Map Boy

I think so! (We'll have to take a field trip over there soon...) The views are unique and amazing and the land is just a little rough, which kinda makes it feel like you're roughing it. There are still about a half-dozen volleyball courts and it's one of the few places in Cleveland (aside from Edgewater) where you can actually touch the lake. I think it's fabulous...

it is a very interesting topic and one that may demand its own thread, but like you said, these are just two facilities that are moving elsewhere. CMHA, the Social Security Office, Riverview Towers and their attached clinic, several low-income health care providers (in the building on 25th & Lorain), soup kitchens, drop-in centers, etc. have a foothold in the neighborhood for a number of reasons...atop which are the concentration of low-income residents and the easy access to the neighborhood via public transit without paying Downtown rents. While parts of Ohio City are quickly becoming some of the more expensive places to live and rent space outside of Downtown, the Near West Side is definitely not the most expensive place to live in Cleveland. We have our more middle class neighborhoods, like Old Brooklyn, Kamms Corners, Lee-Miles, and Puritas-Longmead that have had more stability over the years, but places like Tremont and Ohio City - where "gentrification" is most often cited - are still neighborhoods in transition. They have been for most of their histories. I don't see the base of options and services being threatened for the lowest income groups anytime soon, but when you look at more moderate incomes...the working poor...that's where you start to see the impact. As it stands, though, the OC is still one of the most economically mixed neighborhoods in the city. In my opinion, it's going to take quite some time for that to change significantly. Of course, if anyone has data/evidence to show that I'm full of BS, please share it!

Not directly linked to the Riverview project, but definitely a related issue... the full article speaks to some of the issues that are arising with the clash of market forces and public sector service provision in the Ohio City area. From the March Plain Press http://www.nhlink.net/plainpress/march2006/news/01-UCAP-famloc.php Low Income residents fight welfare office relocation by Tim Walters Late in January, members of United Clevelanders against Poverty (UCAP) were surprised and dismayed to learn that Cuyahoga County was planning to move the Ohio City Neighborhood Family Service Center from its current location at W. 25th and Lorain Avenue. This center provides a variety of services to the community, including Ohio Works First, food stamps, child support and a career center. The new site would at Fulton Parkway and Memphis Avenue. UCAP immediately scheduled a community meeting at the May Dugan Center that over 80 residents of the Near West Side attended. Elsie Caraballo, director of the Ohio City Neighborhood Family Center, came and informed all that the move was being proposed as the W. 25th and Lorain location was considered poorly organized and in need of renovation. Only two replies were received after the County put out requests for proposals for a renovated site. These were for the current Ohio City Location and Fulton Parkway. The reason Fulton Parkway was being considered is that the rent there would be almost one million dollars a year less than the cost of the Ohio City location.

BizBiz, let me know where this other thread is so we can chat more on it there. My reference point is the Census, though, which is what this reporter was talking about. And according to the Census, the Cleveland MSA is 2.15 million and the Cleveland COMBINED Statistical Area (which includes the Akron MSA) is 2.95 million. So, as long as you accurately name your data, you can use whichever you like.

This has been progressing for almost two years and is about to wrap up. Sorry I don't have any images! Rebuilt span over Cuyahoga eases into place Tuesday, March 07, 2006 James Ewinger Plain Dealer Reporter Muscle and machinery guided the West Third Street Bridge home Monday morning, nestling it on steel-bearing blocks on opposite sides of the Cuyahoga River. It won't stay there long. The 2.1-million-pound bridge will be hoisted up on cables so ore boats and lesser vessels can make their way as far up the twisting river as their hulls and the narrowing banks will allow. www.plaindealer.com

I understand the need to look at praise with a critical eye, but this guy really does fall directly in line with the other members of the Cleveland press who like to cast a negative eye on our city. "How dare you praise Cleveland? You don't live here! You don't know how bad it is!" I know, I'm over-reacting. By the way, Chris, according the the Census, the Cleveland Metropolitan Statistical Area's population in 2000 was 2,148,143. Where are you getting your numbers?

Ah, from their website: Imalux Corporation was founded in 1996, based on a novel imaging technology, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). In 2000, initial seed funding enabled Imalux to start the process of commercialization. Since that time, with additional funding totaling more than $10 million, Imalux succeeded in being the first OCT company to develop and bring to market a platform OCT imaging system.

This sounds like good news. Anyone have numbers on Imalux? Number of employees? Years in existence? etc...

Well, Agora owners, get on with it! And how about those other pictures you spoke of Musky?

Oooh, 326...I might be on that bus! And I'm liable to pee on you or steal your wallet at any given moment. Practice vigilance! But really... how about that East Side Transit Center?

Well done! And welcome to the forum! I hope this is a sign of many good posts to come.

Of course the "hovels" aren't very attractive. But as we saw from the demo that took place in the latter half of the 90s on the site that currently features a FENCED IN open space (come on, you don't think people want to use that for a dog park/ball field/etc???), re-housing these residents is not so easy. Hundreds of CMHA residents were displaced and told that they would have the option to return to the exact same site when the new housing was built. It's 10 years later and there's no housing and now it's all being built off-site. The low-rise buildings currently to the north of the site belong to Transitional Housing, Inc. I would think that if a private developer had the confidence in the location to build something significant there, they would be able to offer them a nice profit for their land that would enable THI to move their housing and services somewhere comparable and build nicer facilities (much needed) with more capacity. Most of the social service agencies that they connect to are in the urban core, though, so it would definitely have be somewhere close in on the near-west or east sides. That leaves the properties on the west side of 25th. These are apparently stable, engineering-wise, but are occupied by many parking lots (Lutheran, et al) and unsightly industrial space. If the market was as kicking as we assume it could be, these would likewise be developed. We know that OCNW is advocating for more market rate housing in the neighborhood, but the private market is just biding its time. It's still a neighborhood in transition and things will happen, but it'll be a lot slower with things like Riverview being held up for a decade or more.

From "Neighborhood News" http://www.nhlink.net/newsletters/adm/2006/030106.htm HISTORIC U.S. COAST GUARD STATION PUBLIC MEETING Thursday, March 9 from 6pm - 8pm at the Gordon Square Arcade, 6515 Detroit Avenue Mayor Frank Jackson, Councilman Matt Zone and the Cleveland City Planning Commission invite you to participate in shaping the future of Cleveland's Lakefront by sharing your vision of potential future uses for the historic U.S. Coast Guard Station on Whiskey Island. This landmark structure, located on the west side of the Cuyahoga River's mouth, is also adjacent to Cleveland's newest public space, Wendy Park. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Cleveland City Planning Commission at 216.664.2210.

Let's not forget Great Lakes, Big Fun (Cleveland Heights counts to me in this conversation), Presti's, My Friend's, Chelsea's Vintage, Eddie Sand's Blue LIne (Shaker too) the West Side Market, and all the little delis around town that you can still walk into, sit at the counter, and order a grilled cheese sandwich with fries and a pickle for something like $3. I could go on, but I'll give some other folks a chance!

No one wants to get priced out. Yes, if values go up, they can expect improved amenities, properties and services...and who wouldn't want those things? But with the mixture of owners to renters (30%-70%, respectively) in Ohio City, the lower-income folks stand to lose from rising rents. I agree that homeownership is a worthy objective to shoot for. Cleveland needs more of this and that it can be done for all income groups at the same time. However, as this particular story relates to the HOPE VI project, if the site at 41st and Lorain could put the entire plan in jeopardy, then I think OCNW needs to concede it. They can definitely push for a mixture of incomes on the site, but it's been on the table since last year and it would be a little unfair (in my opinion) for them to take it off the table entirely at this point. I get the feeling that this project is just going to run out of time and we're going to blow a huge opportunity here in Cleveland.

ha ha wimwar! but seriously, this is awesome and something to build on!

It should be available online tomorrow!

great news! thanks for the update!

Just out of curiosity, how many people are attending/did attend the TOD webcast today?

I just think it was hilarious, not negative.

By the way, for anyone who's interested in the webcast that KJP posted earlier, I recommend checking it out. LISC puts on some good forums that are interactive and informative and can be accessed worldwide via the internet. You can listen in and see visuals at the same time by following the instructions on their site. Check it out this afternoon at 2:00!

Well, somewhat similar to what MrNYC was saying, I lived in New York for nearly 4 years and I rarely set foot in what would be described, by Cleveland journalists, as a "New York" bar or club. I went to dive bars, neighborhood bars, warehouse bars. Some were classy in their own way, but there was much more attention paid to kitch and authentic feel. No one wants to go to Brooklyn to find a bar that "feels like Manhattan." And then you have Manhattan, with its Upper East and West (which have their own distinct differences), its Lower East, its East Village and West Village and subsets within each of those as well. St. Marks vs. Avenue B. Let's face it, there's no such thing as a "New York feel." It is lazy writing, as Matches said. And Cleveland bars have just as much diversity as New York bars. Most discerning bar-goers know that, so it's funny that these journalists dwell on such phrases and comparisons anyway. Then again, there was probalby a lot more to each review than just that one line... I'll be paying more attention in the future, though, I can tell you that much!

well, that's exactly my point! the whole rest of the article is VERY positive. why start it with a negative statement? All right, I get it... I'm dwelling on that one sour note. This is fantastic news. Imagine the potential with a Medical Mart!

There are signs all over the Scorchers space saying that it will be THE place to spend your St. Patrick's Day...which is in TWO WEEKS! They don't look ready, but maybe they will be?

From this week's Scene, an article that had me tickled... Dear Cleveland: You're so uncool. Just ask the local media. By Ron Rajecki Article Published Mar 1, 2006 Ah, Cleveland. So terminally uncool. Why do you even try? Don't you know you're not New York or Chicago? Don't you know you're just embarrassing yourself? Well, you should. While the local press laments our lethal lack of self-esteem, urging us to Believe in Cleveland, it spends far more ink incessantly reminding us just how uncool we are. Take The Plain Dealer's John S. Long. While comparing Beachwood's Red the Steakhouse with other steak joints, he provides us with this insight: "Its red walls with their lacquered look give it more of a New York feel than the other Cleveland spots." Oooohhh. The all-important New York feel. A treasured discovery, when you're living in a city not cool enough to have its own feel. Just ask the young woman who was quoted in Crain's Cleveland Business after she purchased a Warehouse District condominium. "The Warehouse District has a New York feel to it," she said. Or ask a co-owner of Battuto, who told the Free Times that the restaurant's new facade will -- you guessed it -- "give it more of a New York feel." Maybe we're on to something. Little tiny pieces of Cleveland could pretend to be hip -- or at least give the impression of not being embarrassingly worthless -- if we make them feel like New York. View, a new downtown club, has the right idea. The Free Times' Douglas Trattner informs us that View is "modeled after chi-chi clubs like New York's Lotus and Ghost Bar in Las Vegas." He quotes the owner as saying that climbing the club's staircase will feel "kind of like coming out of a subway in New York." Because when you're paying five bucks for a Bud Light, it's imperative that the place feel like a New York subway. In The Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine, Regina McEnery refers to Moxie as "a spacious Beachwood restaurant whose chic, almost industrial decor seems straight out of New York City's Tribeca." Meanwhile, Tim Piai, writing in The Plain Dealer Friday Magazine, tells us that Flo Café "feels like a cool Airstream trailer that's been retrofitted for New York City." I don't even know what that's supposed to mean. Piai was at it again in an article about posh Cleveland nightspots. He recounts this exchange with "Ben" from Northfield: "After I tell [ben] the East Side might be the closest thing to New York here in Cleveland, he politely disagrees. 'I'm not so sure,' he says. 'I think the East Side's attitude is more like Manhattan, but the best places downtown and in Tremont have the atmosphere.'" As a knuckle-dragging Clevelander, I'm left puzzled by this conversation. But even with a walnut-sized brain, I'm pretty sure the point is to look at ourselves in the mirror and hope to see New York. Even this rag's not immune. Scene's Elaine Cicora tells us that a new sports bar in Wickliffe "will channel a Big Apple vibe, complete with N.Y.C. memorabilia." Wow, a Big Apple vibe! I'm all a-twitter! God forbid that I should drink in a sports bar that channels a Cleveland vibe. Crain's Cleveland Business quotes the owner of a planned lounge on West Sixth Street (that's in the Warehouse District, which, as you may recall, has a "New York feel") as saying he wants to create a "New York-style place." So . . . If we create in Cleveland a New York-style place in an area with a New York feel, are we cool yet? An ad for the Lost City Bistro Bar promises a "NY style nite club atmosphere," while the Rock Bottom Brewery entices us with this cryptic ad: "Happy Hour -- NY Style." Having been to bars in New York City during happy hour, I can give you this insight: People stand around, drink, and try to get laid. Sure, that might sound like a happy hour in Cleveland, but it's obviously much cooler in New York. That's hard to believe, since our happy hours offer the added bonus of secondhand smoke. New York isn't the only city we fall short of. Leave it to Trattner once again to assure us that Tremont's Parallax is too cool to have sprung from Cleveland's overweight loins: "It appeared as if someone had swiped Kosta's and replaced it with a swanky Chicago hotspot." Laura Taxel of Northern Ohio Live concurs that Parallax is too cool for us. "There's even a Saturday night waiting list," she says. "That's more New York City than Cleveland." Absolutely, since we Clevelanders pass out early on Saturdays, after long days of drinking Busch and watching bowling on ESPN2. Still not sure we suck? Amy Starnes will convince you. The Free Times writer says downtown's Constantino's Market "looks like it was air-lifted out of some trendier city and set down here." Did you hear that sneer on here? Ouch. And while we're down, how about somebody kicking us in the balls? This gem, which appeared in The Plain Dealer Friday Magazine, was referring to Cloud 9: "This club is straight outta Los Angeles or New York with its beautiful people, thumping beats, and beautiful mod decor." Beautiful people? In Cleveland? No way. They must be imported. In fact, I am often amazed that Clevelanders even procreate, given our appalling looks. And, finally, who else but the über-cool Trattner, this time writing in The Plain Dealer Friday Magazine, to stick the knife in our ribs? After describing the classy interior of downtown's V Lounge, he calls it "a look befitting a much larger -- and hipper -- metropolitan area." Did you hear that? It's so cool that it doesn't even belong here. Oh, Cleveland. You can keep trying to be cool and hip. You can keep embarrassing yourself. For my part, I'm going home to sulk in the basement. My balls hurt.