clvlndr

Nice job MTS. For some reason Shaker Heights and the Square don't get a ton of U0 photo exposure, and yours (and some others posted w/in the last week or so) begins to give our area justice... Awfully nice luxury when the need calls for exhibiting one of America's leading high-quality, high-density, TOD neighborhoods, you can merely pick up the camera, step out your door and start shooting.

You've gotta love Mark Funkhouser (gotta love his name, too)... What our cities need are more progressive pols like this who willing to do more than just float rail transit as a "nice idea" but who, instead, are dogged enough to say: I'm not going away until you sloths start moving on this... Wish we had more guys like this in our Ohio Cities (and for the State, in general). I haven't seen him or her yet; all the progressives are in such orgs as All Aboard Ohio... all well and good, but until we get the mayors, governors and commissioners of this stripe, ...

^That's good. We've gotten a ton of info about hospital expansion which, while well and good, I'm more concerned with residential, retail and (non-hospital) institutional development. The approval of the 6-story Little Italy apt building is about the only residential news I've heard lately. And if Zaremba is planning, I'd like to know a little more about it. Like with Stark & Pesht, prolonged periods of nothing concrete can lead to unease -- and fortunately, details of Stark's direction are finally coming to light; let's see more from UCI, Case and Zaremba viz the Triangle. If anyone has anything ...

Nice photos. Glad you guys had fun in C-town, which it looks like you did... Actually, I'm quite fond of Yours Truly motif. As KJP notes, it used to be a drug store and the YT owners tried to keep that motif while adding an off beat, informal restaurant setting. As you can see, it is very popular with a large crowd that walks on over.

Thanks Jerry. I didn't know drivers can disable the strips. Actually, my biggest problem has been during off peak times when they're not working. Drivers speed through stops where no one (apparently) wants to get off and no one wants to board. When the strips don't work at these times, it's maddening because if you don't rise from your seat and position yourself by the door in time, the driver will fly by your stop. There've been times at stops along Shaker and Van Aken at night where driver's will miss stops even when someone's standing in the door -- the driver doesn't even look up (guess they're hell bent on getting off shift)... ... I'll have to start reporting drivers who do this.

Any word on how the Triangle condo project planning is coming? What about MOCA across the street or the Commodore hotel renovation?

I'm glad Sunbelt cities are finally getting serious about rail transit. But I see this as bolting the barn door after the horse has escaped: these cities sprawled along freeway development and, then, are building light rail with long routes designed to chase the the sprawl... and then Brookings holds them up as models?... And no, for whatever sprawl Cleveland has it's nowhere near what Sunbelt cities have. Cleveland and most older NE/Midwest cities were developed along rail transit lines: streetcars, interurbans, rapid transit and commuter rail. That the "fad" of urban rail has finally manifested in these towns is nice, but doesn't make them admirable. Do they have the Shaker Squares? Coventry's? Ohio City's? etc...

Goregeous shots. Love your software settings that brought out the different lush hues so brightly... Very inviting; this looks a lot like a Heights area... I hate the Steelers but can vouch that Pittsburgh has many interesting, inviting neighborhoods ... like this one.

We know Quincy/E. 105 is currently long enough for only 1-car but is being expanded... And after the reconfiguration of E. 55, moving the Blue/Green (LRV) low center platform to the outer ends of the Red Line high platforms, essentially cannibalizing a portion of the HRV area, E. 55 may now also be too short for a 3-car Tokyu... Cleveland in film certainly is tangible evidence that 3-cars used to run regularly... The film "Light of Day" (set in Cleveland starring Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett in the 80's) ended a montage with a Red Line shot of a 3-car, Red Line train streaking toward the camera -- though it was an evening/night shot, I'm pretty sure they were (then spanking new) Tokyu's. We also know the old “Airporters” ran in 3s… weren’t those huge cars even longer than the Tokyu’s? If not, they had to be at least as long…

[indianapolis is considering commuter rail] http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080522/LOCAL0102/805210509 '95 track deal set path for commuter rail By John Tuohy Posted: May 22, 2008 Thirteen year ago, the former president of the Fishers Town Council engineered the purchase of 37 miles of railroad track between Indianapolis and Tipton. Now, with gasoline prices at record levels, the investment looks prophetic. Transportation planners announced last week that they could build a commuter rail line from Hamilton County to the Circle City for $20 million. The diesel-powered train would use the tracks that Kelly and the city of Noblesville paid a combined $200,000 for in 1995. More at link above:

Good to hear... thanks for the clarification.

^That's good news. I really hope RTA and the local and community groups can come and work together on this and other transit proposals. Whether one loves (as I do) or hates the Waterfront Line, it's one of the few examples where RTA, local groups and pols came together to make a significant rail project happen - and in a hurry at that... a Parma line would be nice as, I understand, W. 25th is one of the busiest bus corridors in all of RTA...

In the Cleveland/Midwest context: we do. Terminal Tower for about 50 or so years was the tallest building btw NYC and Chicago. More recently, Key Center held that distinction until Philly just opened the Comcast Center, earlier this year, that tops it... ... Key, Terminal Tower and BP are pretty darn tall to me...

I think the key differences in Ohio City vs. the successful 24-7 nabes in Pittsburgh is geography. Pittsburgh has a lower population and population density than Cleveland, but it has pockets of high density constricted at the tops or bottoms of (often steep) hills, while Cleveland's is spread moderately over flatter, more accessible neighborhoods -- like Ohio City. I think it's no coincidence that our most successful 24-hour areas, Little Italy and Coventry, fall more into the Pittsburgh model, geographically. My area, Shaker Square, has high population density concentrated at Shaker Square, but the Square area (including Larchmere), is mainly flat; on top of that, both Shaker Sq and Larchmere really don't want wild, trendy jam-packed areas. Shaker Sq, esp wants family friendly establishments, that's why bars and clubs in this area are few and the few we've had really don't last (accept for the long-running "The Reason Why" which died in the 1990s)... Ohio City is obviously trying to build population density, but with little success aside from Fries and Shuele which, next to CMHA's Riverview, is the 2nd largest res building, unit-wise (I'm pretty sure its bigger than the West Virginia apts; correct me if I'm wrong)... The bulk of OC's residences are small Victorian houses on individual lots; some small and close-cropped, but OC's density doesn't match a Coventry, Shaker Sq, Little Italy or Edgewater/Lakewood Gold Coast... hence the feast-or-famine bustle as opposed to Pittsburgh's Southside. Chicago is flat and accessible too (which, I know we've compared to Cleveland ad nauseum), but it makes up for it with such extreme population size and densit in most nabes...

You're right; back to the Parma proposal... You state that 5 "partners" will be involved in the upcoming public hearings, including NOACtion... but, as is often the case in these rail proposals, where does our (state's largest) transit agency, itself, stand on this? What about RTA? (I'll tell you that in every other rapid transit city I can think of, the transit agency would be leading the charge and not be reluctantly dragged along)

I like the look of the rendering very much; it's kinda sexy and its modern airy, light-weight feel would balance off the heavy stone, bricks 'n mortar massing of the classic Public Sq. area buildings... I was a tad disappointed Jacob’s building isn't taller; if anything to balance off our existing super-talls on the other 3 quadrants; this would really enclose Public Sq. as the energy nucleus of Cleveland, as it truly deserves to be. But I'm thrilled to get that ugly Public Sq. hole filled, and this building, esp with ample street retail, would go a long way toward doing just that. My only other reservation is whether Jacobs is rushing up this office building without, yet, a final word on the convention center (notably the proposed MM/CC halfway between Tower City and the Mall linked to some space in the Warehouse Dist) that could cause this location to be better suited for other uses -- namely a large-scale hotel.

Someone mentioned that unstable or water soil was an issue to subway building, as well, adding several millions to that project... Bottom line is, though, the commissioners had better get their hands out and kneeling/begging rugs ready, because $400M ceiling or no, this project needs to get done and it definitely needs to be downtown. I don't care how many people chirp that being out in midtown near the Clinic is acceptable, to me it's not a viable option... This is too critical a project to sacrifice the downtown synergy and hotels a MM/CC would bring in order, simply, because we were forced to build on the cheap. It would be better to shelve this proposal until a better deal came along than to build in the absolute wrong place, which could screw up our growth pattern for years.

That would be sweet. Obviously, the right-of-way to Randall is there all the way in Northfield Rd. Plus, you could space stations farther for more speed until you reached the Randall Mall area. There Bob Stark (or someone similar) could build a Cracker Park-like development... but with direct rail transit! And don't forget, for the must-drive crowd, I-480, Cleveland's outer-belt south, abuts this property and has exit ramps at Northfield and Warrensville. Could be a win-win project. I'm just not sure we're quite there, TOD-wise, although FEB gives me hope.

It's interesting, downtown Pittsburgh, after hours, is a lot dead-er than Cleveland's. But the Pittsburgh nabes you mentioned: Southside, Squirrel Hill ... and I'll thrown in college-oriented Oakland, have the kind of 24-7 bustle I wish Ohio City and others did... and I'd go a step further, Peabody, Cleveland's public transit is better than Pittsburgh's, esp rail, and esp to areas like Ohio City, Univ Circle and Shaker Square/Larchmere... But all 3 of those areas lack the full time energy we'd like. Little Italy is as probably as strong as you'll get inside Cleveland... Coventry, up the hill in Cleve Hts, tends to be the champ, though. There are parallels btw Coventry and Squirrel Hill, which is very Heights-y but just happens to be w/in Pittsburgh's border. Back to Ohio City: I'm glad those other businesses, like Phonm Phen are hanging in there. It's just that I would have thought by now, esp the growth of the Market Ave. restaurants, Fries & Shuele's strength -- as a high-end, high density residence with street retail -- and Old Angle's strong establishment and growth, I'd have expected, a few years ago, that Ohio City now would be a lot stronger than it is... It seems to have hit a wall. And, as I said, there are way too many empty storefronts than you'd like... Any word on MRN's plans for the United Bank building and its surrounds? Can we finally do something about that hideous Market Square (strip/roadside) plaza and stretch the district south, below Lorain and Monroe, and west of W. 25th, toward St. Ignatius HS?

That's a nice fantasy map, pitchblende -- I wish all that could happen including the Parma line. If all these were done (including converting ECP to the subway line it was supposed to be) Cleveland would have a near perfect rail network. However, over on the RTA thread, Jerry Masek just explained the Green Line expansion -- which should have been done 25 years ago, is dead. Also, while a Blue Line extension is still being looked at -- though not seriously I'm afraid -- I believe it swings eastward to Chagrin Highlands rather than continue south to the soon-to-be-defunct Randall Mall.

Kan Zaman has leap frog-ed over Lutheran Hosp to a new building in a typical, car-oriented, strip mall-type building set back from the street, seems somewhat a negative move for this well known Middle Eastern restaurant and hookah bar, though I’m sure they’ll tell you they have more space. The end result is there’s yet another vacant storefront along the main W. 25th commercial drag. The Middle Eastern market, formerly next to the WSM, is gone too, making at least 6 vacant storefronts I counted along the east side of the short commercial strip along W. 25 – joining long vacant Moda, City Buddha, a prominent spot that’s been empty a year, this fall, and a few others. The only new establishment in the area is the Cento restaurant adjacent to the Belgian Bier Mrkt. We already know about the long still-born Jay Lofts around the corner. Overall, does this mean Ohio City is struggling? We know that, despite Cleveland’s long-standing status as a Melting Pot (which many prefer, these days, to reference as a “Stew”), there’s an unfortunate history of race/class conflicts which oftentimes causes developments in mixed areas to struggle… Let’s hope that’s not the case here. Ohio City, to me, is one of our most valuable neighborhoods.

In point of fact, it's been every rehabilitated car I've ridden but one -- and I've ridden quite a few. I've reported this in the past, yet I have no idea the success of my call -- after the 1st of the year. All I know is the situation has not improved since even though, of course, many more cars have been rehabilitated, which in itself is a good thing.

How come the station-call strips in the rehabbed Blue/Green line trains don't work? Will they be fixed?

Excellent photo threads; great idea. Of course, esp like Shaker Sq... This thread puts the lie to the idea you have to have a car to survive in Clevealnd; and you guys didn't even go to Ohio City, the many shopping areas like Van Aken or south of 117 or natural areas like Edgewater Park or Shaker Lakes...

Makes sense to me.