blinker12

You also might check into local EPA offices or the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD), which has new leadership focusing on green infrastructure and watershed planning, which might be of interest to you.

Beautiful! I love the third one, which looks like it was taken from Scranton Peninsula. Potentially great public space in the foreground.

^^Great shot. Gives a great sense of the historic density of this area. It'll only get better as all the new stuff comes on line. (Well, UH won't really add much, but Uptown, the 118th townhouses and Hearing & Speech will!)

The Litt article is talking about federal historic tax credits, which cover up to 20% of project costs. That list above from the PD is referring to state historic tax credits, which cover 25% of project costs up to a cap of $5MM. So... K&D got federal credits but looks like it hasn't gotten state credits yet. I'm assuming they "only" qualify for $8-10 million in federal credits because only the rotunda qualifies as historic; the tower is from the 70s and is too new. Does this clear things up? This project has the potential to secure $15 million in historic tax credits (10M federal, 5M state). That's really a drop in the bucket on a $133 million project, particularly in this lending climate. 668 Euclid, which got its financing before the state cap went into effect, got something like $16-17 million in state tax credits alone, and I've been told it wouldn't have happened without that amount of subsidy. So, I'm worried but of course optimistic about Ameritrust. ;)

^I thought it was bizarre what he said about east side v. west side restaurants -- i.e. that east side restaurants have better food, better choices, etc. and that the west side needs to "get it together." Many of the city's most renowned and creative restaurateurs are actually on the near west side -- in Tremont, Ohio City and increasingly Detroit-Shoreway. A weird bit of old-school east side-west side parochialism on his part.

That article is from Green City Blue Lake (gcbl.org), not the PD. But yes, an odd headline.

These articles let the State of Ohio off the hook entirely. Sure, the economy isn't helping but decades of remarkably anti-urban policy making are taking an obvious toll as well.

Downtown will have lots of people in your age group. The population tends to be more "young professional" than "artsy" downtown, probably in large part because of the rents. I live in Shaker Square (in Cleveland, about a block from the Shakertown), and it isn't really that great an area for young people. Don't get me wrong, I love Shaker Square, but it's more people in their 30s-40s overall and accordingly rather sedate. Young people tend to flock to Tremont, Ohio City, Downtown, Cleveland Heights and Lakewood.

Given your public transit needs, downtown is the clear choice. That's where all the bus routes are hubbed. Getting back and forth between Coventry and downtown would just add another headache to the end of each of your trips. I'd say the closer to Public Square the better -- check out E. 4th Street.

I was under the distinct impression that this building was part of the County Administration project, and its sale to K&D is therefore pending. I was also under the impression that it, along with 1010 Euclid Avenue, received historic tax credits. Can anyone verify or refute?

I have to totally disagree with X. We should be holding all new buildings up to certain standards of design, particularly along Euclid Avenue. We don't need something earth-shattering, but we should be able to expect something that's not downright bad.

These two houses make me gag every time I see them. Stand-alone houses with no relation to the existing street grid or neighborhood, on a prime piece of lakefront real estate. And they look like they're made out of styrofoam. Yuck.

I know there are a lot of Pittsburghers who frequent this board so I'm looking for your advice! I'll be in Pittsburgh for a couple days at the end of next month for work. I'll have a couple of nights free and am looking for restaurant recommendations. I'd like to explore the North Side and Mexican War Streets area, as I haven't spent much time in this part of town. Any recommendations on a good, cheap-ish place to eat dinner in this area?

I had a great time at the festival, was very impressed with the exhibits/vendors and the weather was beautiful (at least in the afternoon)!

Who wrote that letter?

That first building is amazing. What is the Hygenic Dress League?

That's the new Buhrer elementary school, I believe.

^I believe that is an old image, used for marketing purposes only, before 1 Hotel signed on.

The $170-230 million might be just for the first phase of the project. Not all the buildings in the site plan will be built at once.

^I heard the architects present this project over a year ago, and the plan then was to cut an atrium or atriums into the middle of the buildings, to afford more window opportunities -- similar to what was done with the Bingham building in the Warehouse District and other residential conversions downtown. This isn't ideal from a residential standpoint but it's pretty much the only way to preserve the historic structures while providing additional natural light.

I'm OK with the cap for now, but I think it ultimately needs to be lifted. I hope someone is tracking the economic spin-off benefits from these credits, as that will help make the case to the state that much more funding should be allocated.

Physically, Buffalo seems to me more similar to Cleveland than any other city I've been to. Housing stock and commercial corridors are practically interchangeable in architectural style. (Those rowhouses are atypical.) There's also the fact that the cultural district is 3-4 miles out from downtown, just like our University Circle, and there's an industrial river valley adjacent to downtown. Also similar to Cleveland, vast tracts of the city have been wiped out through demolition and disinvestment -- like the area around the old train terminal, whose name now escapes me. One thing Buffalo has that we don't is a long, continuous commercial district that stretches all the way from downtown to the cultural district -- the Allentown and Elmwood neighborhoods. Elmwood, as I've posted previously, is one of the loveliest and most complete urban neighborhoods I've seen in this country. Imagine Coventry or W. 25th Street times about 15 (literally). Cleveland's downtown, though, is more intact and livelier than Buffalo's. And our riverfront Flats have a greater density of cool architecture and bridges.

Cross-post from the Cleveland Restaurants thread. This is just off the Square but in the same nabe. Heather Haviland is gearing up for the busiest summer of her professional career. The chef and partner of Lucky's Café (777 Starkweather Ave., 216.622.7773) is in the works to open a second café in the former home of Café Limbo. Called Vine & Bean (12706 Larchmere Blvd.), the restaurant will feature "rustic foods with a local approach," Haviland explains. The location will no longer be a vegetarian restaurant, but the chef promises to offer delicious meat-free and vegan items. Beer and wine will accompany live music and a charming garden patio. The team is shooting for an early July opening. Haviland also is getting closer to opening her dream bakery and café, Sanctuary, which will be located in Tremont's historic Union Gospel Press Building, now called Tremont Place Lofts. There she will craft European-style artisan breads and ambitious pastries for Lucky's, Vine & Bean and the on-site café. Plans call for an early autumn opening. "Rumor is that when you die, you get to nap all you want," jokes the excited but harried Haviland. http://www.freetimes.com/stories/15/59/luckys-caf-date-night-in-the-district-and-debonn-vineyards In other news, I noticed a new wine bar, called Grotto, will be opening in the Square's Northeast quadrant.

As a soon-to-be-resident of Shaker Square, I am VERY excited about this: Heather Haviland is gearing up for the busiest summer of her professional career. The chef and partner of Lucky's Café (777 Starkweather Ave., 216.622.7773) is in the works to open a second café in the former home of Café Limbo. Called Vine & Bean (12706 Larchmere Blvd.), the restaurant will feature "rustic foods with a local approach," Haviland explains. The location will no longer be a vegetarian restaurant, but the chef promises to offer delicious meat-free and vegan items. Beer and wine will accompany live music and a charming garden patio. The team is shooting for an early July opening. Haviland also is getting closer to opening her dream bakery and café, Sanctuary, which will be located in Tremont's historic Union Gospel Press Building, now called Tremont Place Lofts. There she will craft European-style artisan breads and ambitious pastries for Lucky's, Vine & Bean and the on-site café. Plans call for an early autumn opening. "Rumor is that when you die, you get to nap all you want," jokes the excited but harried Haviland. http://www.freetimes.com/stories/15/59/luckys-caf-date-night-in-the-district-and-debonn-vineyards

McCleveland, any word on the 310 Prospect Ave. building and whether there are plans afoot to demo it?