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W28th, Was there any mention of the Jay Avenue Lofts?? I am not too happy about the liquor store. Will they sell those little samplyer bottles? Those are always bad news.

an image from Channel 5 (those trees look awfully mature)

I heard that they spent $200 a square foot to renovate the Idea Center. That's really pricey. I am glad that the investment is paying off. Does this show that if you have the right buildings that tenants will want to be there? I am also happy to see that this is a medical device company--we need to continue to build those industry clusters!

Dan, That's not my point. My point is that we should'nt look at projects with tunnel-vision. I think that we do that too often in our little make-believe city planning world on Urban Ohio. If I had to take a side, I'd rather stick with the current Euclid--I don't necessarily trust CCF to do good work. That said, I cringe when I read people summarily dismissing new and different ideas before they've taken more than a glance at them.

^Gordon Proctor.

I am undecided about this plan until I see more of it. While some are trotting out the old "suburban crap" arguments, I think that this idea merits consideration due to its unique and outside of the box-style of thinking. I feel that some of the reactions on this board are akin to knee-jerk new urbanism. The Clinic's plan is a new way of thinking about an area. An area, I add, that is completely different than it was 80 years ago. And let's face it, with the expansion of the Clinic, we won't be seeing the E.105 of the glorious past return to us anytime soon. There are some potential advantages to this as well as many probable pitfalls. Let's see what they really have planned before throwing CCF to the dogs. Trying to turn every corner of this city into a mom-and-pop store on the first floor with four stories of condos above is the not the way to create an innovative and distinct city. Let's not cut and paste NYC all over CLE. I would hope that we could take a fresh look at our city and re-invent ourselves when and where its best.

Guv, I am pretty sure that the Clinic owns most, if not all, of the commericial strips within its 'campus'. Long term, CCF is looking to build office/research structures on those parcels.The Rite Aid that is across the street from the new Heart Center will most likely be moved to the north side of Chester to make way for the new grand entrance. The BP will also be moved. Oh, there is a great chance that the Rite Aid will front the sidewalk and be part of a new mixed-use structure.

I thought that I had heard that Ferchill had taken control of the Atrium building. If so, this would make sense if UH ever decides to locate some workers in the building. Goldberg is on the board at UH and I am sure that they would be careful to avoid any conflicts of interest.

That usually doesn't add up to a successful development team. But if they could pull something off, then more power to them.

^that said, I think that Cleveland is new to the "pre-sell" stuff. I would be nervous about agreeing to buy a home before I ever saw it.

M.I.A.: Two subcontractors do not show at jail expansion meeting Tiffin Advertiser-Tribune, 7/15/06 WDSI Inc. of Cedarburg, Wisc., and Central Fire of Springfield — subcontractors for the Seneca County Jail Expansion project — were not in attendance at a jail meeting held Friday. A contract between the Seneca County commissioners and companies working on the project requires attendance at progress meetings. “I did talk to Sandy (Jacobi of WDSI),” said Tom Stuckey of Poggemeyer Design Group. “I appreciate her dilemma in trying to make it here. I impressed upon her the fact that she did get this contract for the project, and it is a requirement to be at these meetings. I appreciate the fact that it is a long distance, but I really specifically asked they be here today.” Stuckey asked general contractor Ray Weithman, Weithman Bros. Inc., if he is getting what he needs. “No,” Weithman answered. “I am not satisfied. I am not saying that I won’t. I am saying that we really should have had the frames here.”

I don't think that you will ever see a statement by NOACA about this. I don't think its in their nature to comment on such things. Additionally, UCI is trying to court CCF for various reasons. I would be surprised if they come out publicly against the proposal.

Did you hear about the new development downtown? Its called the Cul-de-sac District. ;)

It would've been helpful if they would have announced what was going on/about to go on at the other stages once a performance finished up. After watching the Verb ballet, it was tough to figue out what was happening next because all these people would crowd around the kiosk and try to read the tiny print of the schedules. I gave up and just walking around. This is a different type of festival and people needed to oriented to take full advantage of the offerings. I left feeling as if I would have enjoyed it more if read the schedules and strategically planned out my night.

I heard that it is expanding and will place two cars in University Circle.

Interesting info.

on a side note..could someone please powerwash the GL Science Center's IMAX exterior?

Its a NY company. http://www.clevelandtramrail.com/

One thing that holds back the festival is that much of the interesting exhibits/shows are tucked away from the street. While the interior space of the May Co. building is totally cool, it kills the energy on Prospect ave by hiding away people and art. Maybe they need more street performers. Magicians walking around, jugglers from the St. Ignatius circus club, high school-age break dancers, etc. Ingenuity needs to add more life to the street by using some inexpensive options. I also think that they need to add some more interactive exhibits/games. I am not talking about throwing the dart at the balloon and winning some stuffed animal prize. There is a lot of potential to be tapped.

It should go under projects. E.4th is large enough to merit its own thread.

Office market outlook optimistic Local real estate brokers detecting changes in area absorption, vacancy rate Related Links Grubb & Ellis Co. By STAN BULLARD 6:00 am, July 17, 2006 A dose of optimism is wafting through the community of Cleveland-area real estate brokers and building owners about the local office market’s improved level of activity. Count Leah Kukulka, an office sales associate at the Independence-based Cresco brokerage, a member of the Cushman & Wakefield Alliance, among those noticing the pickup. “Calls are coming in. Clients are looking for space,” she said. “A year ago it was very sluggish, I think because people were waiting to see what the future would hold. A year ago I was hopeful. Now, I’m optimistic.” In the office leasing business just two years, Ms. Kukulka considers herself lucky to be in position to take advantage of the rise in interest in office space. Still, even longtime brokers are upbeat. “Most people would say there’s a noticeable improvement in activity in the last six months,” said Warren Morris, a partner at Colliers Ostendorf-Morris Co. and a two-decade veteran of the city’s office market. “In 2004, there was a little life. In 2005, there was a little more life. Now there’s good activity, and it’s everywhere,” Mr. Morris said. However, he also notes that today’s activity doesn’t compare with that of 1999 and 2000, when the economy was strong and the office market was growing throughout the region. David Browning, managing director of the Cleveland office of CB Richard Ellis, said the bottom line at his brokerage “is that we believe this is going to be a very good year for the Cleveland office market.” “We’re about to sign a bunch of deals in all of our listings,” Mr. Browning said, though he added that the market “is still seeing givebacks of space” by tenants that are shrinking or leaving the market altogether. By the numbers There’s just a whisper of a turnaround in office statistics so far, as office moves show up in statistics after a tenant relocates, often six to nine months following the execution of a lease. But one often-overlooked office statistic so far charts the change in office momentum: absorption, which reflects the amount of change in occupied office space. Grubb & Ellis Co. reports downtown Cleveland absorbed 151,234 square feet in the first quarter of this year, a little more than half as much space as is in the US Bank Building in the city’s Theater District. A previous Grubb & Ellis survey found absorption in downtown Cleveland was in the black at the end of 2005 — albeit by a piddling 26,000 square feet, or less than a floor of space in Key Tower — for the first time since 2000. Similarly, the suburbs last year absorbed 269,000 square feet, the most since 2003, and they absorbed another 82,000 in the first quarter of this year. The still-high volume of vacancies in the market leavens the improvement in absorption of office space. For the first quarter of this year, Grubb & Ellis reports the downtown market had a 22% vacancy rate, or 4.6 million square feet of empty space out of 21 million square feet. In the suburbs as a whole, vacancy stood at 18%, with the east suburbs being the strongest with 14% vacancy and the south suburbs the weakest at 25%. New leases on life Nonetheless, some recent leases show the market is poised, finally, to start nibbling at those vacancy levels. For example, creditors’ rights law firm Javitch, Block & Rathbone in March capped a three-year search for new offices by leasing a total of 54,000 square feet of offices on two floors at 1100 SuperiorBuilding, which is at that address. That’s 42% more space than it will vacate in November at the Penton Media Building. “We believed that this is the year the market is going to get tougher for our (price range) of space,” said Joel Rathbone, a firm co-managing partner. When Mr. Rathbone started surveying the office market with broker Staubach Co. in 2003, the law firm had seven options among downtown buildings; this year, it had just two. He attributes the change to newer, pricier buildings not being willing to cut rents to the level his firm wanted or no longer having the space to let. Other insiders say the uptick in tenant interest downtown is due to a more positive attitude in the city and Cleveland’s program of cutting checks for new downtown office tenants based on how much income tax they bring to the city. In a striking yet quiet example of the revival in the broader office market, National City Corp. earlier this year leased two empty office buildings, a total of 92,000 square feet of office space, at the Aerospace Tech Park near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, according to a Cresco office market survey. National City confirmed it has leased additional office space in the region but would discuss no specifics. Landlord Kerry Chelm, president of Chelm Properties of Cleveland, declined comment. One building was empty nearly two years, the other a year. A little late to the party Pat Lott, senior vice president of office development and leasing at Forest City Enterprises Inc., said most of his company’s existing downtown buildings are 90% leased, with its largest holes at the Terminal Tower, which is 23% vacant, and the Higbee Building, a former department store that is largely empty, with about 700,000 square feet of vacant space. Mr. Lott maintains the Higbee Building is in a different category as Forest City only will market the property to large tenants in excess of 55,000 square feet. Industry insiders agree the building shouldn’t be considered a part of the active office market. Mr. Lott said Forest City is “pretty pleased” with its leasing activity downtown. For example, the company just a few weeks ago gained a new sizable tenant when Quicken Loans opened its much-ballyhooed call center at Tower City Center’s MK Ferguson Plaza. The Detroit-based lender occupies 50,000 square feet in the building. Mr. Browning of CB Richard Ellis said he thinks the office market is seeing the resurgence the rest of the nation had 18 months to two years ago. However, there’s an asterisk to discussions of an office market uptick. “Here’s the bad news,” said Jim Breen, a partner at the Breen & Fox brokerage. “If there’s a downturn in the national economy, we weren’t long at the party.”

Traffic engineers do happen to count cars other than the Vulpstermobile when determining traffic flow. ;)

In theory, I think that it could be a good idea if done well. I just don't have faith that they will pull it off. There would be too many hurdles. However, Peter Walker is an extremely well-respected landscape architect. I'd love to see his plans. Additionally Bill Peacock, the new chief of operations, supposedly 'gets it' in terms of architecture and urban form. One fear is that this would force all new parking garages to line Carnegie and Chester. While I always applaud the transformation of surface lots into garages, I would hate to see a corridor of garages that turned the Clinic's back on those two main streets. Counterpoint--the Clinic builds the best garages in the region. I don't see why they wouldn't continue to line then with office space. I wouldn't condemn this until I see the plans. The PD's graphic is pretty bad as it does not show much of the Clinic's future plans. They own a lot of the god-awful retail that is set back from Euclid. If that could be re-arranged around the perimeters of the campus and useable green space created around the buildings that draw folks out, I don't see this as all bad. The devil is in the details. I can see how they would want to improve the worker and visitor experience. There are many national and international conferences that are held at the Clinic. Many people travel from all over the world for treatment. If the visitor experience can be enhanced by placing a twenty block-long park between all the current and future buildings, then I say that its a good idea. The current situation is bad. No one walks out onto Euclid for a pleasant stroll in this area. If done well, this would change the CCF experience completely. Of course there are traffic issues that have to been taken into consideration. I could imagine that the city could get some major concessions from the Clinic if they allow this. That could be interesting. Additionally, look for the Clinic and the Cleveland Foundation to make a big push to redevelop (residential) the land just north of Chester from E. 105 to about E. 89th. They are already working with Finch and Heartland.. (and Fannie Lewis is totally on board!)

please excuse the journalist's french ;) WASHINGTON July 2, 2006 - President Bush appears to be losing support among a key group of voters who until now have stood firmly with the president. A new Gallup poll shows that Bush's approval rating has fallen below 50% and now stands at just 44% among total fucking morons. This represents a dramatic drop compared to a poll taken just last December when 62% of total fucking morons expressed support for the president and his policies. The current poll, conducted by phone with 1,409 total fucking morons between June 4 and June 8, reveals that only 44% of those polled believe the president is doing a good job, while 27% believe he is doing a poor job, and 29% don't understand the question. Faltering approval ratings for the president among a group once thought to be a reliable source of loyal support makes Republicans nervous about the upcoming mid-term elections. "We've got a big problem if we can't depend on the support of total fucking morons," says Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Total fucking morons are a key factor in our electoral strategy, and an important part of today's Republican coalition." "We've taken the total fucking moron vote for granted," says Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), "and now we're paying for it." Feeney says the poll is a dire warning for Republicans. "This should send a signal that we have to regain control of the debate if we want the support of our key constituencies in the coming election and beyond. We need to bring public discourse back into the realm of stupidity and vacuity. We should be talking about homosexual illegal immigrants burning flags. We should be talking about the power of pride. We should be talking about freedom fries. These are the issues that resonate with total fucking morons." But some total fucking morons say it's too late. Bill Snarpel of Enid, Oklahoma is a total fucking moron who voted for Bush in both 2000 and 2004. But he says he won't be voting for Bush in 2008. "I don't like it that he was going to sell our ports to the Arabs. If the Arabs own the ports then that means they'll let all the Arabs in and then we'll all be riding camels and wearing towels on our heads. I don't want my children singing the Star Spangled Banner in Muslim." Total fucking moron Kurt Meyer of Turlock, California also says his once solid support for Bush has collapsed. "He invaded Iraq and all those soldiers died, and for what? We destroyed all their WMDs, but now their new president is making fun of us and saying he's going to build nuclear bombs and that we can't stop him. Well, nuclear bombs are even worse than WMDs, so what did we accomplish?" Laura McDonald, a total fucking moron from Chandler, Arizona, says she is disappointed that the president hasn't been a more forceful advocate of Christian values. "This country was founded on Christian values," she says, "but you'd never know it with all the Mexicans running around. I thought Bush was going to bring Jesus back into the government. Instead, Christians are persecuted worse than ever before in history because all these Mexicans come here and tell Christians that we have to respect their religious beliefs. So now it's illegal for children to pray in school. Soon it will be illegal for them to speak English." Not all total fucking morons have turned their backs on the president. Jeb Larkin of Topeka, Kansas says he still fully supports Bush. "He is doing a great job. He is a great president. He is a great decider. I have a puppy. His tail sticks straight up and you can see his butthole." And not all Republican law makers are concerned about the poll, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R- TN), for one. He agrees that the Republican party should not take total fucking morons for granted, but he says they "really don't have anywhere else to go. Just try having a conversation with one of them about global warming. They'll say, 'Oh, but Rush says volcanoes consume more ozone than humans do.' I mean, they're morons! Total fucking morons!" "They've got nowhere else to go," Alexander reaffirms with a smile, "and they always vote."

Snakes on a Plane--I thought this was a joke. How could you actually give such a name to a movie?!