clvlndr

^Thanks Jerry.

I can't think of any single rail project RTA has executed in recent years that has the potential to be a game changer as does this one.

True, Uptown's main demographic is indeed students. However, that doesn't mean an upscale restaurant can't make it in U.C. Sergio's existed for decades a few blocks away. And MRN is renting Uptown apartments above these chain, student-y restaurant joints for over $1,200... clearly over the head of the average unergrad or grad student ... or professor, for that matter! ... I also don't think the supposed "isolated"/away from Euclid Ave location killed Accent either... You can't get much more isolated, away from the street/invisible to passersby than Pier W in Lakewood, and yet, it's both upscale and extremely popular ... has been for decades... I just don't think Accent's food or service were that good. The food was weird, the portions were tiny and the prices, very, very high... I think the right type of upscale restaurant can make it in this space. Much as I love all things Michael Symon, I don't want a B-Spot in this space; MRN can do better.

It's just different. It's not square, there's curvature to it. The curtain wall is multi-colored. Can't think of a building in another city... Plus I don't want to say a building and have people not like the comparisons between the two. I'd like people to see the rendering and judge for themselves...if that makes sense? Trust me, I'm excited to see more as well so I sure hope they release the final design soon. I do caution - what I'm seeing could change based on where the cost estimate comes in/county final say. But It's a cool looking building. You're just a mean, mean man. Like dangling fresh meat just out of reach of hungry dogs. ;) So in the interest of providing "something" to the hungered masses here, I offer these new convention center hotels...... The 38-story Colorado Convention Center Hotel in Denver.... The 30-story Bayfront Convention Center Hotel in San Diego, financed in part by its port authority.... The Colorado Conv. Hotel is gorgeous and would be great for the Lakeside-Ontario location... it kinda echoes the architecture of FEB's Ernst & Young tower a few blocks away.

Now that RTA has (happily) returned the Waterfront Line to daily service, and some E&W workers are using it to/from their new office tower, RTA seriously needs to improve signage inside Tower City. ... whoops, did I say "improve"...that's the wrong word, because there's NONE there currently, besides the general Blue-Green-Waterfront sign that, at minimum, gets passengers to the correct station entrance (as opposed to the Red Line on the West side of the station).... But once inside the station, there's no directional signs at all for the Waterfront Line. In fact, Blue and Green platforms aren't all that well marked either. There is that new-ish gold-lettered digital sign, but it's not always in-use or accurate. During evening rush hour, there's usually a station announcer telling of the correct track for a Blue or Green Line train... But nothing for Waterfront line trains... Whenever I get on/stay on a WFL train at Tower City, the driver will always pivot to make sure I want to go to the Waterfront... Makes sense, because frequently, passengers thinking their heading east toward Shaker end up on WFL trains... It's a confusing mess down there... Jerry, JetDog, I hope RTA seriously addresses this, because it's terrible right now... and we need more than lip service.

I know you talked about this bypass before, and I hope city leaders seriously explore it... As you note, the facilities exist to reroute freight traffic off the Lake, notably that belt line that cuts south from Collinwood through Univ. Circle and parallels Brookpark road. As the article notes, even though a lot (if not most) factories have closed along the lake, the Port still requires service, but could be handled via night and/or shuttle service. Toronto's TTC Harbourfront Line should be a model for RTA's Waterfront Line... Hopefully the expanding FEB and Mayor Jackson's plan for E. 9th Street will make it more useful, draw more residents, offices and retail to the Lake and River fronts and help encourage removing those noisy through-line freight trains off the Lake, since we have the railroad facilities to do so.

NOTE: very cool... 78th Street Studios in Gordon Square revels in food, art and creativity with 'Third Fridays' open-house events By Peter Chakerian, Special to Northeast Ohio Media Group Email the author on October 15, 2013 at 7:30 AM, updated October 18, 2013 at 5:06 PM CLEVELAND—The 78th Street Studios complex is the largest art and design compound in Northeast Ohio. It's been nicknamed "a hidden arts colony" for good reason: if you don't know where to look, you might miss it all together. That would be a shame. Owner Daniel Bush has been working steadily to change that. And it's working. Bush and dozens of the building's tenants have been building a reputation over the last decade for this historic building, once the home to American Greetings' Creative Studios, and before that, the Baker Electric Motor Vehicle Company. http://www.cleveland.com/arts/index.ssf/2013/10/third_fridays_concept_sets_his.html

... I'm no construction expert, but I'm assuming they're racing to seal the structure prior to the winter season so they can work inside... no?

Wow, these guys move fast.

That building is "glitzy" in the Clinic context: cold, institutional, Beachwood campus-like and would do little to enhance Cedar & 105th … except for eliminating a surface parking lot. This may be a placeholder, but I’m not holding my breath that the final design will be a whole lot better given its CC neighbors.

This photo, as well as all the other new development at/near this location in UC/Little Italy proves that TOD development can occur along a rapid transit line adjacent to busy freight railroad lines if zoning and planning are carefully coordinated. The proof is in the pudding -- MRN is charging some of the steepest residential rents in Cleveland at Uptown just a few blocks from this photograph.

Seems like someone posted some time ago -- perhaps KJP -- noting that ODOT is only involved with road maintenance and construction and not transit, despite its generalist title. I could be wrong, but ... We need a mass mental makeover – we need to change the way policy is handled toward transit in this city and state. Roads like this one are pushed hard by public leaders all the way up to governors. Local officials line up and are in lock-step praising/supporting roads like this ... and others, like Slavic Village councilman Brancatelli (whose constituents are generally poor, non-drivers who will see little-to-no-benefit from this road) start out opposed but then suddenly/mysteriously turn and ‘see the light’ while suddenly backing the OC. We taxpayers, meanwhile, are stuck with the bill (including Brancatelli’s constituents), to the tune of (upwards of) $350M to build this 2.5 mile road; Kasich is even raising Turnpike tolls to cover it (and let’s not talk about heavy maintenance a 5-lane road takes, especially in Cleveland’s sizzling-hot-to-freezing temps experienced every year). Meanwhile every stinking mass transit extension (correction -- every stinking rail extension, since BRT has become RTA's raison d'être), even the .3 mile extension of the Blue Line in Shaker Heights, is deemed ‘controversial’ and a ‘waste’ (KJP reports there are some at RTA trying to derail even this small extension)… And it’s absurd that people are still fuming over the $60M spent for RTA’s Waterfront line almost 20 years ago despite the fact that it has the potentihl to attract, and is in fact attracting (like Fairmount's FEB), high-density TOD development and promote walkable urban neighborhoods… Look at the crap Cincinnati is going through to establish mass transit; the sad death of MetroMoves in 2002 and, now, the continuing fight just to build a few miles of streetcar routes (and thankfully, the pro-streetcar faction is winning(!!), with every spade of dirt turned that pushes this admirable project to reality DESPITE the fact that the anti-transit forces STILL HAVEN’T GIVEN UP and are trying to kill it). The issue that people don’t want to talk about or deal with is RACE, and to some degree class. Officials nationally, but especially in this town, see buses and trains as transporting mainly black, Latino and poor white college kids and the like, while they/we envision professional white people from the suburbs cruising down the Opportunity Corridor in their expensive cars … After all, people like Crain’s and much of the PD’s editorial staff would not even consider “forcing” the majority of residents to use transit (which is after all “social engineering”) while denying them the “freedom” of using their cars – which is what this country is all about … right? The Opportunity Corridor is clearly about that freedom in a lot of people’s minds. OC backers may deny the above scenario I lay out, … but don’t ask them to take a lie-detector test.

Even though Michelle works for the PD, which obviously supports this project, I trust her objectivity as a knowledgeable and detailed reporter, largely based on her track record.

It's just a shame when eminent domain is to be used for a project that's being ramrodded through with considerable dissent in the community, despite what the PD reports.

I hear you...

Very exciting. The rooftop lounge, in particular, sounds terrific. I'm really curious to see if Geis can sustain the $2/sq ft rental rate in downtown, and if he does, how it will affect other properties downtown -- as Michelle notes, MRN's already pricing this in U. Circle. The synergy around E. 9th & Euclid will be electric, esp. once the Schofield building goes on line across 9th Street... I still can't wrap my arms around a Heinens grocery store is going to work in the old Rotunda, but I love the Heinen Bros. for aggressive pluck in trying it, and have to believe the project will come up aces ... I mean, how many folks are gonna wanna shop there to admire the architecture?

^That!

But that's going to happen with the planned multi-story apt. building which will rise along the boardwalk ...which we want, of course.

I won't use RTA for St Patricks day anymore as it is much faster, easier, and cheaper to drive. Traffic is never that bad on St Patricks day surprisingly. It's not really RTA's fault, but our rapid system fails in the scenario of large events, which is really only St Patricks day in our situation. Having only one primary downtown rapid station(Tower City) makes it impossible to handle the crowds after the parade as everyone rushes into one location, which also happens to be a mall making it even worse. I do feel RTA could use the waterfront line better, like having all Blue/Green line customers use those stations, but last time I checked they only sent blue line trains every 30 minutes minimum during the parade. Bingo! RTA could/should do this -- they could double the frequency with longer trains (3-cars) as if it were rush hour... Downtown's really small in area, and encouraging Shaker-bound riders to head to W. 3rd, the Flats ... or even up E. 9th to avoid the crowds would take tons of pressure off Tower City. I think RTA should, next St. Paddy's day, experiment with through rides -- to/from the Waterfront Line without stopping. Even if West Sider riders didn't get the message, they could still transfer back West at either 34th or 55th Streets.

Awesome. The 41's a very busy route.

I've never tried that ... it sounds like fun. I guess RTA riders (like you) coordinate (and pitch in) with their driving friends in Muni Lot... Kudos to RTA for the free dogs and Pepsi.

I'm confused about your question. The premise of your earlier comment was that Cleveland had best build the OC lest the money go to another city/metropolitan area, like say Columbus. Avon is within Cleveland's metro area. The same wrong-headed motivations for an Avon interchange attracting big box and/or strip/campus type development should be halted anywhere it can be. But the OC IS in Cleveland proper, competing with mass transit and, despite the rosy/phony claims that it will bring development, that is unlikely -- has the Chester Ave extension (from E. 55 to E.107), one of the closer existing comparators to the OC, attracted development in its 60 years of existence? Answer: No.

^He had apparently gained weight after the previous 2 All Star games... He was said to be in shape this year... but often, we don't know where his is... I guess my prayers that another Omar Visquel would drop down from the heavens’ into the Indians lineup won't be answered anytime soon… Terry Pluto notes that Asdrubal, at age 27, seems like a burned out player. Sad.

Actually, Cabrera improved and was rated one of the most efficient infielders in the AL this year -- 2 years ago, he was terrible. So Lindor probably won't improve on SS defensively, markedly, and they're still working on his bat down in the minors (still I look forward to him with the Indians). The infield D beyond SS was awful, esp at 3rd (Chisenhall) and 1st (Swisher). Where I fault Cabrera is re his offense. Hitting the 4th inning-ending, bases loaded double play was inexcusable, esp with us down 3-0 at the time. You've got to protect the plate and put the ball in play or at the very least, get it into the outfield. Cobb was wild at that point, and clearly struggling, and Astrubal swung at the 2nd pitch, which would have been a ball... It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you put pressure on a struggling pitcher who has the bases loaded, just walked the last batter and had our very enthusiastic fans going berserk -- make him throw strikes. Its stuff like last night, we've seen again and again from Asdrubal that makes me want the Tribe to cut the cord with him and move on.

^Sh-t happens. RTA's been pretty solid during Browns games. St. Patrick's Day still seems dicey.