Map Boy

So, what possibilities are still on the table? Are you still working on this or is it a done deal? I have a good friend who writes for This Old House...

it's true though! when I was in high school and my girlfriend lived in Boston, it was pretty fair to say that whatever weather we had here on Monday, they'd have on Wednesday or Thursday. I guess there's a science to it, but whatever, my method was pretty sound too!

I know...and if it hadn't worked for us several times before, I'd be pretty hoppin mad about it. Fact is, that's the play that has won us several games of late...LBJ drives, dishes to the perimeter and someone (DJ, FM, whoever) nails the shot. Also, I think the rule of thumb in a back-to-back when you're on the road is to go for the win, not the tie. I don't necessarily agree, but whatever. Come on, 3 more Cavs wins or Wizards losses and it's all a done deal anyway! Let's start by knocking the Nets on their asses where they belong...

A little change of pace (and perhaps a lead-in to a new topic)... I was just visiting a thread on our Southwest Ohio neighbor (http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=339.0) and was both reminded and amazed at the amount of hillside and hilltop development that has gone on in Cincinnati for over 100 years. The inclines originally made all this happen, but neighborhoods like Mount Adams continue to flourish with new, densely packed and ultra-expensive housing built into hillsides and on bluffs overlooking the city. The reason I'm posting this on the Riverview thread is that the hillside issue is what killed the initial proposal for the beautiful, cohesive development that would've replaced the now-demolished public housing with a mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood overlooking the Cuyahoga and Downtown Cleveland. So, my question while reading that thread was why haven't we/can't we build on some of our most prominent hillsides and bluffs? The profitability has to exist in a location like Riverview. Is it that in Cincinnati they've had massive public investment in securing the hillside dating to the construction of the interstate at the foot of the hill some 30 years ago? Perhaps the same opportunity exists for us here in Cleveland with forthcoming ODOT investments in Riverbed Street and necessary work that must be done to repair/replace the bulkheads along the Cuyahoga? Thoughts, comments, new thread anyone?

Way to go Musky, it looks like you forgot to tell everyone about today's College of Education building presentation today in the Levin College atrium! I'm sure you'll have more images for everyone later, though, right? I didn't have my camera on me, but the boards on display were very nice. The 3-D renderings from page four of this thread are pretty current, but the site plan from the same page is much different. I was pleased with the mixture of materials used on the building's Euclid facade that will make entrance points stand out. They referred to the building as a "gateway" to CSU for people approaching from the east, which is true, as it will be the first building after the Innerbelt that abuts Euclid (Mather is set back quite a bit). I also liked the inclusion of a 3rd floor "green roof" that looks to be accessible to students and faculty, as well as the plaza/greenspace/outdoor classroom that will sit between the CoE building and the Health Sciences building. This should be a nice addition to the east end of campus.

True that, Straphanger...NYC and Cleveland weather are pretty much identical. Though, it would be nice if you could show the city off on a sunny, 60 degree April day... I hope you do as well showing your lady around during her first Cleveland visit as I did! If so, you'll be moving here in no time!

i'd bet the latter. i never looked at these as "deals in place." they always seemed to be speculation of what the street could house.

thanks for that MayDay! I sometimes dwell on the disappointments... the place will be great and it looks fantastic!

what in the??? so, MTS, you're basically positive that this big deal is dead? did city people know about it? Namely, econ. development, the mayor, etc. Was this an unexpected screw-up or a business decision that was made over time? How would this have related to AOL-TW's new headquarters at Columbus Circle? This is something that has to be built in addition to that? This is all pretty mind-boggling to me. And to think, if we get 270 jobs out of this, it will be celebrated as a huge success!

I walked by today and peeped an open door across from Lola...big space, but nothing much going on. It's nice to see Lola making progress, but I was dismayed to see that what X and UrbanLife said is true. The windows don't go all the way to the sidewalk and it doesn't look like they'll be able to open. On the other hand, when Bier Markt opened, they had the same windows and it disappointed me there as well. Now, according to proposals on the Landmarks Commission's website, it looks like they may be opening them up to some sidewalk seating. I can't be sure, due to the limitations of the drawings, but it's promising that they are at least exploring outdoor seating. The same is true for Flannery's and Picwick & Frolic. Now, about Lola...are we still hearing May or has it been bumped again? Someone recently told me that they heard October/November!

of course...and they don't tend to be the best at listening either. They're very driven...so you'd just better hope that what they're driven to do will be in everyone's best interest!

Maybe I'm a little young to have formed a very critical perspective on Mike White...or maybe I'm just a sucker...but the class on Tuesday night was great! No matter what anyone can say about his credibility, achievements, management style, and ethics, no one can deny that he is a masterful public speaker and has charisma that was perhaps unequaled in City Hall past and present. Since our class deals primarily with neighborhood development, White talked a lot about his administration's efforts to build quality, competitive housing in every neighborhood in the city. And really, if you look at how much housing was being built in the city at the beginning of his time as Mayor and what was being built by the end, you have to admit that he was successful in changing the mentality of developers, banks and many residents regarding Cleveland as a place to build, finance and buy homes. Still, he acknowledges that during his tenure, more than 60,000 Cleveland more residents made a decision to leave the city than to move in, so there's still much work to be done. We talked a lot about schools and public education and about labor unions, public service and leadership. He was very candid, engaged the class, called us by our names (or nicknames that he made up while with us) and mentioned that if any of us are ever in the market for an alpaca, he knows a man who might be able to hook us up! There was no talk of scandal or anything like that (which was just fine with me), but he did spend a lot of time talking about his battles with administrators (like George Voinovich), the press and the unions. It was very interesting and I enjoyed the class very much! Funny story too...apparently, White and our professor, Norm Krumholz, duked it out quite a bit during his time in City Hall. Each sent letters to the press and administrators calling for the others termination/resignation during those 12 years. Today, they say goodbye with a hug and a handshake! Nice to see that bygones can be bygones...

f-ing right we did! I just got my tix for saturday's game...it may snow, but that place will be bumpin!

last night's game, with the exception of the 37-point 4th quarter, was a little frustrating. It's not so bad, considering our current position, but man, we looked like a bunch of bums out there! It's also painful to think of how we lost by 2 points and our free through percentage was well below 70%... this has been our undoing more than a few times... regardless, the magic number for home-court is still 3. We should be able to pull it off, but I just hope we're not heading for a slump!

amen to that! I've seen a number of new restaurants that have huge front windows but dropped the ball in this regard. I wonder why this is... anyway, great news that progress is being made and is now visible!

Fantastic news on the YMCA property! This will be a boost to the neighborhood and adjacent properties. Is the same in store for the West Side Community House on 30th & Bridge? This is arguably and even better location and the "for sale" signs have been down for over a month now...

The $750k is a big boost...I'm curious about the Energy-wise tidbit, though. Do you think that's for real or still speculation? I'd love it if it were true!

sorry about the miscue from above...I didn't make it to monday's meeting. There will be another, bigger one in the near future, so I'll keep you all posted!

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies and discussion folks! I was outta town and this is my first chance to check up on this thread. Just to clear up what MayDay was so vehement about, I meant to say that questions about cronyism and corruption were obvious...not that we weren't allowed to ask them. Our professor, Norm Krumholz (former City Planning Director and all around font of wisdom), advised us that we might want to steer clear of such questions because White would likely tear us a new one if we opened up that can. Now, if someone came in ready for a throw down, it might be a good fight...but I don't see anyone in our class having the marbles to do so! Personally, I'm going to stick to planning related questions...and hope that Norm will stoke the fire a little in regard to other issues. He's been known to do that! We'll report back tomorrow!

So, who's got tickets for opening day at the Jake? I'm thinking about taking some Cincinnati friends to the Saturday game...it's been a while since they've seen a team that is actually playing for the post-season!

Let's just say you're a graduate student at CSU and you are about to have a class next week with former Cleveland Mayor Mike White. Barring the obvious questions about cronyism and corruption, what questions would you like to have answered? The focus of the class is neighborhood planning and development, but I'd say we're allowed to get off topic, if need be!

I should have more info on the idea, as it pertains to Euclid Avenue, after Monday...

I know, I've just always heard him referred to as one of Cleveland's "heroes." This is throwing me for a loop!

my main problem with the Beacon Place townhomes is that they're set back so far from the street on both the Chester and Euclid sides. I hope that the Superior Block comes to meet the sidewalk and really adds to the street's pedestrian character.

and from Nance? I thought he was one of the good guys?