clvlndr

Such a 'doomsday scenario' would be doomsday for Calabrese and the Board. Shaker Heights may not be (in some folks' mind) as prestigious and powerful as it once was, and fewer Shaker blue bloods ride the Rapid as they did in decades past, largely because of heavy downtown corporate contraction, but the suburb is still very powerful and the Rapid is so intertwined with Shaker's history that it is considered foundational by most residents who would surely send RTA leadership packing. (which, btw, makes me kinda hope they do propose this)... ... and even though (too) many leaders here are indifferent to transit, I think you would see a firestorm from many quarters outside Shaker Heights as well. The opposition would be 100-times the muted opposition to the Opportunity Corridor. ... hold it, why am I even engaging in such a ridiculous discussion????

[ Google satellite indicates that the head house is fully in Cleveland, whereby the platform, which spans the bridge over W. 117, lies in BOTH cities. Likewise, the westbound tracks from W. 117 pass through a corner of Lakewood. They also pass through a corner of Brook Park, as well, though that station is wholly in Cleveland.

Good stuff, mrclifton88. We knew Cleveland would be attractive to biz visitors like this. Now, finally, we're building he facilities to host such conventions. Now, if only we could get more airlines/flights into Hopkins ... but that's a whole other story...

They're talking about the Rotunda only. Wow thanks Murray... interesting... that one got by my totally. Hope they can pull it off... Back to Ohio City stuff...

This will certainly be a big loss to the urban fabric that makes LI such a great, intimate walkable neighborhood... Planners, at least, must insist that parking be in the form of deck parking over ground floor retail with side or rear access to the parking ramp, in order to maintain sidewalk presence of the neighborhood.

^^ Both of you are correct, and thank you for saying it.

... which already exists, and is expanding in the area, like the recently greatly expanded Miceli Dairy plant at 90th & Buckeye; the plan for Orlando Bakery to demolish the empty Van Dorn factory building and expand there (at E. 79th & Grand Ave), and others that are happening well BEFORE and SEPARATE FROM this Opportunity Corridor highway boondoggle... More would happen if the PD, the Clinic and other power brokers around here weren’t so eager to jump in bed with the sleazy John Kasich and his ODT contractor buddies to shove this highway through the city at taxpayer expense, but rather, focused on seed money for growth in the area as well as cheaper, more logical improvement of roads and mass transit in the neighborhood... ... methinks this OC is also a backdoor deal for Juvenile Court judges and other personnel from the West Side, who strenuously objected to the relocation of the giant JJC near E. 105 & Quincy, so they didn't have to drive though those "bad areas" commuting to/from work.

^is this the plan for Heinens moving to FEB? I didn't know that was still alive, if so (which would be great).

The Stanley Block was where, I believe, they were going to extend the parking garage... I could be wrong.

WTAM is a bunch of right-wing wacko conservatives that HATE everything about Cleveland except, perhaps, its sports teams and take every opportunity to bad-mouth the City. You may do yourself a favor and turn the dial.

^^ After checking, AmTrust is an investment house. IMG (Tiger Woods' rep) is still at the corner of 9th and St. Clair... So, even with the big banking departures and Ernst & Young (happily) anchoring FEB, I'd still consider 9th Street the Financial District of Cleveland.

I wouldn't even consider it the financial district anymore honestly half of the banks moved to Public Square and the 5/3rd building if I remember correctly is closer to Public Square than 9th. That's true, Huntington & Key are both at the Square -- and we sadly know the bank that used to be Ameritrust was slated as a skyscraper for, what has been for 23 years, the dreaded empty lot (hole) on the NW quadrant of Public Sq. But there are still a few banks in the 9th St. area. PNC is still at the corner of 9th & Euclid. And, IIRC, another bank (AmTrust?) has moved into the 22-story modern-ish brick building at 9th & Superior where Key was. And 5/3 is at 600 Superior which arguably a tad closer to 9th than PS... Of course we're not talking about a Manhattan-sized downtown here.

This poor work rules/added operating costs situation is surprising given the fact that RTA has been relatively fiscally healthy in the last year or so, allowing for the addition of services, including the extension of certain bus routes and the increase of service frequency on certain routes, like the HL, No. 26 and Waterfront line.

... you beat me to the punch. Is this a comparison of our Heavy Rail to average Light Rail? If so, why compare apples to oranges? I can't imagine out Heavy Rail operation, with the short 2-car trains and unmanned stations (except TC) being more than the national avg. And if we're looking at LRT, why not compare only the Blue/Green/WFL lines to the national average?

I'm not surprised, but this should be looked into. It's not right that RTA is being dishonest with the public and trying to appear it supports rail when, in reality, it does not. (I think Joe C's been pretty clear about this) It's blatant hypocrisy and responsible public persons, like Mike Polansek (who really is interested in rail for his district), should be informed of this. If this, or any other rail project lacks FTA's merits for funding, then so be it. But for RTA officials con the public and game the (federal) system is inexcusable.

^Yay for the Spartans!!

^I'm kidding, of course, and I know the last thing you'd want to come off as is selfish... So that's why me, who lives on the other side of town, threw it out there... Nevertheless, using the FTA formula you spoke of for rating rail projects, this one would seem a winner: it is both cheap and has potentially high ridership because of the 2 station stops I propose-- both within walking distance of a lot of multiple-unit residential buildings. Hell, wood pole catenary (a la Indiana's South Shore interurban) and simple 1-level, ramp, walk across the tracks stations (a la Chicago's Brown Line/ground level L) could be used.

One Red Line extension that would make sense is an approx. .7 mile extension from West Blvd along the NS corridor to W. 117. It could be built relatively cheaply. The ROW is there and it would be totally at surface level. There could be a surface junction from the current Red Line just west of West. Blvd, then making 1 interim stop at W. 110 street. Because of our system’s utilization of overhead wires, trains could have grade crossings along the streets between W. 110 and W. 117 without electrocution concern for pedestrians in the area (with some crossings possibly eliminated by street barricades). I can’t think of a Rapid extension that would deliver so much bang for the buck: it is both short and cheap, relatively speaking, and would serve a very densly populated area. The W. 117 terminus would be within walking distance of the Gold Coast highrises as well as a number of brownstone walkups and rowhomes along Detroit and Clifton. The lively Edgewater entertainment areas along Clifton and Detroit would also be connected. In addition, when/if the West Shore commuter rail route is built, a transfer station could be built at the W. 117 Red Line terminus. At some point, in any case, a railroad overpass needs to be built at W. 117 in order for that area to reach its full potential, and there’s plenty of room for TOD development – it would not be unlike the giant Mayfield rail overpass (though less intrusive) where RTA is relocating the Little Italy-UC station. I’m surprised KJP isn’t all over this one since it would put the Rapid within walking distance of his apartment!!

Interesting thoughts... I read somewhere where planners were looking into building a separate Metro subway leg through Georgetown (I seriously doubt residents would object as they did back in 1969). Not sure that it will happen, but I do know there was some concern regarding the current in-city/downtown rail system's capacity to handle the increased traffic of the Gray Line which is soon to open out to Dulles Int. Airport... currently 2 of the 3 CBD subway tunnels carry 2 Metro routes -- the exception being the busy Red Line which is not viable for Gray Line service as the Red Line does not go into Virginia. Metro is amazing. DC-ites can’t get enough of it.

Downtown, all over, has been very impressive weekend evenings. Out front of the Tower City entrance on Public Square, the sidewalks are buzzing with activity late into the night-- and it's sooo much better with the added lighting, for security/safety, the new paving, planters and the like. As recently as 2 years ago, the TC enterance was dark and foreboding. People hustled through to get to trains or their cars, but now folks linger and people watch... There's no doubt, the casino has brought more people downtown, although downtown was trending positive in the recent years before it opened. Most weekend nights there's an electric atmosphere downtown even when there's no sports event. Last night, Ohio City was buzzing too with (I believe) the Great Lakes Brewing Co. anniversary festival/concert on Market Sq (somebody will correct me if I'm wrong)... We hopped a Red Line Rapid that was pretty full (lots of students who appeared to come from Case. Like downtown -- maybe even more so -- the sidewalks were thick with peds... All the bars and restaurants were packed to the gills, esp. Market Garden. Anyone from any city would have to have been impressed with our city.

Mystery solved! Pickwick & Frolic just installed a new LED-type rolling-display sign capable of video imagery. It's quite an upgrade over the old static, movie marquee display.

I note, on RTA's website dedicated to extension discussion, there are only photos of the Health Line.

I hate the racial implication, but it's real. There's a feeling that rail transit will bring young, intimidating African Americans, esp. males, who the upper Middle Class-to-wealthy shoppers, primarily white but, ironically also black (Beachwood, the suburb, is heavily populated with both Jewish and African American professionals) fear. This isn't just a Cleveland thing, or even just a mall thing, but an American thing -- Atlanta can't get its well thought of MARTA rail system expanded, primarily, because many of the conservative white suburban counties don't want MARTA for fear Atlanta blacks will use it to come out there and, otherwise, harm their property or their persons... Silly, but real... In DC, Georgetown residents (in)famously opted out of Metro rail for this reason although black residents drive, bus and cab there anyway... meanwhile wealthy (and overwhelmingly white) Montgomery county (recently rated as one of THE nation’s wealthiest) hosts miles and miles of (Red Line) Metrorail ... Falls Church, Fairfax County, Alexandria also do and, soon, so will the high-end Tysons's Corner mall area (think: Beachwood Place on steroids) ... and none of these areas are, or will be, overrun with minorities or crime... ...again, just plain silly .... but REAL in too many minds. So I would agree with your assessment, E Roc… regrettably. It's not a racial implication at all. Strictly cultural. As you point out yourself, more affluent black shoppers would share the fears of their white counterparts. I don't know if you're familiar with the term "cooties". It means young black men who act according to the "ghetto" stereotype, and it's an expression pretty much limited to middle class blacks. If I'm not mistaken Beachwood Place has already had one near riot recently. It may not be an entirely fair assumption, but there's more than paranoia behind it. ... just for the record, E Roc, in NO WAY am I accusing you of being racist. You just touched upon a mindset that's out there, and unfortunately, held by a number of people in spite of the facts I cited (... in metro DC, Metrorail actually boosts property values, not lowers them). I see your post as being more analytical and not any kind of bigoted spew.

As a transit geek, I'd love to see a Beachwood Place rail extension built, but it is way down on my pecking order for the very reasons you cite. The Red Line extension northeast, a Blue Line extension to Harvard Park or the West Shore commuter rail appear far more useful/viable than a BP extension... And, as noted above, the current Green Line terminal is close enough for BP residents to use going downtown or for some mall area shoppers and workers (who use the No. 94 bus to get there).

I hate the racial implication, but it's real. There's a feeling that rail transit will bring young, intimidating African Americans, esp. males, who the upper Middle Class-to-wealthy shoppers, primarily white but, ironically also black (Beachwood, the suburb, is heavily populated with both Jewish and African American professionals) fear. This isn't just a Cleveland thing, or even just a mall thing, but an American thing -- Atlanta can't get its well thought of MARTA rail system expanded, primarily, because many of the conservative white suburban counties don't want MARTA for fear Atlanta blacks will use it to come out there and, otherwise, harm their property or their persons... Silly, but real... In DC, Georgetown residents (in)famously opted out of Metro rail for this reason although black residents drive, bus and cab there anyway... meanwhile wealthy (and overwhelmingly white) Montgomery county (recently rated as one of THE nation’s wealthiest) hosts miles and miles of (Red Line) Metrorail ... Falls Church, Fairfax County, Alexandria also do and, soon, so will the high-end Tysons's Corner mall area (think: Beachwood Place on steroids) ... and none of these areas are, or will be, overrun with minorities or crime... ...again, just plain silly .... but REAL in too many minds. So I would agree with your assessment, E Roc… regrettably.