gottaplan

You are correct. The realtor for BP told me recently that there is a long list of people waiting to rent a place in BP...

That lot is being cleared of all the extra dirt that was piled there from previous excavations. It's going to become additional parking area. They are respreading topsoil & planting grass in several of the vacant lots and have gotten rid of alot of the construction fencing. I think the only area that will remain fenced is the large lot in the middle across from the Powerhouse. The next area to be built out will be the south side of Fr Frascati, between 73rd & 74th. Construction should start next month. I understand a few units already presold in that building. There have been several events lately on the weekend in the unfinished space on the east half of the Powerhouse. I was at the Art & Architecture kickoff party a few weeks ago. Many rumors about what's going in there next but nothing confirmed yet. A small deck will be built off the west side of the Powerhouse for the wine bar customers.

As long as this thread is completely off track, I'll go ahead & throw my trash on the pile. TB, you've done a great job thus far, I think you have prejudged and conveniently categorized nearly every group out there that disagrees with you. But that's ok, this is America, and we're allowed to do that sort of thing. I don't think you'll find anyone sticking up for Kasich in this thread, but at this point, don't you have to wonder how Strickland LOST to him????

^if that's all you can say, then I think it's a great idea to leave it at that.

Easy. They don't salt or plow anything but the main arteries. You'd be amazed how much street damage is caused by plow trucks. By the way, this is a really stupid thread. Detroit is broke for a hundred reasons & none of them is because they are maintaining wide unused streets. Um, no, it's most definitely one of the reasons. It may not be THE reason, but it is one. In fact, this is a big factor in why our whole country is in such straights at the moment. This stuff is NOT cheap, and so much of it has reached its end of life and we can neither afford nor justify the expense of repairing it. http://www.freep.com/article/20110414/NEWS05/104140555/Detroit-workers-could-push-back-against-concessions?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs Take a look at this attached article & graphic & see if you still feel the same way. Not sure exactly of the breakdown of their street department, but having over 60% from general employee wages & benefits from 48 different employee unions seems like it might be a bigger budget buster than some wide unused streets which probably rarely get plowed, salted or swept.

I'm actually glad to read Kasich is going after the casino's for more money. The constitutional amendment was a bad deal in a number of ways, but primarily it was written by the casino people for the casino people. Its always seemed very one-sided to me. I could care less if the casinos never opened. Cleveland is gaining momentum without them and they're going to bring as much harm as they bring good, might as well wring a few extra million out of them if we can.

I actually lived in Detroit and I'll wager they spend less of their budget on street maintenance than most other cities of the same size

Anybody know what all the mess is beside the Powerhouse is from? Is that demolition debris related to the Aquarium perhaps? A bunch of dumped piles of gravel & concrete and about 20 dumpsters butted up to the base of the Viaduct.... looks like a real mess....

I expect to see a solid increase in the number of bicyclists using these tunnels. In order to bike in Edgewater Park before, you had to enter through 65th tunnel, or West Blvd, or carry your bike up/down the steps of these existing tunnels...

Project resumed activity last week. Crews are busy finishing up the street level of 76th, pouring back interior walls of the upper portion of the tunnel. Sheet piling delivered along Rt 2 to start driving piles along the railroad tracks for retaining walls. Still alot of work to do pouring back the section of stairs between the RR tracks and the Shoreway, plus pouring the pavement connector to the multi-use trail in Edgewater from the tunnel below. Tunnel down by Don's lighthouse is nearly complete except for regrading, landscaping & lighting.

And by then, the SB 5 referendum will be well underway with heavy political campaigning on both sides.

# of workers on site is not always a good indication of how much work is getting done. Major infrastructure upgrades needed here, relocating existing utilities, excavating unsuitable soils... consider the history of this parcel of ground over the last 100+ years and then consider the necessary requirements before putting a 20+ story office complex here...

Looking at the Shoreway bridge from the angles of these photos, it's too bad the archway support pattern doesn't continue on the East side of the river. It's more attractive than the basic vertical/horizontal framing. I was out last Saturday watching the progress and there was a steady crew working all day. Always interesting to see work progressing on a Saturday so early on in the project.

If his product is so well loved, maybe he should open up a storefront downtown then?

Only seeing things from the side of the food truck operator. What about all the struggling restaurants that this outfit takes business from? What sort of revenue does the city receive from this truck operator? What would downtown look like with half the restaurants but a bunch of food trucks instead? It's a slippery slope for sure, because no doubt there are copy cats waiting to see where this situation goes. And more food trucks means less restaurant business. I don't think it's something City Council needs to rush to a judgement on because this guy's business is hinged on their decision. Having said that, I hope he figures out a way to survive and make money because it seems like he's got a good product.

It's really not an issue. I've been inside and you notice it, but not to the extent that it would be a deal breaker. For comparison, have a drink at the Battery Park wine bar the next time a train rolls past. Those old buildings have masonry walls over 14" thick. And right beside the wine bar on 76th is the old 4 story machine shop. Plans are underway to redevelop that for residential and the train is even closer to that building. There is a large driveway between the tracks & the Westinghouse building, which would make an amazing residential conversion for a number of different reasons.

Of course it will. But will it be more or less of a problem than teachers who currently keep their jobs over younger counterparts based on seniority despite lack of effort/enthusiasm/creativity in their daily approach? That's the real question.

I read everything on both sides of SB 5 thank you, not just WSJ op eds. I post them here to counter the pro labor articles which were posted and only tell half the facts. I don't think cops or teachers or firefighters are paid too much. I simply pointed out that they aren't as underpaid as it might seem, and that salary isn't the sole measure of compensation. Besides, salary is not the only focus of SB 5. There are other measures which many others agree with including merit based raises instead of simple seniority. Furthermore, there are highly qualified people waiting for years to get into any of these professions. What does that tell you? Not exactly typical of a profession which is underpaid. I'm calling it early and saying the referendum will get on the ballot but won't get enough votes to pass. Imagine the commercials for both sides. It's going to be very ugly.

Ford can relocate it's production to a non-union facility or out of the country all together. Not an option with public service so I don't know why you made that connection. Pointing out discrepancies in pay doesn't really add up either. Assume a 20% lower salary for a public employee vs private sector employee. Add in Social Security deductions, healthcare deductions, 401k deductions... the difference quickly shrinks. Yes public employees still pay for benefits and pension, but nowhere near the level private employees do. Add in generous vacation/sick/personal/holiday time off and it's about a draw between who makes more. You really don't have to search too far to find studies showing public sector employees actually are compensated much more than their private sector counterparts.

Question wasn't directed at you at all, but thanks for stepping up to answer it. This is going to be fun. George Meany, the legendary AFL-CIO president during the Cold War, opposed the right to bargain collectively with the government. Why? Because unlike in the private economy, a public union has a natural monopoly over government services. An industrial union will fight for a greater share of corporate profits, but it also knows that a business must make profits or it will move or shut down. The union chief for teachers, transit workers or firemen knows that the city is not going to close the schools, buses or firehouses. This monopoly power, in turn, gives public unions inordinate sway over elected officials. The money they collect from member dues helps to elect politicians who are then supposed to represent the taxpayers during the next round of collective bargaining. In effect union representatives sit on both sides of the bargaining table, with no one sitting in for taxpayers. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704615504576172701898769040.html?KEYWORDS=FRED+SIEGEL

"Obama Presidency" thread is full of commentary from day 1 and title doesn't specifically say "NEWS" And I'll take your non-answer as a "yes" to my question

"Most Rust Belt cities have large areas and populations where the people have such similar, simple needs as these. They don't care for all that funky Creative Class stuff that Florida writes about" True, but what Florida really writes about, is ATTRACTING the CREATIVE CLASS, as drivers of the new knowledge based economy. These people do care about 50 different kinds of coffee shops, etc.

So we're no longer just posting news or updates on this topic, we're posting "opinion" pieces here as well?

I enjoy reading Florida simply because he has thought provoking ideas on planning issues which have made their way into mainstream media, when few other established planners have. On the topic of shrinking cities though, I think you have to approach it on a case by case basis, neighborhood by neighborhood, city by city. Some things are worth saving, some are not. Some things that work in Flint, MI do not work elsewhere. Comparing approaches today to what was done 50 years ago is not the same - not the same intention & not the same results. So a blank approach like "telling cities to stop shrinking" is something I disagree with. I am actually a big fan of what Cleveland is doing with the Cuyahoga Land Bank - buying & acquiring properties for consolidation & redeveloped when the time comes.

Beat me to it, I was down there today watching also & took a few pics. Definitely worth checking out. I was surprised to see so much activity on a Saturday...