clvlndr

Rome wasn't built in a day. FEB is barely a year old and only in Phase 2; Phase 3 hasn't broken ground (or even been announced when the ground breaking will take place, sadly). FEB needs to first grow a steady client base. It's trying. The different festivals and events, including this year's Flat out Fridays, is just a start. Even the Water Taxi, which is still in its infancy, for now, just goes back 'n forth across the river. I would give it time to grow. Hell, look at how many decades it took for Ohio City, notably the Market Square District, to grow. As someone up-thread noted, FEB is in an isolated location at the bottom of a steep hill from downtown on an unfamiliar train line. Right now word of mouth is bringing more and more people in. Neighborhoods usually just don't spring full blown. Phase 3 should have more of the type of retail you're talking about.

The question is: as long as Burke continues to operate, how prime is this real estate since it is adjacent to Burke? Now if Burke were to close/relocate, this land's value skyrockets. We were up in Bar 32 at the Hilton, with it's stunning lakes-shore views, for nearly 2 hours the other evening and not one single plane took off or land at Burke. I know many people, including on the UO board, claim how essential Burke is to Cleveland esp downtown, but I just don't see it. When were you there? I can tell you (living in Bratenahl) I see planes quite frequently from my house as well as when driving along the Shoreway. Is it something the average Joe is using? Absolutely not but it is definitely a selling point for Cleveland. A week ago Sunday. Bar 32 was full...

The question is: as long as Burke continues to operate, how prime is this real estate since it is adjacent to Burke? Now if Burke were to close/relocate, this land's value skyrockets. We were up in Bar 32 at the Hilton, with it's stunning lakes-shore views, for nearly 2 hours the other evening and not one single plane took off or land at Burke. I know many people, including on the UO board, claim how essential Burke is to Cleveland esp downtown, but I just don't see it.

I just hope Fairmount makes a firm announcement about Phase 3 soon as it would likely instill some confidence among the vendors. I'm a little concerned the cost overruns problem that came to light a few months ago may be holding things up.

Cleveland City Council voted down the $15/hour minimum wage the other day, although this may not be the end of the $15/hour debate . What specific threats are Dave's making? This is troubling. Also, we saw a supermarket pull out of the Van Aken development plan but for other reasons. Is this a pattern or merely coincidence?

I'm glad the Diner is still staying in the area, but sorry it is moving off the strip which tends to scatter retail around. It's location at W. 117 was cool. Hope it works.

I was in town last weekend, and my plane was 5 hours delayed Monday eve and my bags were checked through so bag-free, I hoped the Rapid into downtown ... and was amazed. I hadn't seen Public Square since the Rebol restaurant opened... it and the rest of downtown was pulsing with people and excitement... on a Monday night! Mind you, there was no Indians game or any other major event going on (I think there may have been a show at HOB, but other than that, nothing). Monday's a traditionally dull and slow in most cities, particularly Cleveland, but no more. First the Square was buzzing with people everywhere -- kids, families, Millennials, middle-agers, elderly ... you name it. Folks of practically all races were mixing and mingling; everyone seemed happy; even the cops and Downtown Alliance goodwill ambassadors (some of the latter were playing cameraman/woman taking cellphone photos of people)... The fountains were going (it was 80+ degrees in early nightfall and very humid) and kids and some adults were running through it barefoot. Folks were milling about on the grass and tables at Rebol were all occupied, too. This just reinforces how totally right PS planners got it; to steal an Indians' metaphor, designers hit it out of the park. And along Euclid, there were bikes, bike rickshaws and horse-and-buggies all over the place. Restaurants on E. 4th and along Prospect had tables full of people. Corner Alley was also full of bowlers and barflies. There was either a pool or ping-pong table -- I forget which -- just outside, and along CA's Euclid side, there was a jazz band playing for cash (I dropped a few bucks in the saxophone case). I had to blink a couple times: downtown seemed like a mini-New York, but distinctly Cleveland. I know Cleveland has been on a roll of late, and downtown has been (figuratively) getting hotter and hotter, ... but not like this. All I could do was smile ... and knock down a luke-warm Rebol IPA beer before heading back to Hopkins after an hour or so of walking around in utter amazement.

Couldn't the courts, police HQ and jails be relocated, but rather than demolishing and building from scratch, the current Justice Center structure be re-purposed? It's a gigantic structure and could make for a lot of apartments with ground-level retail built out to the curb. The current small, ugly windows could be redesigned and softened to make the building look more attractive blending in with the pinkish color. Look at the difference, and softening, the window treatments have done for the old silver-box Federal Building. It would just seem that re-purposing the JC would be a lot cheaper than demolishing/ground-up build.

Really? Are we specifically talking about the quadrant south of Lorain and west of W. 25? Because if we are, this area does seem underdeveloped and a bit of a ghost town with few homes and a lot of open spaces, including recreational fields (mainly the one for St. Ignatius HS), parking lots, etc. It does not have the density or excitement of the quadrant north of Lorain and west of W. 25th... There is much more density and buzz along the Bridge and Fulton Rd corridors in this area, to name a few. I do hope more residential development comes south of Lorain.

I think these fears are overstated. It's their employees paying the tax, not the business. So they can choose to spend millions or more to relocate, or have their employees pay the tax. Of course, there is another solution. Employees could take transit and not pay the tax. Isn't Pittsburgh imposing a parking tax to support their transit? If so, what is their rate? Pittsburgh's rate is 35% and the revenue goes to transit. http://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/finance/07_PARKING_TAX_REGULATIONS.pdf Cleveland's rate is currently 8% and this revenue goes to the sport's stadiums. So, the tax increase being proposed would be 27% with revenues going to transit. ... yeah, I see it was announced the other day that First Energy Stadium is getting yet another $10M expansion. As much as I love sports and the Browns, it seems like this football palace, which is only used about 10 to 15 times a year (including a few concerts) is a taxpayer money pit -- it just received a much more costly major face lift a year or so ago. Meanwhile, the transit system needed to (among other things) deliver thousands of fans to its front door is dying a slow death due to political strangulation.

I think these fears are overstated. It's their employees paying the tax, not the business. So they can choose to spend millions or more to relocate, or have their employees pay the tax. Of course, there is another solution. Employees could take transit and not pay the tax. Isn't Pittsburgh imposing a parking tax to support their transit? If so, what is their rate?

^Sorry, I should have said dual level boarding... You are essentially stating my point. I only cited the Muni cars as examples of what we don't want in Cleveland...it also is why I cited Baltimore's LRT cars as being more acceptable in terms of their size, propulsion, comfort, etc...just something more attractive than theirs, though. I understand in order to save money RTA may attempt to joint-order cars with another agency.

Finally! I'm glad, most notably that Hansa should pump some energy in what is now a pretty dead corner of the Market Square district.

Yes, the drumbeat continues: less and/or downgraded rail. Pols starve rail and transit, generally, while continuing to feed the rubber-tired beast so, as usual, we rail riders must lower our expectations. I'm surprised the Breda cars are heavier than the Tokyus. You'd never know from riding them -- the LRVs have a considerably bouncier, jerkier ride. Some of it may be due because on the LRV's, you're really riding in a half a rail car connected by the accordion section. I've been on Pittsburgh's rail cars and am not overly impressed. They seem like typical, narrow LRVs. Probably the biggest-car ride/feeling I recall on an LRV are those in Baltimore. I just hate the ugly-blocky look of those Balto railcars. But hey, LRVs on the Red Line is better than no rail. At least that's the Hobson's Choice transit riders are constantly stuck with in Cleveland.

RTA fare hikes and route cuts begin Sunday http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/08/rta_fare_hikes_and_route_cuts.html#incart_2box

It seems that you are not well informed about this subject. I have rode transit in cities in the US, Canada and Germany, plus a little foray into France. Your assertion that Siemens (note spelling) "looks cheap" has no basis in operational reality. I have rode Siemens built cars in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Norfolk and Sacramento, along with cities in Germany like Cologne, Bonn (folding step dual platform height cars on the former KBE), Karlsruhe, including the dual voltage tram-train cars and Frankfurt. If these cars were "cheap" like you claim, then why is it that Siemens is so successful in the business? As for your car design idea, just explain to everyone how this type of design would look like and work, especially for a wheelchair bound passenger boarding at a low platform station and getting off at a high platform station. Furthermore, designing in-car steps to access floors of differing height increases risk of passenger injuries. For example, look at the floor modifications made to the Cleveland Railway 1200 series cars, both examples are seen at the Northern Ohio Railway Museum. My concerns were not about any perceived lack of quality of Siemens or any other railcar maker, but were more geared to replacing RTA's current quality heavy railcars with smaller, narrower LRTs delivering more cramped and inferior ride capability. I also did not care for the boxy design of San Francisco's MUNI cars. I hope that's not what RTA will go for when they replace the current fleet with dual-mode cars.

^Disappointing. I had hoped for the Le Meridien for this property.

^ I know what you're talking about, but think what you're expressing goes more to the age of the Tokyu cars and poor maintenance. But that's not always the case. Heading out to the airport on the Red Line a few days ago, the ride was a smooth as silk as well as being fast (seems like the Slow Zones are thankfully slowly disappearing) and not jerky at all either on acceleration or braking... KJP mentioned some time ago that RTA purchased a year or so ago a state-of-the-art lathe to smooth out those train-wheel flat spots IIRC... They seem to have made a difference on all RTA's rail cars. But I stand by my comments about the quality of the Tokyus.

I know it's years in the future, but I worry RTA will acquire these dual-mode cars on the cheap with a beggars-can't-be-choosy mentality. The current Red Line cars, though getting old and somewhat creaky in places (and whose doors 'explode' open), are still the best rail cars I've ever experienced in my long career of Cleveland transit riding (and they rate among the best of all rapid transit cars I've ridden throughout the country and abroad). The Red Line Tokyu cars are attractive design-wise both from the outside and within (love the silver-steel rapid transit look of the car bodies), spacious, possess fast, quality propulsion and braking systems and provide a smooth, "big car" ride. I truly hope RTA doesn't replace these with narrow, cramped streetcar-ish LRTs. Those SF Muni dual-height platform cars you showed earlier are exactly what don't want for the Red Line: ugly/boxy, narrow, tight-seating that probably deliver a bumpy streetcar-ish ride -- the type, not unlike the current Blue/Green cars that jostle riders when they run over switches -- the same switches that you often barely feel on Red Line's current Tokyus. Just my thoughts.

This is a nicely written article; more sophisticated and nuanced than most mainstream NP columns.

Another one!? These rail line outages/shutdowns are happening nearly once a week. It's getting ridiculous.

True re the transferring part. RTA will still have the headache of the one-at-a-time issue through TC regardless of the train types.

Now they do, but that won't necessarily be the case when the cuts take effect. But the fact they do just makes the regular arrangement less efficient than if there was a 4-track TC station... Anyway this is just my musing because, obviously, such a reconfiguration isn't likely to ever happen... Now using the auxiliary station for some future service like a converted HL to LRT?....

Transferring from the Green Line to the Red heading to Ohio City the other day from the new/old/temporary station in Tower City made me realize how easy this temp system is compared to transferring in the old one, where you seemingly walk for ever and then have to go through fare barriers. It made me muse on something I thought a long time ago: how much easier and better TC would have been for riders had RTA built a 4-track, through station with the Blue/Green LRT using the outer 2 tracks and the Red Line HRT using the inner 2. This would allow for simple cross-platform transferring between our 2 rail systems as well as allowing trains to freely access their platforms without having trains waiting in line to move through TC with the current 2-through tracks, and 2 stubs serving opposite-end platforms. The design problem would have been for the Tower City mall, itself, for rather than having their graceful North-to-South long escalators accessing the station from the Public Sq level, 2 East-to-West would have been built to accommodate the 2 platforms. So it's likely that TC's design interests trumped RTA's... so what else is new.