Map Boy

one?

wow, so I need to have 6 kids? I don't know how the wife will feel about this!

Any news on this front? This intersection, which has so much potential, is one of the least attractive and least active in the neighborhood. Empty delivery space, empty Rite Aid, Uncle Dee's (is it open?), and the new Rite Aid... such a dramatic difference from Gordon Square, just two blocks away!

Sure we do, but we don't "play." We're very serious about it! I find that a good number of urban planners in my circle are working on social and economic issues... affordable housing, economic development, community organizing, etc.

This is incredible! I had no idea!

Great piece! How fitting that they run this the day that I officially settle into the neighborhood!

Well-written and to the point. I'm afraid that the vast majority of the PD's readers (and Clevelanders in general) have no idea what the CPC is or why it is important. They also don't care about the tower or the project in general... Litt points out a few of the core reasons why the everyday Clevelander should care about these things, because they do impact our everyday lives... whether it be the design of buildings or the use of land, or the immense expenditure of public dollars. Let's hope there are a few new people paying attention every day.

The amazing thing is that Calabrese told me he was in Portland when they did their big signage package... the best I've seen. How can he be so far off-base when it comes to signage here in Cleveland...system-wide? Some stations (like Cedar/University) are clearly just being left to decay until they're rebuilt. Pretty lame, if you ask me.

I've got a few friends in NYC who will be excited to hear about that!

Towpath is topic of City Club talk Posted by Sun News June 25, 2007 06:54AM The City Club of Cleveland will host Tom Yablonsky of the Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corp. and community leaders on their efforts to connect the Towpath Trail to downtown Cleveland at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Leonard Kreiger CanalWay Center, Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation, 4524 E. 49th St. in Cuyahoga Heights. Tickets are $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are non-refundable. They can be purchased by calling (216) 621-0082 or visiting www.cityclub.org.

any word on this restaurant? I may be headed down to Akron in July and I'd guess it's too much to hope that this place would be opened already!

I get most of your comments (and agree) except this one: Demo is slated to add costs to this project. As far as I know, no one is claiming that a knock-down & rebuild option will be cheaper. The way one colleague of mine explains it, we're starting $40 million in the hole if we demo... the cost of acquisition, the cost of demolition, and lost tax credits... I thought money talked in government circles?

yes, but then what will their catchy catch phrase be? BTW, if this is the "other" thread you're talking about, this was supposed to be an events post on the UO calendar. It's not my fault the discussion has taken off from there!

The Schreckengost space was what I initially thought was going into the rehabbed retail location down Euclid... I guess I was wrong!

And don't forget the Doubletree on Lakeside at W. 6th!

ooops! looks like they'll have to think of something new!

If, by that, you mean my Dave's shopping bags, then yes!

me too!

In other news, this is the big event today: Join the Ride Day - June 22, 2007 On Friday, June 22, 2007, all Northeast Ohioans are encouraged to change their driving habits by biking, running, or taking RTA to work. The Join the Ride Day event is part of a national initiative supported by transit authorities across the country. The goal is to reduce the time commuters spend in their cars by incorporating other modes of travel, such as driving to an RTA Park-N-Ride and taking the train the rest of the way into town. Employers throughout the region are asked to support the challenge – reducing traffic congestion, ozone pollutants, and our dependence at the pump. Do your part by changing your driving habits. Commuter Facts According to a study conducted by the Brookings Institution, if Americans used public transportation for roughly 10 percent of their daily travel needs, the nation would reduce its dependence on imported Persian Gulf oil by more than 40 percent. The use of Public Transportation saves 45 million barrels of oil – the equivalent of 1.75 billion gallons of gasoline – every year, and removes 50,000 vehicles from the roadways of Northeast Ohio. The typical American family spends nearly 20 percent of its household income on driving costs - more than it spends on food. Based on AAA estimates, RTA riders save more than $7,500 on average per year by avoiding parking fees, gasoline costs, and car maintenance expenses. More than 200,000 people in Northeast Ohio commute to work riding RTA. RTA operates one of the cleanest bus fleets in the country, with buses utilizing natural gas and ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel equipped with after-treatment filters that remove more than 90 percent of all particulate matter from the exhaust. RTA is one of the first transit authorities in the country to have its entire bus fleet bike-rack equipped. http://riderta.com/jointheride/ It sounds like RTA has launched a major media effort, but the only way I heard about this was through an email from a friend. It's now up on the GCBL calendar and universitycircle.org's site as well. I saw a big billboard near Dead Man's Curve this morning. Has anyone else gotten wind of this from a different source?

Well, that's a bit grim! From what I hear, the Seattle projects are not all peaches... voters have been on the fence about them and funding is a little questionable. On the other hand, they are planning for rail and have been for years. Part of this could be the positive outlook on regional population and job growth and part of it could be that they have a more functional, progressive transit agency and political climate. They're also in Washington, where Seattle is the one big city (Tacoma is growing, but it's still small-ish), so they get a lot of attention. Cleveland is competing in a 3-city (not to mention all the mid-sized cities scattered around) state under a still conservative planning regime. So, we've got more than a few points against us. As has been cited on here several times before, transit funding in Ohio is atrocious. I'm not giving anyone local an "out." I'm just saying that it's easy to throw daggers when your not part of the solution... Then again, who knows? Kevin Hutson may be working on something right now.

I see the next new construction hotel as part of a mixed-use tower on the Jacobs lot next to Public Square. How's that for optimism? I suppose if the convention center really does get built off the back of Tower City, that we'll see something either in that vacinity or somewhere along Huron...next to the Courthouse, perhaps? There are plenty of lots over there around Jacobs Field/Q and in the other direction, towards the WHD.

We'll all be neighbors! Well, sort of... I'm moving to Franklin Boulevard this weekend. Just east of 65th. I'll be walking my dog over to BP on a regular basis! (I'll be sure to bring my camera)

That is a high number, but a little good marketing and design can go a long way! Let's hope one or both of these can get some serious attention by fall.

yes, it's a slogan they've been using since the beginning... I think the founders are already tired of it, but they keep using it anyway!

From GCBL.org: Oberlin project gets LEED-ND nod Submitted by Marc Lefkowitz on June 19, 2007 - 2:46pm. What sets Oberlin’s East College Street Project apart? Maybe it's the trio leading the development are a.) still in their twenties b.) recent Oberlin College grads who are sticking around and pouring their ideas of social entrepreneurship into a small Ohio town c.) they raised $16 million for their first development, promising to make it green and affordable d.) all of the above Much ink has been devoted to the youth and greenness of Sustainable Community Associates’ principals Josh Rosen, Ben Ezinga and Naomi Sabel, but equal space has been accorded their vision, the buy-in from 'the establishment' and cooperation from a city with a slow growth outlook. While traditional town centers continue to disappear in favor of Sprawl-Marts along the highway, these prodigies are shooting for something like open-source development. Instead of asking a question like "can this site generate X% return on my money?" we asked "what could this site do for this downtown and the people of this community?" their web site reads. “We had an opportunity to start something which tried to address long standing challenges that Oberlin faces. We saw a need for high-quality affordable housing, a need for new business and job creation, and a need to bring more people downtown.” The latest feather in their cap? SCA just got word from the U.S. Green Building Council that theirs will be included as one of a dozen or so pilot projects for the new LEED-Neighborhood Development (ND) rating system. How will this new ripple impact their plans?