clvlndr

I'm coming in late on this one... All I can say is: phew!... The mixed use building at Madison isn't huge, but it is important. Some of those buisinesses there, esp the bar/restaurant at the corner, appear to stay pretty busy. And the last time I was there, it looks like they've expanded their patio. So glad that Middleburg Heights-ish seniors building IS NOT replacing the mix-use building... Now, as for the planned gas station... we still dont' get it.

Absolutely amazing, I MUST make it over there.

Wow, good for Crains; article well stated. Glad some of the City's top brass is on this. Of course, RTA is... where on this?. <--- leading from behind, that's where -- or in this case, not leading at all. As we do become more of a destination city, we have to think more of this town as actually having tourists... and we need to stop being inhospitable toward them.

Let's see, the dependent clause in that second sentence of that article makes the statment, "rapid trains make the trip 100 times a day". And, it's not just about point-to-point connectivity, it's about NEIGHBORHOOD connectivity. That stretch of W 25 north of the Market has a large and growing number of viable businesses and residential developments. Don't shut them out. Yes, JetDoG, I see the 100 Rapid trains listed on the website, but the emphasis though is clearly the buses, esp visually with the signage in the bus stops. Again, I think this is a very positive and very good RTA initiative. I'm just saying, why can't signage ALSO point out the Rapid too, such as the "Red Line, 1 block" language I noted, which other cities use? The beauty of Ohio City is the variety, extent and frequency of its transit options, I'd just rather not favor one over the other; promote them all ... Ohio City, Inc., itself, touts both the Rapid and buses in their literature and their street maps at corners does note the Ohio City Rapid station.

In looking at this and some of the TV news stories, yesterday, on RTA's big roll-out of this initiative, as good as it is (and it is good, because Ohio City is so transit friendly and people need to know about it), I'd like to see more promoting the available rail as well. It would be nice if, for example, in or near these bus shelters like the one at the WSM there could be signs saying, for example "Rapid Transit, one block" with an arrow. And while the news stories tout how these frequent/numerous buses get you to Public Square in 7 or 8 minutes, Red Line trains get you there in 3 minutes (sometimes 2.5 or less minutes). Washington D.C.'s Metro rail has, for years, had the "Metro 2, 3 blocks" etc., signs on street corners. It would really help to have this in Cleveland where the Rapid often is invisible to people, esp in around Public Square and prospect where there is no rapid transit signage whatsoever.

They're already planning on moving into a Stark development. Getting a major corp like AG downtown would be a huge plus considering (if we're to believe reports) they almost departed from the Cleveland region entirely.

Generally, I think the assessments about downtown Pittsburgh are about right. It's extremely bustling by day with office workers, like Cleveland used to be in the 80s but not so much now. But by night, it's somewhat deserted. Friday and Saturday nights things pick up a little bit, esp when there's a Pirates game... Pittsburgh and Cincinnati have small, tight downtowns with narrow streets that can give the greater allusion of excitement, even if only a few people are walking around... I found Market Sq. to be roughly similar to E. 4th street -- a pedestrian oriented plaza surrounded by old buildings. But E. 4th has apartments over restaurants (not offices like Market Sq) and more original restaurants, as opposed to the usual chains like Market Sq. It seems Cleveland has more office-to-apartment conversions than downtown Pittsburgh but, then again, that's probably due to the fact Cleveland's core was devastated by HQ and office closure and abandonment from the 80s through early 2000s.

Very positive. It looks like Shaker Heights just may get the TOD thing right this time, unlike car-oriented Shaker Towne Center 1.5 miles west on Chagrin. Glad to see this project getting off the ground.

^Very good to see.

Wow, a streak of good sense strikes the Hoosier state... Though highly conservative (like Ohio), this is the same state that, decades ago, had its northwestern counties band together to bail out the moribund South Shore line interurban out of Chicago. So maybe they value passenger rail a little bit, . . . which puts them thousands of miles ahead their Buckeye neighbors.

I concur, this is not only ridiculous, it's dangerous -- if you (or any passenger) was hit by a car or any other vehicle while making this "transfer", RTA most assuredly would be liable. If the regular HL buses can't be operated, then RTA should shut down the platforms completely and post boarding signs at curbside until all the regular HL buses are fixed. This mixing and matching incompatible buses to the BRT corridor is clearly not the answer.

^These are obviously state-of-the-art cars. Obviously, if RTA took them for Blue/Green they would have to be adapted for more seating, as our system is geared for longer riding and more seated passengers than TTC's streetcars. Also obviously (and hopefully) RTA will have junked the archaic Blue/Green on-board fare payment system for POP for the quick boarding of these cars will be useless to RTA.

I certainly haven’t been one of Joe C’s biggest fans, but I will give him credit for a few things. First and foremost, the evidence exists that he’s a people person; very charming and personable. Folks whose opinion I respect tell me this -- I’ve never met him. That’s important because he is the face of the agency. Second, you can’t deny he’s been very strong on the budget end of things. He gutted RTA in many ways. The very popular Community Circulators were cut, many bus lines disappeared, esp on the East Side, and the ones that survived had their service absurdly reduced. I believe that most crosstown bus routes now operate at no greater than once an hour during weekdays and, at best, half-hourly during rush hour… Yikes! Many heavy-population routes, like the 32s up Cedar Rd through the heart of the Heights, has been greatly reduced; I believe the core 32 trunk-line only runs every 30 minutes during the day – hard to call that a true “feeder” bus line anymore with that level of infrequency. And of course (as KJP frustratingly can attribute) the heavily-used 55s have disappeared on weekends… These moves hurt, but RTA was kept fiscally sound in a clearly backwards state on transit and transit-funding matters. And, as we see with the Trolleys, the reinstatement of weekday, daytime Waterfront Line service as well as the new VA route along Brookpark, service has actually grown in the last few years. Third, some of Joe’s innovations have been hits. With the downtown trolleys, he essentially rebranded the old CTS-era Loop bus system; expanded the routes and their hours, added interesting and popular new/funky trolley-type coaches replete with old-time wooden seats, … and most importantly, made them free. This was one of his rare true vision moves (and area I see him lacking in) that made the Trolleys work by getting downtown companies to buy-in to underwriting this service. The other great move was the Red Line POP. The old pay-on-board system was a joke, a bottleneck and a nightmare. The Red Line during off-peak hours found it only viable to run single cars because of it, which often became overcrowded along with their slow one-by-one, front door boarding. POP has allowed for 2-car trains (or more) with 1-man operations and trains no longer dwell at stations because of fare payment --- the Red Line truly became a “rapid transit” as a result. But the vision issue is most damning for Joe and something that is critical for a metro area’s key service, infrastructure such as a major transit agency. It’s true and very positive that Cleveland is experiencing its greatest growth at or near transit stations on the rail and HL lines, but Joe has been leading from behind on this issue. RTA has not taken the lead in TOD and restructured parking (as I noted Atlanta’s MARTA has). The TOD that has happened has been as a result of developers, like MRN Ltd, seeking out rail stations for development. I’m not sure what motivated Fairmount to construct high-density development at the Flats East Bank Rapid station, but it works as solid TOD and, I’m hoping, will really pump some life into the historically moribund Waterfront Line (which should have spawned this type of development from the beginning). It took Ohio City to explode into Cleveland’s hottest neighborhood before Joe’s RTA got around to discussing TOD at W. 25. And then look at the many under-potential Rapid stops where there is either little or no development or, worse, bad development around them. It’s obvious that such stations as W. 117 and West Blvd. should be doing much better in terms of TOD growth, because they lie in or near stable (and even upscale, in West Blvd’s case) high-population areas at prominent intersections – both of these stops already have significant walk-up ridership which would be much greater if there was better TOD development. Then look at the mess at the E. 116 Blue/Green line station, which has been a disaster and has negatively developed within the last 10 years: it’s surrounded by 2 gas stations though, nearby, you had some older 50s, 60s suburban-style offices to the east along Shaker Blvd (some of which are empty). When the South Pointe development in and around the formerly closed St. Luke’s Hospital was built (hampered by the 2008 recession bigtime), there was no high-density multi-unit structure built there. Instead, we get a relocated Harvey Rice elementary school and CP Library branch. Across the street, the Social Security Admin. built a small, 1-story box. While there are some struggling areas, some crime and residential foreclosures near this station, it has some stability and even growth potential. There are a number of businesses in this area, and a solid old frontage of mix-use development 2 blocks away at at/around the Buckeye-E. 116 intersection. Some of these buildings are vacant and in disrepair – like the old Buckeye theatre nearby, but they could be restored … just the kind of transformation that happened along W. 25 at Ohio City or, at the very least, like nearby Larchmere. All these are terrible developments for an off-street, high-speed rapid transit station like E. 116, and it happened under Joe’s watch. Yeah I know the transit agency is but one aspect of TOD, but transit can, and should take the role of leadership in this area – we see it in other cities -- and, under Joe Calabrese, it has not been. As KJP notes, greater Cleveland is not growing like Washington, DC. But that should be all the more reason a city like Cleveland should utilize a valuable asset like rapid transit as a growth tool, not ignore it. As MyTwoSense noted, a transit chief can, and should be a positive leader; one who could change the conversation about transit – we know Cleveland has sorely needed, and is gradually experiencing, a paradigm shift in the way locals view mass transit. Only a small bit of that I attribute to Joe C. And as for the very valuable, and long-awaited Mayfield/Little Italy Red Line station relocation, I attribute this more to forces engineered by UCI’s Chris Ronayne – a guy who I consider a true visionary and a do-er. As for rail extensions, I realize it’s a difficult proposition in a shrinking metro area like Cleveland. Still, I find Joe C sorely lacking here to the extend he comes off as anti-rail—and I’m far from the only one who sees this. Yes, I applaud the east Red Line extension study, but I feel (as many do) that it’s going to end up as expanded BRT (to Joe’s tastes) and not rail. What bothers me is why the so-called Enhance Clifton BRT project was seemingly rammed through with little study whereby you have a potential rail corridor, a Red Line station at the edge of the corridor and the highest density population in Ohio –the 2nd densest between Philly and Chicago through the very area served by the new Clifton BRT. And yet, the most Joe talks about is running more BRT along the Opportunity Corridor – a bad road that he strongly advocated. I’ll reserve comments on Health Line issues for another time… this post is long enough, don’t you think?

^Btw Hts, you can throw out the “33-win” Cavs team you note – it’s totally irrelevant; just as irrelevant with LeBron returning as that 26-win team was the year after he left. In 2006-07 the Celtics with Paul Pierce in his prime won 26 games. The next year, after Boston added KG and Allen, they LOST 26 games in route to an NBA championship. And as much as I fret somewhat about Blatt’s inexperience, if you championship-caliber talent you can hire Jethro Smoot to coach them and they’ll be in line to win a title… Erik Spoelstra proved that.

OK you're free (as we all are) to speculate, but as I noted above the pre-2010 LeBron-led Cavs team dispatched a younger, fully healthy Rose/Noah/Deng (prime) team in the playoffs. And that was a much lesser Cavs team than the stacked bunch we're putting together this year (with btw a more seasoned, 2-time title bearing LeBron James). And even if Rose is healthy all year -- and I hope he is as an NBA fan who hates seeing any great talent lose his career to injury -- it'll still be a Derrick Rose who hasn't played competitive basketball for the better part of 2+ years. Also Rose-less Chicago was worse then even last-year's woeful Cavs in scoring even though, yes Thibodeau's D got them to the playoffs. So I maintain it's NBA fantasy driven by what (?) I'm not sure, that has them competing with and even beating out the Cavs for the best record in the East or the EC championship, absent the unthinkable injury and disastrous implosion of our 3-max player led Cavaliers.

I hope not. I hope even more people come downtown to experience the Flats again while some hang out in Ohio City -- and hopefully many folks will do both places. This is a huge metro area and we clearly have enough people to support both entertainment districts and I want both of them to succeed (W.25th obviously already is) ... Why rob Peter to Pay Paul?

^I would much rather prefer residential on PS, and keep the offices where they are at the Landmark office towers. Last thing we need on PS is another life-sucking full service office tower. Put the 24/7 residents on PS please! I tend to agree. The Landmark offices are right where the need to be: clearly in the mix, but behind the scenes somewhat. I like putting people in the people places. The Park Building conversion is a great upgrade from a semi-rundown (I'll bet largely empty) office building, to a spruced up/handsome, vital condo development ... right on the Square.

It would really be nice if RTA was so TOD proactive, esp with the acres of free parking lots our transit agency maintains.

Wow. Can you imagine what we could do with a fund like that? ... ah, and we're about to overwhelmingly reelect who as governor? You know, the guy who has a penchant for fighting and killing transit/passenger rail projects.

How realistic would it be to finish the Tower City redevelopment? If I'm not mistaken there was to be a residential tower added before the Neiman Marcus deal fell apart. I think that's pretty much ancient history. I remember in the 90s when FCE had that plastic model in Terminal Tower's (amazing) foyer off Public Square of the "full" Tower City developments, including more than one residential high-rises south of Huron, which is the exact same footprint Gilbert has planned for Horeshoe II... So much for the planned TC residential component.

But they were 1-and-done in the playoffs last year, despite Noah's D player of the year award.

It does seem like fall 2015 is a generous time period in which this project could be completed. Admittedly though, although the station's superstructure looks largely in place, there's still the time-consuming aspects of wiring, lighting and general station finishing that lie ahead. There's also the tedious aspect of installing the ADA-compliant elevator too.

Thanks for the update KJP... a couple comments: - indeed the new Little Italy station appears to be coming along nicely, but I still don't see any catenary wire hanging over railroad tracks. In fact, your 3rd photo indicates tracks haven't even been laid at that particular station location... While Jerry has informed us the station won't be ready until fall of 2015, he also stated that through service back to Windermere would be reinstated by mid-August (2014) IIRC. I'm not sure exactly when you took these photos, but if it was as recent as I suspect, RTA doesn't look anywhere near ready to restore full Red Line service. - As for the bridge at the station, the artist concept drawings on RTA's website indicate an old-style (circa 1920s) bridge would support the eastbound track at the station. Also, I thought that awesome time-lapse video (also) on RTA's website indicated that the industrial siding bridge was dismantled and removed. Now maybe it was rebuilt and re-installed in the new location. However I'm wondering whether the bridge supporting the original eastbound track was merely lifted and moved over a few feet to the east. Just a thought... - Love the Euclid-Cornell street shot... that's the kind of urban density and ped-activity Uptown has spawned, which will only get greater once Phase II is complete. - ... but I love the Intesa "future home" signage even more!

Quite frankly the love affair that the national media (see: ESPN) has with the Bulls is baffling to me. Some are picking them to win both the most games in the east as well as the EC championship. Really? Do they really think Derrick Rose, assuming he can indeed stay healthy, will lift them to the promise land? And remember, the Cavs/LeBron made short work of that team (with the same core group) back when Rose (and Noah) were young and vigorous. Do they think old-ass, perpetually soft Pau Gasol is that missing piece, or that young McDermott is going to shoot their way to the promise land? Honestly, I don’t get it. And as much as we all despise Carlos Boozer in these parts – and for good reason – and despite the fact he did disappear in various playoff games, I can’t agree that his jettisoning will be positive for the Bulls despite what I like better about Taj Gibson. Boozer can, and did, reliably knock down that 10-15 footer. Nevertheless, anyone NOT picking the Cavs to take the EC – presuming the Love deal goes through -- is either a (Chicago) homer, a Cleveland-hater, … or is smoking some killer stuff I simply must get my hands on.

... but as to BRT, does PB consult/engineer bus-based projects or strictly rail which, of course, has been their century-plus specialty.