clvlndr

^^I'm surprised and disappointed, 327, as I'm usually in simpatico with your beliefs... I firmly believe that cities, particularly this one, have been far too cut up by freeway gullies and elevated highway embankments -- just as older Tremont residents how they feel about I- 71 and 490... As a major opponent to the OC, I'll at least concede that the outer portion is a tad more tolerable since they it is a surface roadway that intersect streets (compromise can be good... this time considering the lesser of 2 evils). In this sense the OC MAY stimulate SOME light industry along at the intersections. But it's pretty clear to me that the talk of the OC causing Gordon Sq, Market District or Shaker Sq.-type walking districts to spring up is a total farce designed to dupe local pols looking for a rainbow ... This is why I think the E. 55 grade separation with the goofy hook-down entrance ramp (complete with a traffic light with the OC), is beyond foolish... It's a needless expense without purpose; one of the more Rube Goldberg-ian roadway "improvements" I've ever seen. You have grade separation, then a traffic light a few hundred feet past the separation, so there's little to no speed gained by OC drivers. It harms the neighborhood more by taking out more homes and makes the still new (and very nice) RTA Rapid station at 55th more difficult to access. It also makes ingress/egress between I-490, E. 55 and the OC actually WORSE than had it been made a surface intersection. And on top of all that, it added umpteen millions of extra dollars in expense... for, as noted, an "improvement" that equals less than zero... But my main reason for hating this project generally remains: why are we spending $330M in taxpayer money for a roadway that is not needed by residents (30-40% of whom don't own cars), when the only growth that's likely to be attracted (as I conceded above) will be more light industry? (SIDE NOTE: there's been some expanded light industrial growth in this territory ANYWAY -- notably Miceli Dairy Co. (along Buckeye) and, of course, Orlando Bakery, near E. 79 & Grand). Fixing the existing streets and improve transit options -- that's what residents wanted -- ironically, RTA just recently decided to spend $Millions to keep and (radically) improve the 3 area Rapid stations (the 2 E. 79s and E. 105) anyway. So this roadway, surprising for fiscally conservative Republicans like Kasich, who jumped 4-square behind it-- when it's essentially flushing $330 essentially down the toilet... But at the very least the planned OC is LESS BAD than the full freeway desired by E Rocc, 327, Joe Calabrese ... and that late Albert S. Porter.

... and this video provides a graphic reminder why (for $330+M) it's being built-- to serve West Side/suburbanites commuting to the JJC, CC and UH. Talk of neighborhood development was a ruse to get neighborhood pols to buy in.

^Glad at least someone touts the WFL as the BEST connection between the convention center and TC/Public Sq (even better with the interim coming FEB attractions along the way)... Aloft guests frequently beeatch about the noise of those RTA grade protection bells (which sound recorded, actually) at W. 10-Main Ave. The problem with quieting them is that they may not be audible amidst so much area noise with the frequent NS trains, Cuyahoga ships, as well as that of the Shoreway traffic on the MAB viaduct above.

I'm surprised and glad these stations remain open. It's lightly populated in these areas now, esp along E. 79th, but the people there need these stations, esp with the no. 12 bus along Woodland removed a few years ago. Too bad more consideration couldn't have been given to relocating the Red Line's E. 79 station to E. 89-Buckeye-Woodland, but losing any of the 3 stations in question would have been far worse. Let's hope at least some TOD development can happen near these station. I know about the 60 jobs mentioned for Orlando Bakery's expanded plant along Grand Ave. With their razing the old vacant Van Dorn factory buildings and clearing that site, hopefully there's further opportunity there. CMHA is upgrading their rundown 60s-era buildings just north of the station which is positive.

This is a great idea... Like I said earlier, it's such a no-brainer that with 2 rail transit/transportation stations literally adjacent to the expanded Convention Center and across the Shoreway from NC Harbor and he R&RHOF, there would have been an effort by planners to integrate these facilities. It's frustrating that a $50M or so pricetag stopped further consideration of the Amtrak station site. Such a wasted opportunity.

If Love is hurting, he needs to do like LeBron: speak up, shut himself down for a week, maybe a couple, and get the medical treatment he needs. He's only hurting the team by playing hurt ... if that, indeed, what's going on. It's got to be something, because there were moments in recent games where it looks like he doesn't even know how to shoot. A 12-game winning streak can mask a myriad of problems, but it's obvious that in a number of those wins, the team was carrying K-Love ... not good.

I question the 4th quarter rotation Blatt has been using lately. It has all our newbies -- Smith, Shumpert and Mozgov on the bench for the 1st half, or more, of 4th quarters -- usually until about the 5-minute mark of 4th quarters. And it features (cough) Matthew Dellavedova running the point with Kyrie at the 2. I don't get that small lineup, especially against the big team Indy had out their. We With that crew, We let an 8-point lead with around 8 minutes left, evaporate to an Indy 1-point lead with around 5 mins left, when Blatt brought in Mozgov and Smith. During that stretch, CJ Miles was wandering around the 3 point line free. Why no Shumpert as opposed to our smaller guards while the 6 '6" long-armed Miles was bombing us indiscriminately during the Pacers' comeback? Didn't we acquire the taller, D-minded Shump for precisely these types of situations? ... Why was Mozgov on the bench when Hibbert and West were hurting us inside? ... I don't think Blatt had a good feel for the game when the wheels started coming off in the 4th quarter. It seemed like mechanical coaching and, yes, Blatt's love for Delly in putting the ball in his hands during crunch time continues. Yes, we'd won 12-straight, so Blatt has been doing a lot right, obviously. But that 4th quarter lineup was going to catch up to us at some point -- it allowed a weak Philly team to nearly catch us a few nights earlier, until LeBron took the game over and put it away... K-Love, of course, was awful: only 5 points and 8 rebounds, and he was clearly forcing 3 pointers down the stretch. AC noted his form was awful. The bench scored just 10 points: 4 from Thompson and 6, from 2 Shumpert treys. That's it... The aforementioned Delly played 16 minutes and produced no points... btw, Delly was also helming that scrub crew the night before that allowed the Clippers' scrubs to go on an 18-0 scrub and nearly wipe out our 30-ish point leads, get LAC within 10 points and nearly force Blatt to put the starters back in to preserve the win... Delly was running the point tonight when our 12-game winning streak ship sank in Indianapolis... I'm not saying Delly was the ONLY reason why we lost as the team reverted it's old habit of dribble-dribble-launch mode we saw during the 6-game losing streak ... But Delly's was certainly a negative factor tonight.

A good sign ... FEB has got to be putting intense pressure on that strip to redevelop... into something.

Timo fumbles at times, but I think he's better than most, and sometimes he fumbles because the passes haven't been crisp or on target or are in heavy traffic. Human mechanics also dictate that big men handling the ball are always vulnerable to smaller guys with quick hands; as we saw when CP3 swiped the ball from the Moz... Timo may not be perfect, but I love the guy; he's much better than I'd pictured him in Denver... He's extremely coordinated and fluid for a man of that size; and he can stick an elbow jumper when he wants to... And you must have gone nuts when he went point guard on us, dribbling the ball from beyond mid-court right to the hole. Securing Mozgov alone should get Griffin votes for Executive of the Year. ... oh yeah, the Love and Smith/Shumpert trades should boost the Griffin vote as well.

Actually, I think they are 1/2 game up on the Bulls, tied with the Wizards for the 3rd seed, and now only 3 games back of Toronto for the 2 seed. Yep, that's correct... This team is damn-near unbeatable right now. Last night we absolutely smothered the 3rd best scoring team in the NBA. We embarrassed them so thoroughly, they had their technical(s) melt down. Absolutely no complaints right now -- well, almost none ... I have been a tad concerned that the bench bunch coughed up so much of the lead during garbage time, and that this has not not been a rare occurrence. Blatt has been forced to put the starters back in after crumbling big leads to preserve wins because of the bench ... If yesterday's game lasted a minute longer, he'd have been forced to do it again... I know these guys are scrubs, but giving up an 18-0 run is absurd, especially against other scrubs.

I'm not sure, but I think the Tokyu cars had problems in the winter when they were delivered 30 years ago. IIRC, RTA was operating the (then spanking new) Blue/Green LRT cars over parts of the Red Line (just the Windermere branch, I think) until the problem was fixed... I believe it was a snow/braking problem back then, as opposed to the cold today. Not surprising the old RTA actually ordered cars that hadn't been snow tested which was absurd given Cleveland's climate and the outdoors/gully nature of the Red Line route -- much of it, anyway ... Even though the old RTA leadership seemed to have it's heart in the right place, it was an outfit that couldn't shoot straight.

Winking Lizard is relocating from a 100+ year-old, urbanized, dense, ped-friendly mixed use area within walking distance to University Circle, among other areas to a 60s-built, sprawl-influenced strip-shopping center that sprung up next to Cleveland's outer-belt freeway... For anyone who cares an ounce about Cleveland and smart growth, it's a negative move.

Ron Tober was progressive in his views toward rail transit expansion... It's a shame that the powers that be took that to mean "extravagant" and ran him out of town in favor of the anti-rail Calabrese who better fits their paradigm.

I'm really glad that the NCTC is still alive and gaining momentum. I am not, however, wild about the proposed location -- it's away from downtown; at its far-most edge. I know it was $50M, but building at the current Amtrak station site is the most ideal (aside, of course, from Tower City ... but we know that ain't happenin'). The current Amtrak site is right btw North Course Harbor and the Convention Center - ideal to the downtown/lakefront growth area ... but I guess the overriding priority was building a pretty foot bridge and not transit... I'm just frustrated that, once again, a major game-changing rail transit facility is negatively impacted because of money concerns. No, this is not as damaging as the scuttling of the Dual-Hub subway/rail line, but once again in this town, transit is the stepchild of projects constantly downgraded by financial concerns... There never seems to be an issue when it comes to roads... Nobody batted an eye with the Opportunity Corridor's $350M ... the current gov said: we'll even raise turnpike tolls to pay for it, and not an eyelash was batted... But transit continues to scrimp.

It could be a bit more rounded at the ends, which would make it sexier... Actually, the concept drawings for FEB when Fairmount locked on an overall design, is rounded -- the shape of a grand piano -- and would be preferable.

^The design definitely works for me... Unfortunately the 2nd exterior rendering ("river facade from the west) is out of context and doesn't do the restaurant justice. It shows the restaurant, while located on the boardwalk, sitting in front of the empty parking lot of 2 years ago when, in reality, the substantial 242-unit apartment building will loom over its shoulder. So if you can alter this rendering in your mind with the apartment behind it, the project seems all the more exciting.

Raising sales taxes in hot new entertainment districts is not new in big cities, especially when there's a lot of new construction involved. It's just new to Cleveland because we have not had this kind of growth in many years.

This is fantastic. Looks pretty cool and amazing it'll be up 'n running by mid-June... With the new 16-lane Corner Alley in UC-Uptown along with the existing spot on 4th Street, Cleveland will sure be able to get it's bowling-fix in hot new in-town neighborhoods... I'm just curious how this place will mesh with the apartment building since it has roof-top (3rd floor) dining. I'm assuming it will jut-out from the apartment building, but I could be wrong. Anybody?

The pieces Griffin secured have eased the pressure on KLove considerably, especially Mozgov who, on defense, serves as a backstop for both the guards and forwards who "cheat" their counterparts toward the middle where the looming, athletic center is blocking the rim. On offense, Mozgov is proving his serious 3rd option scoring threat in the front court. This frees up Love as a kick-out option on the wing as opponents' bigs either sag in the middle or are forced away from the rim to cover the Timo. Mozgov also uses his big body to set hard picks which are freeing up Love for more runners, tear-drops, hook shots and a greater variety of shots inside the arc. Love seems a lot more comfortable exercising his full arsenal of shots as opposed to standing on the 3-point line waiting for LeBron or Kyrie to hit him... And when he has an off scoring night, as he did both against Portland and Sacramento, no problem. The Cavs, with a healthy LeBron, an energized Kyrie plus JR, Shumpert and, once again, Mozgov, has the firepower to cover Love's absence from the scoring column, esp after the 1st quarter (where Love has been scoring the lion's share of his points for the Cavs)... ... it's all good.

^Dumbest call in Super Bowl history.

My Goodness!... A transit chief that's actually FOR extending his rail transit system. What a novelty... well, at least here in bass-ackwards down Cleveland, at least, where the transit chief undermines his existing rail system and fights any talk of rail expansion. Good for Buffalo. NFTA Metro Rail is a strong LRT that's merited expansion years ago. Let's hope they get it done.

I would add that the building's Edgewater neighborhood is perhaps the most beautiful residential district inside Cleveland with the pretty old homes and apartment buildings with the lake blocks away. I believe it's the wealthiest district in terms of avg income as well.

As frustrating as Mark Naymik can be sometimes, I applaud him for articles like these... he's really be focusing hard on the blight and potential upgrade in the Shaker-Buckeye corridor for over the past year. Lots of solid buildings along Buckeye... Essentially this neighborhood is the mirror image of Larchmere physically-- lots of solid buildings along a narrow main drag; it just has been allowed to deteriorate while Larchmere, sitting along the edge of an upscale Shaker Heights neighborhood, has received considerably more TLC over the decades. Hopefully things are changing for the good for Buckeye. Access to the Blue/Green Rapid lines supplemented by the #11 bus gives this area a major plus as well.

Interesting.

There's no question that a full service supermarket is a key element in the establishment of a residential neighborhood. With that, I'm wondering whether Heinen's announcement last year of the downtown store is helping green-light some of downtown office-to-apartment conversions in the immediate area of the store. Even though the conversions were happening before the announcement, they seem to have accelerated... Then again, maybe that's just me.