Map Boy

Whoa! Lights and signage at a bus stop! Hold the phones! I sat in a bus shelter last night in the rain, facing away from the street, surrounded by dead street lights, with water splashing me all the while. My view? A parking garage. My location? Directly behind Tower City on Prospect at a pretty major transfer point. The good news was that the bus came after only about 10 minutes. Thanks for all the great pics on these threads UrbanLife.

Yikes, you're right! I've spent more than 20 days of my last 2 years on this damned site! No seriously, though. I'm just trying to set the record straight, because I really do keep reading this on UO, which I feel is pretty credible in many regards. I talked to two very trustworthy sources yesterday who confirmed that there are NO plans to demolish the towers. So, that's that. Now, the park is another story and I think could be a fantastic asset to the neighborhood. As a dog owner, I see people out walking at all hours and we'd really love to have a dog park within walking distance. Riverview would be a PERFECT opportunity for this! Don't worry, I'm getting involved. This is my life after all!

^seriously, we need some restaurants and other activities down there to help complement and activate the abundant public spaces around those museums. Great news, though!

well, I'm glad to hear it's still active! Weren't they trying to get balconies approved for this facade's upper floors? I guess they blew their budget on uplighting and that awesome Magneto weather machine!

seriously, though, a year is a long time. but it's progress that will be very visible! on a side note, work continues in the Market Square building, which burned last year around this time. I still don't know if they're just stabilizing it or if they're moving forward. All progress appears to have stopped on the Middle East Imports store next door. The construction workers must've been tipped off that their clients were both in jail!

I was JOKING! [sheesh]

Ok, well you present your sources and I'll present mine and then we'll put this baby to bed for good!

I'd heard talk of this...fantastic! I like the old Zen location, but this will be much better for their business...more visible, larger, etc. And it'll be great for W. 25th! This is the old Today's Fashions space, by the way.

^Wow, how many times do I have to type this? NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT DEMO-ING THE TOWERS!!! B12 was referring to the 2-3 story building on 28th & Church. For some reason, people on this site keep making allusions to some plans to tear down Riverview Towers. Nonsense! But, the issue of demo-ing the brick building on 28th & Church can certainly be debated...

and there are slots for gunners to hide out in the steps up to the front door. you can still see them if you walk by today!

shut up

Well, I beat her to the punch (http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=7974.0), but my readership is limited to you people, so I'm glad she picked up on the story! It is, by the way, an incredible story and one that continues to develop and inspire!

Well, Ohio City has its share of discount stores, but it does have a fantastic grocer and the West Side Market. Tremont is still without a true grocer and will likely not see one anytime soon with SYC opening down the road. I think Marc's fits in really well on Coventry. Sure, I would've been more stoked to see a plan for a 4-story condo development with a Trader Joe's on the ground floor, but that may never happen, so for now, I'm just glad that vacancy is going to be filled and that the pedestrian-friendly convenience shopping will be brought back. Back to Downtown. Yes, I think Target would work well in the May Co. Building, but I think it's more likely to be in a new space created specially for it in Pesht (someday soon, I hope!). Not that the May Co. Building wouldn't be ideal...just more work. I am very glad to hear that the visitor center plans are still in the pipeline and moving along on schedule!

One of my favorite bits of trivia: What is the only state to boast two Federal Reserve Banks?

Ok, how about this one... (Wimwar & B12 are forbidden)

Just a little imagery to go with the discussion: Quite fetching, really. Though, I'm not sure if the placement of that crosswalk sign is still appropriate: The hollowed out, opened up corner of E. 4th & Prospect: Another view of the best new RTA bus waiting area! It's coming together...even with all those vacancies! From the north: Progress on the Euclid side of the Corner Alley venue:

there's that "death spiral" quote again!

they have table-top shuffleboard, don't they?

Now, as this applies to E. 4th... The question that many of us have raised here is that of whether or not MRN is building a neighborhood that people will choose to live in and that will spawn more demand than current supply affords. That would push construction of our coveted 515 tower and for something across Prospect on E. 4th. Will restaurants and night clubs do this? I'm sure they will, to a certain extent. But, as many of us are saying here, it's still not the complete picture. The jury's still out, though, as there's still quite a bit of space left to fill!

I agree with everything that's been said above and this is all very fresh because I was in one of these coversations last night with a Rocky River resident who loves coming into the city, but still has those things come out of her mouth every now and again that just make me cringe. Things about the bus and walking around my neighborhood at night. Things she's never done, but seems to know a lot about! I agree that we generalize on here about pretty much everything...including what suburbanites think. And that's not fair. Many of them do the same to us and we don't like it, now do we? Bottom line as this applies to our town is that there's something about the suburbs that allures people in a way that the city isn't. It could be something as complex as race or as simple as a new house at the right moment. But it could also be that they are often more convenient, or perceived as such. We can't force people to get rid of their cars and choose walkable neighborhoods, but we can do our damnedest to make our inner city neighborhoods the most attractive and successful versions of what they are. We have to make them the most desireable places to live and entice people to change their lifestyles in this way. It's a market, folks, and Cleveland is still leaking its share!

"To reiterate Wimwar's point, why would these people come downtown to shop when they can do so more easily -- and with free parking -- on the fringes?" Just a quick question... do you pay for parking at Tower City or do you get a voucher after seeing a movie, having dinner, shopping?

Does Big Guy's deliver? Thanks for the update B12...glad to hear they're moving forward!

Not crazy at all... I think that's part of the problem. Without your anchor department store or other tenant, some of the other chains aren't as comfortable being the first to open up a storefront on Euclid, Prospect, E. 4th, W. 6th, etc. It's like the Walmart issue in the 'burbs (and now Cleveland)... would Target, Giant Eagle, Home Depot, Dick's, etc. agree to sign on if not for the initial Walmart anchor? According to Mitch Schneider, Walmart's presence was a make-or-break deal for Steelyard Commons. This is why Stark's plan to get a portfolio of tenants signed on before he builds is a safe and solid way to go for Downtown Cleveland. In the meantime, however, there are loads of retail spaces in existing buildings that are ripe for the stocking. Unfortunately, it seems that low buying power numbers and an unproven market (in recent years) is keeping them away. It could also have something to do with the way the developers/owners are marketing to or targeting their tenants, but I couldn't tell you that for certain.

Oh man, Edison's is my fave since returning to Cleveland! Banana peppers, pesto sauce & black olives! OCP is tasty if you do the pesto sauce instead of the tomato sauce, but it's still not that great... On the news in Detroit-Shoreway...I've noticed that they put up window coverings and assumed that work was underway. I had no idea the project was going to be this substantial, though! It's great news. Now, what about the coffee shop that was supposed to be moving in on the corner? Not a lot of progress over there... And we're going to have a vacancy in the old Charing Cross book store location soon...

I don't care if it's unique or not... I don't live in the suburbs and I'd prefer not to have to leave the city to shop! Why go to the suburbs when you can get it in the city? (because it ain't in the city yet!)