blinker12

Is NE Ohio saying, 'Keep out'? Panelists contend policy stomps down potential growth Wednesday, March 07, 2007 Thomas Ott Plain Dealer Reporter At a time when Northeast Ohio desperately needs growth, Cleveland and its suburbs do their best to chase away development, speakers at a conference on land use law said Tuesday...

This is a complicated subject. The city's live-work overlay zone extends roughly from E. 18th to E. 38th and from Payne Avenue to St. Clair Avenue. Space in this zone may be legally converted to live-work. Here is the catch, though. In order for the space to be legal live-work, it must conform to the state's building and fire codes. Only a few "live-work" buildings have been brought up to code. These include all the buildings cited above, as well as the Payne Avenue Lofts building on E. 37th and Payne. Loftworks, at 40th and Payne just outside the overlay district, is another. Of course, bringing old industrial buildings up to residential code is quite an expensive undertaking, and it robs the buildings of much of their raw charm because it requires things like firewalls separating live and work space, burn-resistant walls and other stuff. Now, there are several buildings that have artists living in them illegally -- that is, without the buildings being up to code. The chances that they will be kicked out are slim unless there's a fire or other incident to draw the building inspectors' attention. These buildings are also in the same area as those listed above. Councilman Joe Cimperman and his staff have been working with the state to craft relaxed codes for live-work space. So far, they haven't made much progress. In the meantime, things like sprinkler systems and burn-resistant paint have emerged as potential ways that buildings can be brought up to current codes without requiring a complete gutting of buildings. If you're interested in locating legal or illegal live-work space, contact ArtSpace Cleveland, a mom-and-pop organization that does nothing but help artists find space. Ask for Harriet Gould. If you can give them a couple months' lead time, that is ideal. http://www.artspacecleveland.com

^^You might be surprised by the number of new-construction apartments that exist in Cleveland and inner-ring burbs such as Shaker. While you're here, check out Larchmere (near Shaker Square), which has at least two new apartment buildings. There's also Avalon Station in Shaker Heights, which is right at a rapid station I believe. Cleveland Heights and Little Italy also have some new construction. Most of this stuff is condos, I think -- but there might be some rentals too. Beachwood, IMO, kinda sucks. There's a lot of money there, and a lot of shopping, but it is physically very ugly. Strictly 1950s-1970s stuff, freeways, weird office parks, not many trees. I know all this is a matter of taste though.

Could this be it? Another arts district... ho-hum. ;) From PURE e-news. To Be Or Not To Be... An Arts District in Lakewood? Tuesday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m. LakewoodAlive's next forum will explore the idea of an Arts District in Lakewood. A panel of experts will discuss what makes up an arts district, examples of thriving art districts and the economic benefits associated with them. �We anticipate a lively discussion about whether an arts district would be appropriate and beneficial for Lakewood,� said Mary Anne Crampton, president of LakewoodAlive. �We would like to explore all of the issues that are critical to the development and sustainability of an arts district.� Panelists include: *Art Falco, President and CEO, Playhouse Square Association *Tom Schorgl, President and CEO, The Community Partnership for Arts and Culture *Daniel Cuffaro, Chairman and Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Design, Cleveland Institute of Art and current proponent of "District of Design" in Downtown Cleveland *Kathleen Cerveny, Program Officer for the Arts, The Cleveland Foundation Thomas Mulready, publisher of CoolCleveland, will moderate. The forum will be held on Tuesday, March 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the Beck Center Armory, 17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood. The Armory is located directly behind the Beck Center�s main building and parking is available in the adjacent lot and on nearby sidestreets. This event is free and advanced registration is not necessary.

Cleveland got Aldi's to build up to the sidewalk at E. 79th and Euclid -- though there's also a large curb cut off Euclid so people can access a side parking lot. In other words, it adheres to Midtown's form-based zoning overlay in fact but not in spirit.

"For over a decade Ohio was considered a solid red state -- it pushed George W. Bush into office in 2004 -- until last November when it embraced the Democratic Party with a big hug." Now *this* statement is patently false. Ohio was among the most hotly contested states in the country in 2000; in 2004 it was by many accounts THE most hotly contested. In '04, Bush won by a measly 2% margin.

Truly, Euclid Avenue does look like crap right now, except for a small section around E. 4th Street. The County should be ashamed of the way their buildings look at E. 9th and Euclid. Boarded up windows, dirty facades -- and they're not even close to getting started on the construction/renovation yet. Practically next door is the Atrium, looking like it barely survived an earthquake. If we can't keep the buildings themselves looking nice, let's at least post signs -- world-class signs, even ;) -- informing people about the Euclid Corridor Project. I think in a way it's good that we've had a reality check here. People from out of town see our city every day, and most probably have similar reactions. They don't have the time or interest to research why downtown looks the way it does -- they just know they're depressed. I am confident things will get much better in a few years, but in the meantime we're giving lots of people bad impressions.

It does become tiresome hearing that word *always* used in a negative context, though. It would be nice to see the PD or really anyone in Cleveland besides Bob Stark refer to density as a good thing once in a while. Also, the the "adverse" impacts of density mentioned here have to do primarily with traffic. Obviously, though, one the positive impacts of density is decreased auto reliance -- meaning less traffic. Many Clevelanders still don't seem to get that.

A part of Lakewood was included in the final tour. The consensus, though, is that word-of-mouth and traditional realtors already do a good job promoting places like Lakewood and Cleveland Heights. A gap exists in awareness of city-living options (though Progressive Urban has done much to reverse this). These tours are meant to help bridge that gap. The figures cited by CityLiving show that when people are actually presented with what's available in the city proper -- rather than shunted off straightaway to the suburbs, as has been the practice of local realtors for decades -- many will bite.

^Is that from the PD?

I don't know the details. I would speculate it had something to do with the cost of rehab...

Yeah. Try the Chicken and Shrimp with Mango... it is heaven.

I'm glad this is actively being discussed again. I wish we had beaten Philly, but oh well. BTW, Philly charges $21.95 to most people for its service. That doesn't seem like such an amazing bargain... Jackson wants Wi-Fi for every Clevelander Friday, March 02, 2007 Susan Vinella and Olivera Perkins Plain Dealer Reporter Mayor Frank Jackson wants to make affordable wireless Internet service available to every Clevelander -- and he's hoping a private company will pay to do it. In his State of the City address on Thursday, Jackson announced a plan to bring Wi-Fi service to all 77 square miles of the city. The announcement came during a City Club luncheon at the downtown Crowne Plaza Cleveland City Centre hotel. He also called for collaboration between the city and suburban school districts on purchasing supplies and sharing resources. And he noted that 30 police officers will come on board this year. Afterward, Jackson said he intends to invite companies to bid on the wireless project, which his spokeswoman estimated would cost between $60 million and $100 million. Spokeswoman Maureen Harper said the mayor wants the project to be totally privately funded. More at Cleveland.com

Marous's option has run out. They're not going to develop anything there -- at least not at this time.

Mint Cafe on Coventry is also out of this world.

Memories of Old Cleveland. I went to the Plaka once. Anyone lucky enough to have gone to Grecian Gardens on E. 4th? That place sounds awesome. George Koropoulis, 84, was owner of Grecian Gardens, other restaurants Thursday, March 01, 2007 Wally Guenther Plain Dealer Reporter George Koropoulis, 84, a Greek immigrant who owned or co-owned 12 different restaurants - including the Grecian Gardens - more than 39 years, died Sunday at Lutheran Hospital. Koropoulis brought belly dancing to each of his restaurants, which featured Greek cuisine he personally prepared. More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com

^^Welcome to Cleveland and to Urban Ohio, jmjr! I love Indian food, and my favorite Indian restaurant in Northeast Ohio is unfortunately in North Royalton. It's called Jaipur Junction, in a nondescript strip mall on Sprague Road near York. Trust me, the drive is worth it (and this is coming from a die-hard city dweller). Udupi Cafe, located in Parma Heights, is exclusively vegetarian and good, but not nearly as good as Jaipur. Closer in to the city is India Garden in Lakewood, which I have never tried but have heard good things about. Downtown there is Royal Saffron on E. 9th near Euclid. I've heard bad things about the lunch buffet but others have told me their entrees are good. And a friend of mine from India raves about the little Indian takeout place inside the Colonial Marketplace, on Euclid near E. 6th. On the East Side there's Saffron Patch in Shaker Heights, owned by the same people who own Jaipur. I think Jaipur is fathoms better, though. And there's Cafe Tandoor, a local chain in Cleveland Heights (with exurban locations in Aurora and Westlake). They're just OK, IMO. Oh -- and you should definitely move to Ohio City or Detroit-Shoreway. ;)

I love it -- this thread has turned into a total sass-a-thon!

^It looks like they're working on some utility lines or something at the St Clair site. Part of the street near the sidewalk is torn up and workers have been there for the last couple weeks.

There's only one available retail space -- the old Cantina restaurant shell. Stonebridge is trying to get an independent coffee shop in there, and they are working on getting a loan from the city to make it happen.

I wonder if the survey looked at how many people play "tax abatement hopscotch" -- leaving a house before the tax abatement is up for another house where the abatement is just starting. I have heard of this anecdotally, and it seems to be an inherent flaw in the current system.

I just can't wait for uniform enforcement to begin.

Program launched to build Hispanic businesses Marcia Pledger February 26, 2007 A new Hispanic Business Expansion and Attraction Pilot Program is being launched by the Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners, the Hispanic Business Association, City of Cleveland and Team NEO. The goal of the pilot program is to attract new business to Cuyahoga County and expand existing businesses. Local Latino-owned companies are being surveyed to better form programs to assist in business expansion and development and to create a Hispanic business-to-business directory. Brochures and workforce development and economic development pages on the county's Web site will also be translated into Spanish. For more information, call program manager Nana Abreu at 216-443-7267. Cleveland.com blog

Crain's Engineer, architect job openings on the rise By JAY MILLER 6:00 am, February 26, 2007 The Monster Local Employment Index says job openings in architecture and engineering grew faster in Cleveland over the last year than in any other market it tracks in the country...

IT firm Calyx set to move By CHUCK SODER 2:14 pm, February 22, 2007 Calyx LLC, a provider of information technology services, plans to move its office from Lakewood to a larger space in Cleveland’s Midtown neighborhood this weekend. Calyx’s new office in the Mid-City Building, 3635 Perkins Ave., measures 4,000 square feet. The firm’s old location on Cliffdale Avenue in Lakewood was only about 1,000 square feet, said managing partner Jason Fordu. The three-person company needed space for computer equipment and new hires. Calyx plans to hire about five people in 2007, Mr. Fordu said. The group also wanted the office to be in the city. Calyx is leasing space at the building, which is owned by Rose Management Co. Mr. Fordu declined to release revenues of the 2-year-old company, but said Calyx already in 2007 has generated about half of last year’s revenue figure. “We see that trend continuing,” Mr. Fordu said.