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So, did the unions protest the groundbreaking? I heard that they would be doing just that. (Zaremba is not going to use union labor).

Mayday, you must be eliminated. You are a detriment to the cause. Firing squad, prepare your arms! (just kidding, I agree with you :) )

He really has this Anakin Skywalker evil-look to him.

i had a lovely experience today at caribou with suburbanites bitching about a) parking downtown b) getting caught by a cleveland traffic camera and then c) bitching about speed limits on surface streets. Have these people have travelled to Chicago, NYC or Seattle? And, good Lord, speed limits? Are these people Libertarians??

The local Indian community really raised some cash for this. One of the members is a structural engineer. He designed the base for the statue. Supposedly, it could support something 5 tons heavier. Hey, whatever works..

I don't think that anything is going to be torn down. There is nothing there at the moment.

a lot of jobs? I remember last year how they were talking about adding a thousand jobs to the Mayfield campus.

^practice makes perfect.

I was pretty sure that the previous owners didn't plan on developing the property. Sounds like this was a quick decision.

Parking lot operator buys land near University Circle 4:14 p.m. Parking lot developer John Coyne and his son, a commercial real estate broker, are teaming with others to buy six acres of vacant land that sits between University Circle and Little Italy. Terry Coyne, a senior vice president at the Cleveland office of Grubb & Ellis, said the family-led partnership is interested in the property because of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's plans to build a new rapid station near the site... more at: http://www.cleveland.com

I'm guessing that this is purely an academic exercise. I doubt that anyone would have the balls to suggest that pedestrian traffic should be eliminated completely. Would they have snipers on top of the May Co. building to enforce this?

good one, KJP! Downtown sites hot for housing Thursday, September 28, 2006 By Ken Prendergast Brooklyn Sun Journal CLEVELAND _ Don't tell downtown housing developers that demand is sluggish for new homes in Cuyahoga County. It's true that the number of new housing starts countywide has declined in recent years as the amount of undeveloped land in the suburbs has become increasingly scarce. But that is not so much the case in Cleveland, as the metro area's mother city continues to see a steady rate of new homes built. Among Cuyahoga County communities this year, Cleveland issued nearly twice the amount of new housing construction permits than second-ranking Westlake, according to CRM Development Research. And, when it comes to housing construction in Cleveland, downtown is where things are really heating up. At 11 a.m. Friday, ground will be broken for the $250 million, 430-unit Avenue District at St. Clair Avenue and East 12th Street. Last week, at the opposite end of downtown, future phases were announced for the Stonebridge development on the West Bank of the Flats, that would add 1,200 housing units to the 500 already built. Physically between those projects are other large proposals _ the Wolstein Group's $220 million Flats East Bank neighborhood and Bob Stark's $1 billion development on Warehouse District parking lots. MRN Ltd.'s revitalization of lower Euclid Avenue continues, while the 1.2 million-square-foot Tyler Elevator Products plant on Superior Avenue is being renovated as Tyler Village. Smaller projects abound, too. For $1.7 million, Matthew Howells bought the Park Building on Public Square, between the May Co. and Ontario Avenue, to renovate it with 26 condominiums. A dozen other small buildings are being renovated or built new elsewhere downtown. We're nearing a tipping point and the greatest volumes are yet to be written, said Ward 13 Councilman Joe Cimperman. (Downtown) is one of the few census tracts in Cleveland that is growing in population. Our goal is to reach 25,000 residents by 2010. Downtown's population has surpassed 10,000, and is growing at a rate faster than any other major midwestern city's downtown, according to the U.S. Census. That growth is creating its own momentum, Cimperman said. You're creating a critical mass and creating a buzz, said Don Picciano, director of sales and marketing for Zaremba Inc., which is building The Avenue District. There is a point where the market will become saturated, but Cleveland is so far off from that point. For the first phase of the Avenue District, two dozen lofts have sold in a 58-unit, 132,000-square-foot building to be built at East 12th and St. Clair. Picciano said discussions are continuing with potential retailers for 9,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space in that building, to be completed in 2008. A parking deck will be built behind it first. Also, six of 30 townhomes, to be built farther east on St. Clair, have sold. The first townhomes will be ready for people to move into in summer 2007, Picciano said. A new street, Lindazzo Drive, will be built for the townhomes development. Lindazzo is a combination of the last names of attorneys Dan Linder and Joe Randazzo. Both men bid on the naming rights for the street at a June charity event for the American Cancer Society. On the West Bank of the Flats, Stonebridge developers Doug Price and Bob Corna have spent the past year gaining control of properties for a the middle phases of a 12-phase expansion. A mix of rental and for-sale housing, basic retailers like a laundry and a drug store, plus offices and restaurants are in development. They said that it could take up to a decade to build out all 12 phases. Stonebridge started in 1997 with a 30-suite building, then added 120 units, then came a 160-unit building. Price said Stonebridge had $26 million in sales last year and enjoyed a $4 million week earlier this month for their new 12-story building under construction on the north side of the 130-year-old Superior Viaduct. That building is scheduled to be open in late December. The city hasn't seen a residential real estate project the size of what's happening on the west side of the Flats since the 1920s, when the West Boulevard subdivision was announced, said Corna, noting Stonebridge's total number of planned and completed housing units is 1,700. We know this will happen. If you don't believe in Cleveland, then you shouldn't be here.

^my wife works at the Clinic. Due to long and crazy hours, I don't see them forcing the doctors to park downtown.

^I agree. But its difficult when the man making those decisions lives out in Moreland Hills. Can you imagine taking a bus in from Moreland Hills when you're used to driving your Jaguar in everyday?

They've been shuttling people to East Cleveland for a while. Part of the problem is that they have to eliminate 1000 spaces while they build a parking garage on top of the surface lot. When you eliminate current spaces, it can be tough. I would love to see RTA and CC hook up though. Hey, at least the city is making some money from this.

^At 11pm, I wouldn't want my wife walking around alone. But at 7pm, she always walks to Fairview Park or the Kentucky Gardens. We live on Clinton near W.38th. If we lived near W.50th and Bridge or south of Lorain, then I'd be more apprehensive. Clinton is pretty mellow. Its even mellower near the Vine St. townhomes (boy will that area look completely different in 3-4 years). I love Cleveland Hts, but we moved for a few reasons: 1. We want to be part of the solution and not part of the reason why Cleveland declines. 2. We have a lot of friends who live in Ohio City. Its a good community. 3. We prefer the portion of Cleveland Heights that is close to Little Italy. Trying buying a home for under $300,000 in that area. The population is so so transient in Cleveland Hts due to the large student population that it can lack a sense of community unless you live east of Coventry. 4. We fell in love with our house. It was a steal. Nothing like an 1870s Victorian that's been fully updated and redone! 5. Ohio City has so much character. No need to explain this one.

I went, but had to leave early. No comments as of now. Maybe later on today.

I live on Clinton about one block away from Vine. My wife and I have a one-year old (and we'll have more in years to come). The developer of the Ohio City Townhomes (who lives in the corner unit) has at least one young child. James Levin lives immediately next to the Vine Industrials (on Vine Court). He's the guy in charge of Ingenuity. He has a handful of young kids. In the general Ohio City area, I've been surprised to see so many infants in strollers during this past summer (we just moved in from Cle Hts in June). Vine is really surrounded by a lot of new proposed projects: to the south: YMCA lofts and townhomes on the current parking lot to the north: phase II of the OC townhomes and 22 new townhomes and lofts (the old meat plant on Vine) from CoRal to the west: Clinton Courts Crime-wise: there is crime in Ohio City from what I hear. I've never had a problem in my four months. Townhomes are as safe as it gets in the OC. From what I've heard, a fence and a garage go a long way in avoiding property crimes.

It looks like the Westside Community house is completing its move down Lorain Rd. There is an article in today's PD about it.

I heard that Stonebridge will be marketing itself in the "A Place for Us" manner. Instead of aging gay folk, they're going in a completely different direction and targeting young Mormon families. They hoping to get 10 people in per unit. That's how Cimperman got his numbers.

^Avenue District is about 414 units, not 1000.

8shades, Great find. I'm working on a small project on E110 and Woodland. Its fascinating to hear about that area.

nope. they are nowhere near the crosswalk. and, my kid could crawl across the street faster than some of these pedestrians.

how about the folks who just slowly walk across the street and never look out for cars? I've seen this a lot in the ghettos of Memphis and a little bit in Cleveland.

^where would the IT people be moving to?