clvlndr

^Fairmount definitely indicated they are moving forward. I'm sure they need to get all the financing pieces in place (which IIRC, they were pretty close). Just a guess, but I wouldn't be surprised if they put it off till after the RNC because of the hassles to visitors with building on the parking lot. Just a guess; hopefully I'm wrong.

Very nice photo essay. I particularly thought the love letters from Vietnam memorial was particularly moving and unique... As has been noted, people often compare Columbus and Indy. Even though C-Bus has the strong plus with OSU in town, I still prefer Indy because it just seems a tad more cosmopolitan than Columbus. Indianapolis, though, is kinda weird to me. They have a very interesting and lively downtown which especially revolves around its sports stadia. I've always loved Monument Circle which has a distinct European flair to it. And there are a couple cool neighborhoods to the north and adjacent to downtown that have interesting old housing and lively restaurant/bar scenes. Other than that, I don't find much to the City. There's a wealthy area north along Meridian Street where, I believe, the governor's mansion is. People make a big deal about Broad Ripple as this hot, interesting neighborhood, but to me, ... Meh. Also, the Monon rails-to-trail represents a huge lost opportunity for a light rail corridor up the gut. Indy, of course, has it's share of transit problems like most Midwest cities and even it's extensive BRT proposal is in jeopardy I understand because of conservatives.

What's the latest on a prospective Phase III groundbreaking?

Commercials for one thing. We see PSAs and super pac commercials frequently. "... ask Gov. Kasich to stop taking Koch Brothers' money to kill a job-producing, urban-enhancing project like HSR nationally and here in Ohio..."

When I see crap like this, I just wonder once again: when is the pro-transit lobby grow a pair and really start to "out" the Kochs and this kind of nonsense? I mean, it's great to get this information in a few lefty mags or blogs like this one or Salon, New Republic, etc. But what about the mainstream media bully pulpit? This is absurd, backwards, selfish and harmful to the nation and the general public should know about it. Unfortunately, though, the word isn't getting through and the Kochs continue to move about the nation smashing transit efforts from state to state; we know how well-entrenched they were/are in Ohio. As the writer adroitly noted, if the Kochs owned Philip Morris, we'd all likely be walking around with lung cancer. The key is to shine a light on these fools and they will scatter like cockroaches. But it just seems like the transit lobby is just too timid to take the Koch's and their sleazy political operatives in our state and federal legislatures on. Why? Transit people have access to the same media weapons as do the Kochs and their Reason jackasses.

I don't wish this on any team, but the Cavs could also benefit from ANOTHER of these teams getting riddled with injuries (for once). ... but unfortunately we were at full strength last night and had all weekend to rest from the long trip and, yet, suffered the 2nd worst home lost in Cavaliers history.

Cleveland, at the very least, does have a rail connection to its cultural center albeit at the corner of it (dense Little Italy, though, is directly served). But a lot of people do use the Red Line to University Circle from downtown and the West Side. Obviously the Health Line is more direct and serves core East Side areas, but U.Circle does have a rail connection... In Pittsburgh, the LRT doesn't even come close to Oakland, which which is denser and more populated than U.Circle.

Many disturbing issues arose after that ass-kicking last night, and the futures of certain individuals with the team are in question, namely: Blatt, Love and Mozgov. Blatt, in particular, admitted he didn't have the team prepared (ya think?) and wasn't even aware that JR arrived less than an hour before the game. Ironically, JR was the lone Cav who showed fight tonight and then got tossed for a bogus F2 call... People may brush off this game as just a regular season game in January, but to do so would be crazy.

I disagree. The Blue line serves the Aquarium and busy/lively wharf area. The Blue Line also goes directly to Revere Beach. The south Orange Line directly serves Chinatown and there are some significant TOD locations near it. While I think Boston made a mistake in tearing down the old Orange Line el down Washington Street, since the el cut through the heart of central Boston (and the relocated Orange Line is off to the side, duplicating the Green Line's Heath branch) I still find it useful. My biggest beef with the T is that the Green Line is just too congested and slow. Too many busy routes funnel into a single set of tracks. This may be the oldest section of subway in America, but it's past time to upgrade.

Nicely done, sizzlnbeef. Happily you can update the photo with a nearly-complete Hilton hotel, making it no longer proposed. And maybe you can change colors from light green to dark green, with the later signifying green-lighted or done deal. Phase 1 of the lakefront residences north of the Rock Hall are almost at this stage. And, yes, the new 2-story restaurant on the 9th St pier has already broken ground.

^^Good stuff, KJP. It seems like you're the only true rail passenger/transit advocate in NEO (perhaps in all of Ohio). And while you're good, that is sad... I'm heeding your call and will be busy on the phone (and the Net).

^Yep. And Chicago, unlike Philadelphia, is a contemporary of Cleveland's in terms of being a post Colonial city that expanded/exploded during the late 19th Century Industrial Revolution. Chicago was/is a model of urban planning growth primarily with planner's early decision to keep industrial growth inland away from the valuable lakefront which was maintained for primarily high-density residential development. And you're right, those large swaths of late 19th century homes in Lincoln park, adjacent to downtown Chicago are still there with no factories anywhere in sight... Cleveland, on the other hand, had much more haphazard commercial growth with freight rail lines circling downtown and along the lakefront spawning heavy industrial development. Interestingly, as the 1919 Subway Commission report noted in its analysis of Cleveland at that time, residential development often sprouted up near these factories whereby workers could generally walk to work. And in that sense, the subway analyst noted that Cleveland was a bit abnormal and trickier in terms of developing subway routes because of our city's unique travel patterns. ... and btw, I don't say this to knock Cleveland, because Cleveland's historical industrial growth was fairly typical of the time. America in general was, and still is in many aspects, guided in its urban growth more by commerce interests rather than by a people-centered approach. Chicago was more the exception than the rule and some of it can be ironically attributed to the Great Fire of 1871 when planners, essentially, got a clean slate on which to plan and build for the city's mushrooming population.

^ ^^ ^^^ Good points, all. Yes, the specific location where that beautiful row is where the Rose Building, a handsome office building, now sits as a result of Cleveland's expansion from a small town into a major city. However, even if you look eastward where downtown's office buildings peter out, there's nothing but mainly parking lots, cheap commercial and light industrial structures. The photo is at E. 9th, but the Brownstones of similar, high-Victorian architecture are all the way out at E. 36th meaning there was probably a who lot of similar residential buildings that met the wrecking ball and not for downtown office buildings, which is a shame.

You've never worked in a bar, I take it. :0 I'll second this. Most ladies rooms at any establishment are WAY more gross than the mens room.... Really!? .... Wow. Guess I'll put my barkeep aspirations on hold.

^^Wow, good stuff. That first shot looks like many Philadelphia streets today!! ... It's truly depressing when we ponder all the beautiful, dense architecture and neighborhoods, like this, Cleveland just threw away. That Brownstone row was obviously 1 small piece of a much larger residential neighborhood that simply disappeared. On many levels, the zest for industry that, of course, made Cleveland grow to what it is was sometimes reckless and destructive.

Philly's SEPTA operates more public restrooms than most transit agencies. Not only do it's 3 Center City Regional Rail stations have them (in the case of Jefferson and 30th Street, 2 sets of them at that), many of the old RR station buildings that dot most of its 13 rail routes have them available, ... when they are open (usually to 11:30a/12N). The Market-Frankfort el has them in its 2 terminals as well. RTA has, too, has public restrooms only at TC and the ends of the Red Line, the latter of which are not on RTA property, like the ones at the airport; I also found out that little coffee shop/bakery in Stokes-Windermere allows the public to use its restrooms ... when it's open, which apparently is late in the night, according to a friend I picked up from Windermere last summer... Public restrooms are as much as a downtown/entertainment district issue as they are a transit one. It's an even bigger problem in denser, more crowded cities like Philly, Chicago and NYC. I know Philly experimented with a contractor who made the fancy, street-corner outhouse-type structures where the door automatically opens in 5 or 10 minutes (to thwart drug users and the homeless). These type of public facilities are common in Paris and other Euro cities. I thought they were a great idea for Philly, but apparently after the pilot program ended, Philly officials gave up on the idea. Too much of a headache, I guess. Maintenance is one issue, but homelessness may be the biggest. Many people, including yours truly, use the restrooms in the casino from time to time, because they are much more convenient and on my routes out of, or in to, Tower City to/from the Rapid, unlike the Tower City restrooms, which are not only out of the way, but sometimes are, seemingly, unsafe (in contrast to Horseshoe's bathrooms which are always safe: crowded and/or staffed). But the homeless often occupy public restrooms, which is why many hotels, like the Renaissance, now lock their restrooms and make you get a guest key at the desk which they only give out to guests or bar/restaurant patrons... I was in a Horseshoe Casino restroom on the 2nd floor back in November when casino security had to come and force a man to come out of one of the stalls who, apparently, had been in there for hours. Without restroom facilities, people guys especially (but sometimes women) go behind buildings downtown. And as for maintenance, well consider how nasty some Men's rooms are at some of the downtown bars, where I've seen guys, tired of waiting, just go in the sink. My assumption is that the women are somewhat less crude, but won't bet my paycheck on it. Cleveland, just like RTA, just like Philly, NYC, MTA, SEPTA, etc, generally just say F- it, and do nothing.

Public restrooms at transit stations are a rarity across the country, with a few exceptions. You're right, you don't see them often in rail stations. New York used to be one of the few, ironically, that had some subway restrooms from what I understand, but I think there became a crime issue. Then of course there's the maintenance aspect. If RTA can't even maintain its stations as they are currently, I don't even want to think about what their restrooms would look like.... or smell like.

...also, some of the Ohio City homes are early Victorian, too. An ex patriot Shakerite "empty-nester" couple moved into one of those small, brick cottages along Carroll Ave near St. Ignatius H.S. a few years ago. IIRC they stated it was built in the 1860s.

This row, now collectively known as the Brownstone Inn B & B, is a real beaut; perhaps the most physically attractive multi-unit dwelling in the entire metro area. It's just too bad it's located in an out-of-the-way semi light industrial area, though this neighborhood been becoming a little more residential in recent years. There are a number of buildings in Cleveland that predate the 1870s; many we don't think of. I'm amazed at the number of early Victorian commercial and mixed-use neighborhood buildings exist along major streets like Lorain and Detroit. Sadly, we often don't realize how old they are until the burn down. The Cozad-Bates mansion, an Underground Railroad stop for escaping slaves from the South, is slowly being restored into a museum; its first section was built in 1853 with an addition built by the original owner's son in 1872. It's noted as the only pre-Civil War structure still standing in University Circle. btw, Dunham Tavern is listed being built in 1842. Wikipedia (good but not the Gospel) lists Dunham as being Cleveland's oldest building east of E. 55th. I'm not aware of any buildings in Cleveland that are older than DT.

I could be wrong, but I seem to recall around the time Superior station was rebuilt that there was some concern, mainly from women, that the platform felt closed in and unsafe, and that this may be why the windows over the street were removed. I also seem to recall an earlier post noting that RTA does not have the money and/or financial incentive to vigorously maintain its stations. Hence new stations tend to deteriorate quickly with use and/or weather conditions, such as tracked-in salt or similar chemicals. The urine smells, which I've experienced so often on the W. 25 elevator I no longer use it even if I'm carrying heavy items, is inexcusable. RTA needs to monitor this (and similarly violated locations) better and offenders need to be stiffly prosecuted if caught. It's disgusting.

^This is, at least, somewhat promising. Let's hope this "well connected" individual can get some of his allies to think along the lines you lay out.

^Is there a developer (or developers) being induced to build on those sites? What inducement can or is being used (TIFs?)? Who would be the main party(ies) for offering such inducements? The cities of EC and Euclid? Is there ANY movement in the direction of such development and has the prospect of a Red Line extension to these sites being offered as a "buy-in" incentive?

I agree with McLovin's general point: there is so much untapped potential in East Cleveland by dint of having 2 heavy-rail, Red Line stations there. And so many residents of the city don't have cars and ride the rails, it's amazing city officials all but ignore the Rapid. Both these stations appear to be in rather good condition -- I'm less sure about the exact state of Superior, but I know Stokes-Windermere is, as of last summer, in tip-top condition. In the cases of both stations, those little strip shopping plazas should be demolished and replaced with high-density mixed use housing. But it's going to take leadership, which has in recent decades been a rare commodity. I will say that Gary Norton is probably the brightest light, mayor-wise, EC has had in decades and, at the very least, has urban planning experience and something of a vision. The problem is whether EC's backward-looking city council can get out of the way... Norton btw expressed support for the Red Line extension to Euclid as well as having been a prime mover behind the Circle East town homes on Euclid... He's at least got a clue.

Aaaaand, now that the facts have come out everyone can take a breath and realize it's not a conspiracy after all. Who said anything about a conspiracy? RTA has not been forthcoming about its operation. Feel free to put your total trust in Joe C's operation. I choose not to.

First we have Calabrese not being completely forthcoming or transparent about the looming train car crisis -- he likely wouldn't have addressed it at all had not KJP/AAO smoked him out on the issue, with KJP correctly going further in noting we really need to have a public "conversation" about the future of mass transit in the region... And now we have this Shaker Square discrepancy: whether it's outright dishonesty or a failure of communication between the various layers of RTA, there's a very big problem here. How can Joe Q/Jane Q Public have any confidence in the soundness of his/her transit operation or the veracity of its leadership. This is nonsense and Calabrese and his people need to be held accountable.