Map Boy

last I'd heard about it, the plans had fallen through. not sure where I heard that, though. i haven't heard anything about that wine bar you mentioned earlier either. where is it exactly? any updates?

sheesh, that is one of the most positive pieces I've seen about Cleveland's economic and business climate in some time... who's the primary audience for this character? Pardon me if I don't spend my free time watching MSNBC...

Great shots, MayDay! I'll have to post some of my Tuesday night volleyball pics from Wendy Park. That place is hoppin!

thanks for the feedback on the old Rite Aid spot... I did look at the intersection, but primarily the NW corner (where the new Rite Aid is) as a mixed-use development, as I knew that the CVS was closing and Rite Aid was moving over. I came up with a scenario that provided space for a decent number of townhouses to be developed on the site, while still allowing ample space for parking & drive-thru for the confirmed Rite Aid tenant. Alternately, I proposed a community grocer that would have incorporated cooking classes, etc., but that was just my little pipe dream. I'm sure a food co-op element would've fit in there nicely as well! So, since we've apparently lost the NW corner to a low-density single-use, how about upping the ante on the Domino's property? I wouldn't balk at re-use if it's the right one, but if we can build it up a little, that'd be nice too. Unfortunately, that might price out a community food cooperative tenant...

maybe they're using that newfangled low- or no-mow grass? I know some of the stations are slated to be bigger, depending on the location. There are also standard grade trees throughout the project, but neighborhoods were given the opportunity to customize/upgrade as the project passed through. I know there has been an effort to significantly upgrade the tree calipers in University Circle by the institutions and community groups. question: why has the RTA not updated their EuclidTransit.org site in forever???

It reminds me of the Joseph M. Gallagher School just west of 65th on Franklin. (I'll post pics later) Built in the late-1970s. Also, transit center = parking structure with future potential for housing or other uses on top? or is this out of the conversation?

I'm glad to hear (and see) all these signs of progress. We knew it would be a long project, but I think many of us (I'm guilty) tended to dwell on the bumps in the road (literally and figuratively) instead of the positives. Given, there has been plenty to complain about, I have defended this project ardently to anyone who claims it's a waste of time and money... On that note, I certainly believe (as most of us here do) that a Portland MAX-style corridor would be much more significant and its impact more broadly felt. But, as we've seen throughout this thread, the way the thing shook out, we will have ourselves a BRT line and a drastically improved "storefront-to-storefront" streetscape from Public Square to East Cleveland along Euclid Avenue. The spinoff investment is already being felt and who knows, somewhere down the line, upgrading to LRT could be feasible! As for the Portland Streetcar reference... that smaller, highly successful effort has been the product of a much different strategy from the MAX. They are operated by different entities, but function well together. My understanding is that the PS is a transit line that is operated independently of Tri-Met and the MAX. Passes are good for both systems, but the funding for the PS has come in large part from TIFs and private developers. The line has been very popular and has been extended more than once. It is, however, a lower-capacity line than the MAX. It is also lower capacity than our BRT will be. The cars are small and seating room is limited. It's reserved primarily for shorter trips and the "hop on-hop off" type of commute. It serves this purpose very well, but I don't think it would've satisfied the needs of our Euclid Corridor. That said, I think at Portland Streetcar type line would work tremendously on a Downtown to Near-West loop... roughly contained within the Innerbelt-to-West 25th Street area. Or if getting across the river is not possible, just covering the Downtown loop. TIFs on Avenue District, Pesht, and FEB could help drive this, but minus these big projects, I don't necessarily think there's demand for much more than the Trolley's we've got right now. This topic, of course, is discussed at length on this thread: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=5563.0

I know a couple people from Cleveland who camped out for the tax credits. Let's hope their popularity encourages more investment from both the private and public sectors along these lines! New tax credit for historic renovations prompts camp-out 7/3/2007, 8:21 a.m. ET The Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A new Ohio tax break has led historic preservationists to camp out and line up, iPhone style. Some spent part of the weekend waiting outside the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus, where the state began taking applications yesterday morning for a 25 percent tax credit on renovation projects.

what are you talking about? that's precisely what we're saying! if no developer would buy this property for $20 million, why should the public sector pay that amount for it?! sheesh, talk about thinking with your head...

They might also be Cleveland Housing Network projects or part of the most recent Villages of Central/Homeownership Zone extension.

wow, that's one crazy logo!

True, the primary objective is to consolidate County offices, creating a more efficient headquarters and potentially saving taxpayers money. With the current proposal, they're killing the last objective right off the bat. I think there are many suspicions about why they paid what they paid for the current site and who they paid it to. No one has really accused anyone of blatant cronyism, but it's an undertone that's hard to ignore. A very good point, indeed (Strap), that if this property was so undesirable to the private market, that it should have sold for far less. Sounds like CMHA might have helped them work out a purchase price!

woo! smokin hot! let's hope the planning commission was half this interesting this morning!

I know. I fear Chicago...

uh-oh... I didn't know that fell through!

Brandon Phillips

No surprise here... the surprises (to me) came in the big trades... especially the Ray Allen move between the Celtics & Sonics. I think the Sonics came out on top there. Now, for us, they've highlighted three players below that the Cavs should be interested in acquiring. Why Gerald Wallace and Rashard Lewis are not on that list is a mystery to me... Cavs make choice to sit out this draft Friday, June 29, 2007 Branson Wright Plain Dealer Reporter The Cavaliers did not make any deals to get into the NBA Draft. Two weeks ago, General Manager Danny Ferry said the team would consider getting into the draft if a player they were interested in was available. Apparently, no player ever was. Ferry said he thought he had a chance to purchase a pick late in the first round, but the team decided to keep its pick. The Cavs did not consider making any trades to obtain a pick. All 15 players the Cavs targeted were gone in the first round. More at http://www.cleveland.com/

And piggybacking on your comment about the necessity of single-floor departments, I've always heard that the tower was built with excess infrastructure, so is it possible that the floor-to-ceiling heights are already built in a way that could accommodate the new high tech demands of office tenants?

well put, Strap!

this could be a great project in a Cleveland neighborhood like SCS... though, with slightly less glass... And like MrNYC said, they could be somewhat portable. The owner wants to move to a new block, but keep their home, they can do it! With all the Cleveland Land Bank parcels out there (especially on the East Side), these two programs could work together. Like a less suburban/more progressive CitiRama!

why are editorials never cited on Cleveland.com? It would be very insightful to know who wrote this... It appears that authors on both sides of the issue are taking liberties, though, which I suppose is the case in many caustic political discussions. "Facts" are not always what they are made out to be... The problem I have with this article is that it still ignores the most poignant arguments for preservation... the waste of public $ on the initial purchase and proposed demolition of an apparently useless structure where there were clearly other available sites nearby and the waste of embodied energy in the building and the hypocrisy of the County Commissioners in wanting to build a "green" building. There are certainly many other issues to be argued, but these (to me) are the most difficult to refute.

design review is exteriors only, but I'd venture to guess that they'll be doing a significant amount of interior work as well. You'll probably hate it, but all the people who never set foot in the old 'Euc will love it! I figured that was the story with the bricks... I just thought you might have a clever tale up your sleeve and that no one took the bait.

Correction: UH owns the houses and UCI manages them. They are quite fetching! The Euc' is on it's way back. It's going through design review right now. And if you're not a fan of trailers, brace yourselves, there are quite a few more coming to the UH campus in the near future... BTW, you never did tell us why there aren't any more brick streets in Cleveland, Pope! Thanks for all the great pics! It's nice to see the place from someone else's eyes for a change.

yeah, i used to go passed it every monday on the Silver Line. I was impressed at the progress they'd made while the streets were ripped up. hey, if you've got 3 tenants lined up, you get that sh*t done!

wow, intriguing, to say the least!