blinker12

In the third-to-last photo, you can see the Schilling Square apartment building -- one of the most beautiful rehab jobs in the city, IMO. P.S. Considering most of these photos are from Cleveland, why is this is the Lakewood development thread?

CMHA development awaits HUD approval of new plan Officials hope long-delayed Ohio City project gets extension Sunday, November 13, 2005 Angela D. Chatman Plain Dealer Reporter Federal housing officials will decide by year's end whether to approve the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority's revised plan for a mixed-income development in Ohio City. The approval would also extend the long-delayed Riverview HOPE VI project by three years, to the end of 2009. If the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants the authority's request, CMHA will retain the remaining $8.5 million of a project grant that is to expire on Dec. 31, 2006, and have more time to plan and carry out the development... more at: http://www.cleveland.com

I wish she'd be a little harder on them in the NEO! :)

You're talking about the Business Improvement District. I'm not sure what their role will be in dealing with empty storefronts. Anyone know when the BID becomes active, by the way?

How sad. It could be a beauty with some touching up.

Ewoops, yes, I think it's quite possible that Silliman could be chief of staff! I think he'd do a pretty good job, too. But if I could choose, I'd keep Ronayne in place. He's young, energetic and known for getting civil servants in City Hall off their butts and working for change in our city.

Also, to those wary of Jackson, keep in mind that at least we're getting a new council president out of this -- likely Martin Sweeney. And many people say council presidents in Cleveland are even more powerful than the mayor. Certainly, Jackson was able to wield quite a bit of influence (often wrongheaded IMO) in that position.

Ewoops, Silliman was Mayor White's executive assistant for development, and I foresee him filling the same (or a similar) role in Jackson's administration.

Wasn't the foundation of the Atrium determined to be unstable, however? I fear that they will tear it down... I understand that a lot of these buildings are works-in-progress, but in the meantime -- lower Euclid does indeed appear to be a black hole. It's harmful to both our own morale and to our public image to have the city's front door looking so post-apocalyptic.

Yeah, he needs to stop laying waste to downtown buildings!

^ Probably free food! ;) Hebebrand was in one of my classes the other day and said a southern alignment for the bridge had been ruled out because it would require too many takings in Tremont -- a neighborhood already deeply scarred by highway projects. He said the County Engineers are contesting that finding and want a southern bridge, but had so far failed to produce any kind of formal study showing substantial takings would not be necessary. Maybe if they could do that the southern alignment would be back in the picture.

YSOH, check your Yahoo e-mail!

It is truly mystifying that the Museum is renting a storefront at Shaker Square but not downtown. Who the heck is going to see it out there, apart from neighborhood residents?

It's a great idea, and as zaceman said it was done extensively during the Ingenuity festival. Why we couldn't have simply left the art in the storefronts -- at least until retailers wanted to move in -- is beyond me! But clearly, Levin and Mulready were able to pull it off for at least a long weekend, so the hundreds of property owners are presumably amenable to the idea. Also, the Cleveland Museum of Art took up a whole store space in the 515 Euclid Garage, showcasing their renovation plans -- that shoulda stayed there! It was beautiful.

I know, it doesn't make sense. If there are already buildings there, it seems the land would be stable enough to support replacements. However, according to OCNW, "The geo-technical data showed that all the buildings north of Riverview Tower are on unstable ground." The good news is that now OCNW is recommending tearing the buildings down for that very reason. And in a lot of ways, it might be better to have a park there than buildings; that way everyone can see the view!

Everyone, this meeting is your chance to express thoughts about the new bridge! Let's work for something beautiful and not merely functional.

Well, we can be pretty sure Ken Silliman will be on Jackson's staff, and he's a smart guy. Also, I saw Robert Triozzi standing right next to Jackson after his victory speech last night -- I'm hoping that means my favorite mayoral candidate gets a spot on Jackson's staff!

Guys, these are the buildings I was referring to when I posted OCNW's e-mail: The ugly low-rise ones north of Riverview Tower, on the east side of W. 25th Street. To quote OCNW again: "It’s highly unlikely we’ll ever see development from Riverview north to the bridge." The low-rise buildings are no longer part of *any* phase of the HOPE VI development. That's why I was so upset! It seems the best we can hope for now is a park.

Right, don't forget that RTA is building stations along the route. That's a lot more permanent than a bus sign. Hey, if I had my druthers, RTA would be doing a new rail or streetcar line. But I do think this is a step in the right direction.

And don't forget the ugly low-rise buildings blocking views of downtown! ;)

From what I remember of the geotechnical study, the land could be stabilized but the cost would be prohibitive (especially for a public entity). What you're saying about the land being sold to a private developer makes sense, but under current market conditions in the city demand probably wouldn't be sufficient to justify the expenditure. I wouldn't at all mind a park on the north end of W. 25th -- that would give everyone unobstructed views of downtown, and provide green space in an area where it's currently somewhat lacking.

Well said, Ewoops. I guess I'm advocating a tip of the balance *toward* residential and neighborhood-type development downtown, with big-ticket tourist development taking a backseat. The legacy of the White years is that we now have a lot of downtown attractions to attract visitors. What we don't have is much to make people want to live there -- i.e. a healthy-looking retail district along Euclid, well-planned green space, for-sale and rental properties marketed to a range of income levels (not just high-end). The big-ticket stuff was a good first step in that it at least got people thinking positively about downtown again; now we need to cultivate something deeper. Also, I believe we should nix projects that could be detrimental to "quality of life" downtown -- and I include the casino in that category. Show me a place where a casino exists in a desirable residential neighborhood, and I'll change my tune.

I finally got around to e-mailing OCNW today about the status of the low-rise buildings north of Riverview Tower on W. 25th. I'm sure anyone who lives in the area knows what I'm talking about, but for those who don't -- this is among the most frustrating real estate situations in the City of Cleveland. What you have are a series of incredibly ugly, low-rise public housing buildings set well back from W. 25th Street from Riverview Tower to the Detroit-Superior Bridge. Now, if there's any place in the city that could attract a truly mixed-income population of the kind HOPE VI envisions, it's on this section of W. 25th. The views of downtown are spectacular and it's within walking distance of the Rapid, shops on W. 25th and entertainment in the Flats and Warehouse District. Yet while initial plans showed rebuilding on this site, it has been mysteriously absent from recent discussions of the project. Why? Because, according to the response I got today, that land was part of what was deemed "unstable" in the geo-technical study that also ruled out building on the riverbank nearby! So despite the fact that that land already supports buildings, it's no longer being considered for residential redevelopment! Truly frustrating. Still, all is not lost. Apparently OCNW is in talks to do some development on the west side of W. 25th -- also underutlized, though some commercial buildings remain -- and there are ideas for creating green space to replace the low-rise buildings, which would be a vast improvement. Here's more from OCNW: "The geo-technical data showed that all the buildings north of Riverview Tower are on unstable ground. Therefore, it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever see development from Riverview north to the bridge. Pretty sad. However, there might be opportunities for vastly improved green space and view sheds. The OCNW Board of Trustees made tearing down the low-rise buildings a specific request in the resolution of support we passed last month. Much of it was for safety reasons, but the improvements to the neighborhood would be large. The west side (of W. 25th) is still under discussion. CMHA is in talks with several property owners on that side of 25th."

Yes, I can see that combo working to enliven Tower City, at least temporarily. Yet I still can't bring myself to support gambling downtown. For one thing, we would again be relying on outsiders (tourists and suburbanites) to revitalize the center city, and that approach has failed again and again. It generates a kind of "empty energy" that creates the appearance of vitality for a while but tapers off as the novelty fades. (See the stadiums, Rock Hall, Tower City.) I don't think downtown will ever truly come back until it manages to become a mixed-use neighborhood with a significant number of full-time residents. And IMO a casino would scare off more potential residents than it would attract.

We might initially see higher-end offerings at TC if the convention center were placed there, but I think they would quickly go dark as it became apparent that the center proved not to be the economic stimulus we were hoping for. Just look at what's happening in Pittsburgh. High-end stores couldn't survive on a couple of conventions a year!