire to build up. Then again, if someone made them an offer they couldn't refuse... Fact of the matter is that there are plenty of parking lots to build on the vicinity, so I (personally) wouldn't place that one above any other one, unless it were somehow tied directly to the build out of FEB and the office tower.

Ah, I see. I knew that the two corner buildings on W. 9th were to remain, but I didn't realize that the large parcel and the middle one that touches W. 9th weren't owned by the same party. I thought they'd been grouped together for this development. So, it could stand to reason that the one that touches W. 9th could remain as surface parking...

Walked down E. 4th last night on my way home from work around 6:30. The planters were out, new signage was up (kudos to La Strada), there was a jazz band playing outside of Pickwick and there were people walking and dining all up and down the street. I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical of all the planters, based on the photos posted here earlier, so I withheld judgment until I could see them in person. The impact is much nicer when you're actually on the street. I still have mixed feelings about the whole thing, though... is it too "Disneyland for adults?" I definitely get an eerie feeling about it when I walk through, but it's still very exciting to see all the activity and I love the draw that it has been for new housing, tourists, and Clevelanders, so close to Public Square and Gateway. I just may not patronize it too often myself, but to each his own, right?