gottaplan

^good point, we've had the highest tax rate in the state for quite a while now of course. We've probably just moved up to one of the highest rates in the midwest

So the new Ohio budget passed last week makes the base state sales tax 5.75% from 5.5%. With the added piggyback taxes in Cuyhaga County for RTA and other items, we'll now have the highest tax in Ohio at 8% Anyone know if the slight increase that was levied for the MedMart will drop off now that the facility is up & running? Seems like we should be set for a rollback in theory from the increased revenue that this was supposed to deliver along with the casino revenue.... joking of course

anyone catch Sam McNulty's letter to the editor in the PD the other day about excessive noise from emergency vehicles and rerouting truck traffic away from W. 25th? Couldn't agree more. Obviously the guy has a vested interest in reducing emergency response vehicles and heavy truck traffic, but there is really no other area in the city with a thriving entertainment district that has gravel trucks rumbling through the center every 10 mins...

Dazed & Confused. 90's movie about the 70's. Love that movie.

At this point, Jackson & his staff are predictable. They have set a course for issues on crime, development, business attraction, etc and seem to be consistent. I'm still intrigued by what Lanci might bring to the table, or more importantly, why he's even interested in the race.

So the mayoral race is warming up. Seeing Frank Jackson signs popping up around the area, saw the Mayor himself out campaigning & shaking hands this weekend at Taste of Tremont. He has zero personality. Cimperman totally upstaged him without meaning to. So what can anyone tell me about Ken Lanci? What's his obsession with running for office? Why is he so tan? Is he legitimate?

Upcoming 73rd project is going to be huge. Train tracks will be temporarily rerouted to the south, closer to Caruso, while the new railroad bridge & headwalls are built. Father Caruso street is going to start getting torn up down by 67th and the work will progress west toward Battery Park. 8' diameter sewer will be laid in a 12' wide trench. Driving sheet pile the entire length, 10 hrs a day for the next 10 months. After the sewer is rerouted, the railroad bridge will start and 73rd excavation will begin next summer

Attended a ULI seminar last night, festivities kicked off at the roof deck of the E&Y tower. I have some amazing photos (from an iphone) if someone wants to host them. Adam Fishman of Fairmount spoke extensively about future plans for the area. There is a lot of interest in the development, they are moving ahead with residential and entertainment, seriously looking at another smaller office tower too.

If any reutilization of this structure is going to occur, it's going to take a lot of public subsidy, bare minimum Historic tax credits, and probably some additional low interest loans

Perhaps someone from that site should do a business plan and run the numbers and show how this building could be profitable as any of those suggested uses? The building needs massive renovation, inside & out. Even after that, the build out would be extensive for just about any of the suggested uses. The neighborhood wants the building saved but doesn't want a bar or nightclub. A bookstore won't generate enough rent. What are we left with?

All you need is a part time job where you can earn $9k a year. $10/hr x 20 hrs a week will suffice.

My point is, there are plenty of ways to graduate with a 4 year degree without going in debt up to your eyeballs. I have a good friend who graduated from CSU with a degree in Civil engineering, took him 5 yrs, he worked part time the entire time while living at his parents' but I don't think he even took out a single loan. He's making about $75k a year now. The other option which is rarely discussed is doing a community college for the first 2 years, then transferring to main campus for the last two. Big time savings there.

I'm late into this discussion but it seems silly. Are you really arguing that higher education for all is bad thing, or not worthwhile? Not everyone needs to go to Harvard or Stanford or even Case Western. Cleveland State has some great programs and is VERY affordable, especially when you consider living at home rather than campus. Ditto for Toledo, Akron, Bowling Greeen. Even if a person/student doesn't find work in their field, they are better off with education. It improves communication skills, problem solving, and makes them more adaptable. A more educated society is a safer society, a more productive society, a more civil society. I think the real problem is that we have too many young people ignoring all this and saying "hell I can't afford college", then grumbling about not being able to find a decent job or make enough to have any sort of adult life. The decision to get more education beyond high school shouldn't even be a decision. By Junior High, young people should have some sort of plan in place for what fields interest them and start focusing in that direction, be it business, medicine, arts & sciences, etc. Delaying that decision till high school graduation is WAY too late. As a result, government scrambles to try & find "good paying jobs" for these people will little to no skills or education, rather than support them for life on welfare programs.

You'd have to park clear out in the "foreign car" parking lot of shame which is a quarter mile away from the front door... lol

Ford is adding 2,000 jobs in Dearborn...

I'm not a country fan either and questioned the marketing which led Toby Keiths to the FEB in Cleveland... howEVAH, after talking to people in the know, the big draw of this chain is the high caliber of live bands that performs nightly. Local stars, up & coming hot new acts, and some mainstream stars will regularly be performing. Should be interesting to say the least.

Lots of good info in this thread, dedicated to BP, over $50 million in projects coming to this area in the next few years. http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,1684.910.html

six times more??? Seriously? What are they proposing to tax, sunlight?

Toby Keith's bar is definitely moving ahead with plans to locate here in the FEB project. They have people here on the ground in Cleveland doing setup work, finalizing construction details, some initial interviews for key staff in restaurant, purchasing, etc.

^sarcasm

is the Cuyahoga County RTA levy up for renewal in the next 2 years? Is there a ballot measure in the works to increase or decrease it? So why the concern about it being cut? What's the annual percent budget increase/decrease been the last 10 yrs for comparison? 2-3% ? Again, 10% increase sounds pretty good as a floor or a ceiling. I just can't see how the state or the local economy could grow faster than that in 2 yrs time. I mean, the casinos were supposed to be the big fix for everything and already they are underperforming...

Interesting choice of title. I had to scroll almost all the way to the end before transit was even mentioned, and then it was a single sentence. I'm confused how anyone foresees a 30% increase in revenue from expanding tax base in two years? Seems pretty rosy for comparisons sake. I think a guaranteed 10% increase sounds pretty solid, but obviously I'll be shouted down as a train hater in 3...2...1....

Yeah, it was recapped in the Detroit Shoreway thread. Update for the 73rd Connection is basically that they are bidding it late spring, starting this summer. Planning to be a 3 year project. First year will be entirely taken up by the sewer line relocation, 2nd year is rebuilding the new bridge, 3rd year is sitework on either side of the RR tracks. Might as well call it 4 yrs. ODOT says they have contingency money built in for cost overruns and are prepared to go forward. Some misinformation about the tan colored shipping/receiving building at 73rd & Caruso. Councilman Zone said it was getting demo'd as part of the project. ODOT said "oh no it's not". Zone said the Battery Park developer owned it and was tearing it down. Battery Park said "not yet we don't". Stay tuned on that. 76th tunnel will be open in July complete with "glacier" style public art Catanzerite warehouse at 76th is definitely moving ahead with loft apartment renovation. Looking to start work in May, should take a year, then leasing. Retail on first floor cut back from 9,000 to 5,000 sf and a few apartments were added on the first floor instead

x1000

Even still, I drive through that area all the time, I always felt like it was a pretty solid neighborhood.