blinker12

^It's nice to see some positive press on the levy. Sure it's not perfect, but it's the only chance we've got in the foreseeable future to get some new public arts funding.

^Oh, I didn't realize the Ohio City car had been moved too. In that case, I understand better where the article is coming from. I'm glad City Wheels has been so resilient in finding a formula that works. This sounds like it should do the trick.

I think the reason Cleveland neighborhoods haven't been improving faster is the housing stock. Very little extent stock meets the tastes of upper- or even middle-class people of today. Much was built fast and cheap for working-class immigrants. We'd have to seriously incentivize redevelopment of these old houses (i.e., restrict new development) to get them into use again. Slavic Village is a case in point. Breathtaking commercial district at Broadway and E. 55th, but the middling housing stock outweighs that.

There's been little commentary on this, but this is all great news. Southeast Ohio is quite beautiful, and since we as a state seem unwilling to restrict development via legislation, conservancies are our only tool for preserving land. Cool stuff.

I thought the article was pretty positive and fair about Cleveland overall. What hurt us most was not the local agriculture thing -- it was unmitigated sprawl (there was a chart included with each ranking that I couldn't copy here). I think that's pretty accurately our biggest sustainability challenge now.

This article acts as if City Wheels were just being launched here, and that it was UCI's idea. It makes no mention of the car in Ohio City. Good ol' PD. Guess we know where the old Tower Press car is now! University Circle launches car-sharing program Friday, September 15, 2006 John C. Kuehner Plain Dealer Reporter Workers, students and residents in University Circle might no longer need to own their own car. University Circle Inc. and CityWheels announced an innovative car-sharing program Thursday that they hope will help ease congestion and parking problems in Cleveland's fastest growing area.

It appears from the Cleveland article that they were looking just at the city proper. But in other places, it seems they consider a whole metro area. I also found their description of Columbus as having "a classic Rustbelt economy" to be way off. Columbus isn't part of the Rust Belt. Again, the rankings are worthless as is some of the commentary, but some interesting insights nonetheless.

Yeah, we all know rankings don't mean much on their own, but this study has some interesting things to say about sustainability practices in the nation's 50 largest cities (including Columbus and Cleveland but not Cincinnati). Incidentally, Cleveland ranks #28 and Columbus is #50. http://www.sustainlane.com/article/895/ #28 Cleveland: Give and Take on the Lake Cleveland is making promising strides toward fulfilling its tagline as “The New American City.” Cleveland, which ranks #28, is no stranger to the consequences of unsustainable practices. The modern environmental movement literally blazed into public consciousness here during the 1960s, when the polluted Cuyahoga River, which flows through the city into Lake Erie, caught fire. Lake Erie, the fourth-largest Great Lake, was declared a “Dead Lake” in the 1970s, after pollution had caused algae to bloom in such quantity that fish populations died en masse. Now the river no longer lights up the night and Lake Erie, though still subject to a seasonal dead zone in its middle, supports sport fishing and healthy aquatic populations. Besides its lakefront location, Cleveland has advantages over other large cities in Ohio in that it has good public transportation combined with a historic downtown that has been undergoing continual revitalization since the 1980s. The bad news is that the city continues to lose population to its suburbs and other parts of the nation: The city’s population declined from 914,000 in 1950 to 458,000 in 2004. Healthy Living Cleveland gets middle-of-the-road marks in most healthy living categories, including #29 in air quality and #31 in tap water quality. Lake Erie supplies plentiful water, but not all of it is savory. The city’s tap water contains 19 contaminants, including 4 over the recommended EPA threshold. For parks, the city also rates below average—its 5.8% parkland (out of total city acreage) puts it at #35 in that category. You can, however, spend years exploring Lakefront State Park, created in the 1970s when four city parks were combined into a single “super park” connected by a bicycle path and fitness course. Overall, the city ranks #27 in local food and agriculture, with a high rate of community gardens—there are about 200—offset by a paltry two farmers markets. Getting Around Cleveland’s public transit ranks above average in both its city commuter rates (#14) and in its regional transit ridership (#21). About 8.3% of Clevelanders ride public transit, and just over 4% walk to work. Biking to work is almost nonexistent, at 0.1%. The carpooling rate, at 11.7%, is higher than average. Still, more than 72% of residents drive alone to work, a higher rate than, for example, Los Angeles’s 70%. Cleveland remains the least traffic-congested city in our study. Economic Factors Industry in Cleveland still conforms to a typical Rustbelt profile: chemical and food processing; some steel, electrical products, and auto parts manufacturing; and printing and publishing. Other economic opportunities include the city’s newer status as a regional and national tourist attraction. In addition to the lakefront, the city is known for the Cleveland Metropolitan Orchestra, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and some famous pro sports teams. Green building appears to be making fast progress, with the city’s ten LEED Registered buildings ranking it #13. The city is the 8th most affordable of the 50 largest US cities. Summary/Next Steps Cleveland started a Sustainability Program within its water department in 2005. The department, staffed with one person, is responsible for developing alternative fuels in the city fleet and investigating the use of renewable energy. The successful growth in green building appears to be a partial result of the program’s incentives and guidance. The status of the program under Mayor Frank Jackson, elected in 2006, is unclear. If it wants to move faster toward sustainability, there are a number of actions Cleveland can take. To complement its ongoing urban historic district redevelopment, Cleveland might consider encouraging the development of more parks, farmers markets, and clean technology businesses. #50 Columbus: Time to Get Green A new “Get Green” policy should get Columbus moving forward. Smack dab in the center of Ohio on the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, Columbus is the state capital and host to Ohio State University, as well as a transit hub for rail freight and trucking. Its city center, though, has never caught on as a hub of redevelopment and revitalization—the city’s energies and population have flowed ever outward on asphalted spokes. In 2005, Mayor Michael B. Coleman launched a Columbus “Get Green” policy that targets air quality, recycling, and green building. The city has made a number of improvements around recycling, and has a huge opportunity to take action by developing sustainability programs. Healthy Living The air in Columbus ranks #37, with an EPA ozone air quality violation in 2004-2005. As part of Get Green, an anti-idling measure for municipal vehicles was put into effect, but efforts to control air pollution will need to go beyond limiting idling vehicles. The roots of the city’s overall low ranking in our study are the pervasiveness of vehicles, their frequent use, and the lack of an infrastructure encouraging viable alternatives. Tap water ranks at #41 in our study, as it contains 18 contaminants, 6 of which are over the recommended limits set by the EPA. Parks take up about 6% of the city’s total land. The largest city park, Three Creeks, is a major hub in the Franklin County Greenways program, an interconnected system of trails along seven major streams in Central Ohio. The 13 miles of trails parallel the streams, winding through forests, fields, prairies, and wetlands. Most other area parks are under the management of Metro Parks, which includes 13 suburban parks splayed out around the circumference of Interstate 270, the city’s outer ring. Getting Around Without any commuter rail, light rail, or metro system, Columbus commuters rely almost exclusively on their cars, which they drive alone in great numbers—more than 83%. Though the city has a bus system, less than 3% of residents use it to commute. Only about 2% of people in town walk or bike to work. Because the town is bisected by two diverging Interstates, non-vehicular movement is somewhat impeded. The Central Ohio Bicycle Advocacy Organization does just what its name suggests, including sponsoring city group rides to raise awareness about cycling and to build community. Economic Factors Columbus is a classic Rustbelt city, with major industry in heavy manufacturing, printing, insurance, and retail clothing. It’s also home to the headquarters of the hamburger restaurant corporations Wendy’s and White Castle. Many national retailers use Columbus as a baseline for product launch testing. In terms of a green economy, there are few indicators that any such thing exists in Columbus. The city had four LEED buildings registered as of early 2006. Renewable energy businesses, local food, and a local green business directory are also scarce, hidden, or unavailable. Green Energy Ohio is attempting to fix that situation by promoting news, tours, and legislation for renewable energy in the state. Summary/Next Steps Columbus would be best served by confronting head-on its dependency on the automobile and fossil fuel energy. The city is in danger of becoming less competitive economically as its citizens feel the pinch of higher gas prices. With no viable public transit, more and more of their hard-earned money will be spent on just getting around—reducing income for spending on restaurants, entertainment, and nonessential shopping. It makes sense for Columbus to expand its fleet of public transit buses and to examine developing other forms of public transit as well. Besides improving the city’s air quality, such actions would provide insurance against energy-related economic woes.

^I don't know exactly how sales are going at Bridge Square, but they're up to Phase III which is pretty good in my book. Yes, the 100 are mostly renovations... though I think the Muriel had been vacant for a while, and obviously Lou's is an adaptive reuse. At any rate, I would consider renovations as counting toward neighborhood improvement -- in fact preferable to new construction in many ways. These units are all low-income, but again I'm not sure exactly what difference that makes unless we're talking about gentrification rather than revitalization. And don't forget the Shoreway reconstruction -- this neighborhood stands to benefit greatly from increased connectivity to the lake. It will be Cleveland's most lakefront-oriented hood once that project gets finished.

Those aren't just storefront renovations around W. 65th; there are also about 100 units of housing being renovated (those above the Gordon Square Arcade, the Muriel, the old Lou's Furniture and a couple above the old adult bookstore). Plus you've got about 400 units under construction at Battery Park and planned expansions of the Ecovillage, Bridge Court (which actually are doing well; I think the latest phase sold out -- why do you say they're going nowhere?). When you add that to new prospects for redevelopment via the West Shoreway project (firm) and the Gordon Square Arts District (less firm), you end up with a pretty hopeful picture. As much as I love the Near East Side (I live there after all!), I don't think it has quite the same momentum, nor is it surrounded by other promising neighborhoods as Detroit-Shoreway is. That said, I do think the Near East will improve a lot in the next 10 years and will benefit a lot (perhaps even more than the OC or Tremont) if the downtown housing market pops as we all hope it will. University Circle should do well too. I guess it's really a three-way tie!

You know what would make a FANTASTIC all-night diner in the OC? That old bar just over the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge -- I think it's called the Bridgeview? Kind of a dirty white stucco building. It's still operating as a bar at present, but I think it's just crying out for a diner makeover. (O.K., sorry, way off topic again. This thread has a tendency for digression.)

I voted for Detroit-Shoreway, though really it is already booming. They have more than 700 new or renovated units in progress over there right now, and it (along with the OC and Tremont) is the local epicenter of infill housing. Chinatown per se doesn't have a whole lot of room for infill housing, and the housing that currently exists is pretty solidly in the hands of the Chinese (which is a good thing IMO). However, I could see some very interesting things happening in the old industrial buildings along Hamilton Avenue in the next decade or so.

I'm thinking they probably won't announce a groundbreaking date til they reach pre-sales for the loft building...? BTW, Lindazzo doesn't currently exist. Cool name though.

Arts-funding issue gets a number 4:16 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2006 Carolyn Jack Plain Dealer Arts Reporter Article Removed

From Shaker Square to downtown is about 20-25 minutes. To get to W. 25th Street, you'll have to transfer at Terminal Tower to the Red Line and go one stop -- 5 minutes. So half an hour total travel time plus waiting for the transfer. I know Red Line trains run about every 15 minutes throughout the day (til about 1 a.m.), slightly more frequently at rush hours. Check www.riderta.com for complete schedules. Yes, except for a tiny portion under Terminal Tower.

^I don't think the point is who broke the story... it's that it's in the New York Times.

Quick! Let's consolidate this into "The Official *I LOVE CINCINNATI* Thread"! :roll:

^There is some discussion of these demo's, I believe, in the E. 4th Development News thread in the "Restaurants, Nightlife, Attractions" section.

Ms. Chamberlain (ex Clevelander and Free Times editor) redeems herself after the dour article she wrote for the Times last year on the Cleveland real estate market! Really great stuff.

Ugh. Not liking any of this news, including the abandonment of the Atrium idea or the demolition of the nurses' building. What is more important to this region -- filling an ugly corporate big box in the suburbs or reviving the biggest single blighting influence on the city's premier downtown avenue? I'm disappointed. UH pursues OfficeMax building in Shaker Hts. By STANN BULLARD, SHANNON MORTLAND 6:00 am, September 11, 2006 University Hospitals may provide the city of Shaker Heights with the salve for the wound that was created by the departure of OfficeMax. Three sources familiar with the situation, who spoke on condition they not be identified, said the hospital system is conducting due diligence to buy the big office building formerly occupied by OfficeMax as a new home for UH’s back-office employees. The 227,000-square-foot building at 3605 Warrensville Center Road became vacant late last year after OfficeMax decided to consolidate its headquarters operations in the Chicago area. UH’s pursuit of the OfficeMax building means, at least for now, that the hospital system is passing on options to consolidate the back-office employees in either the 668 Euclid Building downtown, where it might have spurred a renovation, or in empty space at the Halle Building, 1228 Euclid Ave. However, people close to downtown advocates say they hope to snag some hospital jobs at some point in the future. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20060911/SUB/60908032/1005

In Cleveland, not many people are willing to consider revitalizing the inner-city a personal responsibility. Fewer, I'd say, than in comparable cities like Pittsburgh, Cincinnati or even Buffalo. They live and do business outside the city, or outside Cuyahoga County, and expect Cleveland to somehow improve without them. But until this region and its people take a concerted interest in reviving the urban core (e.g., by limiting new high-end retail development to downtown as I mentioned earlier), we're not going to attract many outsiders either. And by outsiders I mean immigrants, new businesses, the much-ballyhooed creative class, etc. Outside investment follows inside investment. For example, why would any national retail chain -- take H&M for example -- be a pioneer downtown when even local retailers seem to prefer the suburbs? When most of the region's well-to-do households are outside the city? What message does that send about our own commitment to the central core? We are beginning to catch on to this, of course, but it still disappoints me how few people are willing to personally contribute to the cause by living and/or working in the city. Yes, I'm idealistic but in this case I'd say I'm also being realistic.

I'm just saying we need to stop developing in the burbs if we want downtown retail to come back. Even if parking weren't an issue, why would someone drive from Brecksville to downtown if they can get everything they need in their backyards?

^ I think our difficulty getting retail downtown also has to do with the lack of priority we place on this issue as a region. At the same time Stark and Wolstein are proposing their big, retail-heavy projects for downtown, Marous is planning a new lifestyle center for Brecksville and some other developer has his eye on North Royalton. These will join a plethora of existing malls and lifestyle centers in the burbs. Yet any downtown retail project will rely heavily on suburban shoppers, at least in the near term, because of downtown's small population. To reiterate Wimwar's point, why would these people come downtown to shop when they can do so more easily -- and with free parking -- on the fringes? Until we agree as a region that we want to bring retail back downtown, it's difficult to imagine it happening until the downtown population grows enough to support it on its own (which could be decades).

whoa, crazy... I worked for AP in New York before moving back to start grad school. I'm in a different field now, so I can't give you much advice on getting journalism jobs here, but you might check the magazine Inside Business -- they seem to hire from time to time -- as well as Crain's Cleveland, Cleveland magazine, Northern Ohio Live and of course the PeeDee and the "alternative" weeklies. btw, you won't believe how easy and cheap cleveland is after NYC! and there's still plenty to do.

Gypsy Beans & Baking Co. news: Interior demo work started last week, and they are installing the fire separation now. The bakery will open first (late October-ish) followed by the coffee shop.