Map Boy

Great data, KJP! Looks like Cleveland had greater ridership increases (by %) than cities like Portland, Phoenix and Pittsburgh, who've each had major infrastructure upgrades in recent years. Also, Portland and Phoenix have rapidly growing populations. Columbus, who's population continues to grow, saw a ridership DEcrease... BTW, MTS, it looks like Cleveland edged out Milwaukee by several thousand riders...

And another (I don't really get the title, but it's about TIF financing that can help the Towpath Trail reach the Lakefront): Steelyard financing OK coming? Thursday, September 22, 2005 By TOM CORRIGAN Brooklyn Sun Journal CLEVELAND _ The $90 million, 127-acre retail complex dubbed Steelyard Commons still is on track. On Monday, the city administration introduced the last piece of legislation needed to allow tax increment financing for the project. Chief of staff to Mayor Jane Campbell, Chris Ronayne said developer Mitchell Schneider's First Interstate Properties Ltd., will not benefit directly from the tax funding. Read More...

good question, gotribe. I would imagine that growing cities would se numbers larger than these, but other cities like Cleveland who haven't made significant additions (new transit lines, etc) to the system in recent years would be a good indicator of whether or not it's the gas prices or the service or something altogether different that's affecting ridership numbers. I would also say that it's fairly certain that a percentage of the ridership increase is due to my return to Cleveland!

I don't think the plan is conservative at all! I think it's very ambitious to take a grouping of land this large and try to master plan it as they've done. It was a HUGE undertaking! The drawings and shapes and heights of buildings are all very hypothetical. There's nothing saying that a developer can't propose a taller structure in any of those places...unless zoning prohibits it...but I have a feeling that the City is going to be looking for investment and will do zoning changes or variances wherever necessary.

seriously, how many people live in "duck island" and how does this weigh in with the rest of the community? I had the same question regarding the WSM merchants who were so vocal in opposing the Hicks Lot. What it comes down to is the final recommendation of OCNW. If they determine that the 4 or 5 (more or less) Duck Island residents at the meeting are either not representative of the whole of Duck Island and not representative of the whole of Ohio City, then they might just have to say "tough luck, this is for the good of the entire community." This isn't eminent domain...this isn't a waste facility or a jail...it's HOUSING and it'll add "eyes on the street" and feet on the sidewalk and cash in the registers of local merchants. Where's the harm in all that???

I agree that this can go a long way...I'm on a little island here at CSU's College of Urban Affairs, surrounded by actors/doersvisionaries/believers - not just your every day bystanders. Sure, there are plenty of those here as well, but the overall theme of this building's inhabitants is that we must play an active role in the decisions and actions of our city and region. Outside of the few pockets like this, the overarching attitudes in the city and the region towards the fate and status of our home is that it's going down the tubes...and this is due, in large part, to the media (and some of our candidates for mayor...sorry, different thread). So, I think it's great and imperative for the media to try a different angle. One that's true and positive. Sure, there's still plenty of bad news to report, but let's not bury all the good stuff on page 4 when it's rightful ranking should be up front!

very excited about this groundbreaking! I've been poking around the fences lately, trying to get a glimpse of what's going on beyond... A couple major projects are "starting" in the next couple days...Battery Park is breaking ground, the Mather Museum is moving to the other side of the harbor and the CCF Heart Center is breaking ground today or tomorrow. Exciting!

This looks the same as those pics from a long time ago...still not doing much of anything for me. Although, I'd love to see them build it!

Excellent point, GoTribe! I think that's definitely true... NYC gets really cold in the winter too (as do Chicago, Boston, Philly, etc.), but people continue to shop and fill the streets. You've just got to give them a good enough reason to be there! And yes, I got that email too, but I posted a comment on their website about a week ago, so I wasn't surprised that I was on their mailing list.

As suspected, not much new news here, but there were lots of numbers thrown around about how much has already been spent in developments (public and private) related to the waterfront, as well as projected dollars involving projects on the table. The plan is being touted as the primary tool to use when the city wants to pursue federal, state and foundation funding for projects such as the lakefront boulevard, waterfront parks, etc. Of note: the Mather will be setting sail for the other side of North Coast Harbor this weekend (Saturday at 10am, I believe) and the Waterfront District Plan was honored with a very distinguished award this weekend by some Ohio architecture group. Paul Volpe (City Architecture) presented the award to the Mayor and her staff at the end of the presentation. Also, there's a fancy new printed version of the Lakefront Plan that should be available through the Planning Commission. Check http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/lakefront/ for more info...

I understand what you mean...but it's still exciting! The real stuff will come into play at the debates that have been taking place at least once a week. The next one's tomorrow at the Levin College Forum at CSU. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera today, so there will be no pics from me from this "announcement." I'll post my review, though, once I get back!

TODAY!!! Lakefront Plan Advisory Committee Members & Friends: Envision a city where one can easily reach down and touch the water….. Thanks to all of you, that will soon be our own City of Cleveland. After numerous public engagements that generated thousands of comments from the community, the time has come to unveil Cleveland’s Waterfront District Plan documentation in its final poster format. You are invited to join Mayor Campbell and the Waterfront District Planning Team for a Press Conference to be held on Tuesday, September 20th at 11:30 AM on Strawbridge Plaza (formerly Mall C) next to City Hall. Thanks to each and every one of you, we have not only conceived a way to connect our citizens to the water, but a way to connect our city with its future. Please join us to share in this momentous occasion, which will feature a special announcement regarding Cleveland’s Waterfront District Plan. Debbie Berry, PE Lakefront Plan Manager Cleveland City Planning

agreed!

pretty exciting prospects...now, I'm interested in finding out what this would mean for Cleveland? Would we be sending some of our best and brightest abroad or would we be increasing training operations locally (i.e: recruiting more heavily) and then shipping people over? Or would there be no significant local effect? The international recognition and expanded reach couldn't hurt, though, unless it meant disinvestment at home...

I won't be able to go to this tomorrow night...who's gonna step up??? CMHA plans will be aired Thursday, September 15, 2005 By DAVID PLATA West Side Sun News Councilman Joe Cimperman said he will object to plans by Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority _ still to be made public _ to build up to 350 mixed-income housing units in the area of Columbus Road. But George Phillips, CMHA director, said the plan has not been finalized, and would call for fewer units than that _ about 100-150. That's one of the sites we're looking at, Phillips said. We're talking with RTA. There's nothing final yet, nothing definite. Neither Cimperman nor Phillips could say how many acres are at the site, on either side of Regional Transit Authority tracks. Phillips said the plan calls for both mid-rise and high-rise buildings. The plans are to be aired at a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Castele Learning Center at Lutheran Hospital. What I understand is it's going to call for creation of one big block of housing, said Cimperman, D-13. A lot of people are concerned about that. You don't want to create something that is exactly why you went through the whole HOPE VI process in the first place. The whole idea is to de-densify, to have people living in places that are more _ not single-unit, but certainly less than this massive wall of housing. Residents in the area of West 20th Street and Abbey Road are very, very concerned about the plan, Cimperman said. CMHA faces a Sept. 30 deadline to tell the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development how it will spend some $8.5 million remaining in a HOPE VI grant. The money was awarded in 1996 to build some 420 units on the bluff behind the authority's Riverview Towers on West 25th Street. However, geotechnical studies later showed the land is so unstable that it can't be built upon, and CMHA has been scrambling to find alternate sites. Phillips also said CMHA is asking the federal government for an extension of so-called checkpoint dates in the timeline process, totaling about a year, to find suitable sites and finalize the plan. Cimperman said he also wants a time extension. I don't think we should settle for a plan that comes in second place when, with a little more time, we could get what we want, he said. Councilman Nelson Cintrn Jr., D-14, has said he objects to plans to build three high-rises, totaling 268 units, along with a two- to three-story parking deck, on the so-called Hicks Lot next to the West Side Market. Both Cintrn and Phillips have said they are in discussions with RTA to build a high-rise atop RTA's West 25th Street-Ohio City station. From 120-160 units could be built there, Phillips has said. Joe Mazzola, director of Ohio City Near West Development Corp., noted the Hicks Lot plan has essentially been rejected, and called the plans for Columbus Road Plan C. I'll know more about it when CMHA meets with our board, he said. CMHA is developing the plans with Telesis Corp. of Washington, D.C. In addition to the Hicks Lot, according to preliminary plans, 74 units would be built at West 28th Street and Church Avenue; 48 would be built at West 28th and Detroit Avenue; and 12 would be built at West 41st Street and Lorain Avenue, on land owned by Ohio City Near West Development Corp. [end] it sounds like there's plenty of dissent among the council members that serve this area, let alone the residents and merchants...It's also interesting to hear that OCNW has already declared the Hicks proposal dead...

I love having you on our team KJP!!!

true, but the Browns have NEVER won at Lambeau before yesterday...that's an achievement!

I think the option will work its way into people's schemes. For example, if you're doing a quick trip to Columbus for work and you want to do some work on your laptop along the way, you're not going to be able to drive. Again, the issue of who's paying for it comes into play. The Acela Express on the East Coast would probably have never come into existence if it wasn't for the fact that most of the people who take it probably aren't paying for it. And some of the prices that people pay for business trips on airlines is just ridiculous... this will offer an alternative to that, even if it doesn't significantly cut into the number of drivers.

well done... The price point that these will be demanding and the location should warrant more significant design review and only the best materials. not that the existing residential structures on E. 12th are anything great to look at, but they're sturdy, right? I'm also excited that they'll be starting two phases at the same time next year. I was afraid that they were gonna go one block at a time and finish sometime around 2012... it looks like the first two blocks can be ready to go by 2008! It sounds like a ways off from now (which it is), but the construction phase is always pretty exciting and that's starting next year! One step at a time...

and the browns winning at Lambeau??? That's not something to overlook!

I had the privilege of going down to the site and viewing the 11 beautiful homes that were built for this showcase. The vast majority had amazing front porches and fit very well into their surroundings. About half had rear garages, while the rest used their garage space well by featuring rooms above. The spaces were amazing and made me want to think seriously about buying! The Corner of E. 101 & Superior, just off of East Blvd and the Cultural Gardens... Nine of the eleven houses were built on E. 101 on either side of the street: This house and another very similar one were on E. 100: The ultra-modern interior of the Civic Builders/Progressive Urban Real Estate home: One of my favorites on E. 101:

I did that route for four years from UC to Cleveland and took the bus a couple times, but would LOVE to have had the option to take the train! Those Greyhound trips caused me to swear the company off for the rest of my life... This sounds like it might be a little bit out of range for some college kids (and much of the remainder of the population as well), but when you consider it as an alternative to driving or flying, issues of cost, convenience and time all start to get mixed up...what is it worth to each traveler??? I'd definitely do the train before flying and if my employer was paying for it, I'd do it every time! That, and I don't have a car, so that leaves the bus and what did I say about that earlier???

I third that...the plaza that was just build on the Huron side should do well when those buildings are occupied. Huron creates a great little corridor (with storefronts) between Gateway and Playhouse Square and with plazas at each end, it represents one of my favorite pieces of urban desing/planning in present day Cleveland!

Returning to two sites is just ludicrous...what kind of process is this when the vote to concentrate on one site and vote a month later to consider a site that has officially be withdrawn and then officially re-entered??? We'll be at this for another decade at this rate!

This may be an argument for the architecture thread, but I really do think this building is significant and attractive in its own way. There are definitely UGLY modernist buildings downtown, but this one is chock-full-of-windows and is (in my opinion) one of the most notable examples of late-era modernist architecture. I can do without Breuer's CMA addition...that does nothing for me...but this one gets me going! One of my favorite views, with some modifications (original, courtesy of ClevelandSkyScrapers.com):