blinker12

As aggressively as they think we want them to. Noozer's right... send an e-mail or call.

Nice to see this hasn't fallen by the wayside! Way to go, LaTourette... I just wrote him an e-mail thanking him for his efforts. Let's all do the same and show him how much support he has for high-speed rail back home. Here's the link: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/?id=478 Click on "Send Message."

Baaaaaaaaaaaaad idea. I was so miffed when I saw this. 1) The current convention center is beautiful, historic and right in the middle of downtown. Use it. 2) The riverfront site has no immediate connection to the rest of downtown. People would have to go up through Tower City just to get to Public Square. It also offers no chance to connect downtown to the lakefront, as the renovation plan does.

So who's been hanging out at Ingenuity? For those who don't know, it's a four-day festival of arts and technology taking place in downtown Cleveland this weekend, running through Sunday. I was there both on opening night and most of yesterday afternoon and last night, and plan to be there today and tomorrow too. So far, I've been very impressed with the range and calibre of the acts (most of whom are local). By far the best thing I've seen so far was VERB BALLETS' performance last night in the basement of a building on East 4th Street. Simply fantastic. I've heard a lot about this troupe but just moved back to town, so I hadn't had a chance to see them yet. Believe the hype. Another highlight was singer-songwriter VICKIE CHEW performing at Fat Fish Blue as part of a Cleveland Women's Songwriters event. She does exactly the kind of alt-country/folk that I always melt for. DANCEVERT did some cool dancing with big fans in the lobby of Key Tower. The CAVANI STRING QUARTET gave flawless performances of Mozart and Dvorak pieces (broadcast live over WCLV) in the spectacular Arcade. The CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART has a special exhibit at 515 Euclid showing a model of their $285 million expansion project, as well as some video installations, including one by that kid who won the NEO grand prize. The Cleveland Trust Rotunda is the site of more VIDEO INSTALLATIONS; it's great to see the gorgeous interior looking so well cared for! I also heard some appealing old-timey music being played on the street stages along Euclid in the afternoon, giving way to garage rock at night. There's just tons of stuff to see; these are just the things I caught. There are ongoing visual art exhibitions at the Galleria and Tower City that I plan to check out today, as well as more performances. It's great to see so many underused spaces being put to creative use. Turn-out seems strong. I read that the organizers are hoping for 80,000 to 100,000 attendees overall, and I'm pretty sure they'll reach that goal by the time the weekend's over. Last night, most people tended to congregate along East Fourth, which was continuously packed -- probably because it's the most vital part of downtown right now, and it's visually appealing and intimate. Anyway, I'd love to hear thoughts from others who are attending, and I'll add my own comments as the weekend progresses.

I think we need a powerful businessman or lawyer in office -- someone who isn't coming from within government. Civil servants are too accustomed to compromise and inertia. What Cleveland needs now is a true leader. (I know that sounds frighteningly Republican, but desperate times call for desparate measures!)

As much as I'm excited about the new plans for UC, I think this article raises a couple of valid concerns: 1) the seeming disregard for preserving the area's historic architecture; and 2) the fact that the area is becoming a medical/academic "ghetto" of sorts. There should be more emphasis on residential development and preservation! Lots of people would love to live in UC -- if only there were better housing options. I know there are some plans for new housing in the area, but a lot of it is for students. E. 115th St. demolitions upset neighbors Tuesday, August 30, 2005 Barb Galbincea Plain Dealer Reporter Tim Damon shook his head as he surveyed the clawfoot tub, silver radiators and slate shingles heaped among a pile of rubble that until Monday was a house on East 115th Street. The building, owned by University Circle Inc., has been uninhabited and decaying since he and other tenants were moved out in 1998, Damon said. The more than 100-year-old structure and the house beside it, just north of Euclid Avenue, are giving way for the eventual construction of a retail-residential complex along Euclid, according to Debra Posner, a UCI spokeswoman. For the short term, she said, the cleared property will be open, green space. Oh great! Just what the city needs -- more vacant lots. more at: http://www.cleveland.com

Thanks for the detective work, urbanlife. Yet another casualty of the freeway system... sigh.

Oh, they just need to get used to a little urban grit! ;) I don't know, I live in OC and use that station frequently, and it doesn't seem so bad to me. I mean, most NYC subway stations aren't exactly in tiptop condition, and people still use them.

I'm for Triozzi, though I've become disappointed in his lack of drive. He was supposed to have a meetup a week or two ago at his campaign headquarters, and it got canceled -- I assume due to lack of interest. The man just hasn't gotten out enough. I do see a lot of Triozzi for Mayor signs on the Near West side, but beyond that I never hear anything about him.

Yeah, it is truly depressing now.

Didn't see that anyone posted about the (much-needed!) renovation of the rapid station at W. 117th yet. I found some renderings here: http://www.bialosky.com/index.cfm/portfolio/ontheboards/GCRTA-W.117th_ They look good! Also, a story from Wednesday's PD: RTA board green-lights red-brick renovation 2-year overhaul to cost $4.7 million Wednesday, August 24, 2005 Rich Exner Plain Dealer Reporter Construction is to begin this fall on a $4.7 million overhaul of RTA's West 117th Street Rapid Station along the Cleveland-Lakewood border. The station is to remain open during the work, which is expected to last two years...

That facilitator was there the first night too. Didn't make a lick of difference! I say submit the proposal; we can tweak it later. It calls for developing primarily vacant space and parking lots -- always a good idea IMO. Who knows when we'll get another chance at $8.5 million? My current concerns would be in two areas: One, design -- but those details can be worked out later. I believe City Architecture is slated to be the designer of this stuff, and I trust them to turn out something decent. Two, I'm not sure Ohio City can sustain 300+ new units of market-rate housing. I live in the OC, and see lots of "for rent" signs in even the most desirable areas. Perhaps the number of market-rate units could be reduced before the project is actually built. Oh, by the way, the plans and community feedback have been posted on a special page on the OCNW site: http://www.ocnw.org/index.cgi?id=130&p=5151 The person to send feedback to is Sheri Fointno, [email protected]

Wimwar, you better watch out... the Jay Avenue Neighborhood Association will have you blacklisted! :wink:

OK, specifically, will these buildings bite the dust? (Photo taken from the Pope's excellent yay/bah photo tour) These are the kinds of structures we should be saving IMO.

I am aware that demolition of old buildings has slowed considerably in recent years, and I'm very thankful. It's just that -- as exciting as the overall redevelopment project is -- it would be sad to see a regression to the bad old days when progress equalled demolition. These old buildings are a big part of what make the Flats special. If we were only talking about the shacks right along the river in your photo, that would be no great loss. Unfortunately, it seems like more is at stake.

So has renovation started on the Jay Hotel yet?

Can anyone pinpoint exactly which buildings would be demolished? I'm worried because there are a lot of cool old buildings on the East Bank, and just because they're boarded up doesn't mean they should be torn down. I hate it when Cleveland tears down old buildings just because they're vacant.

The election is only 94 days away, and there seems to be little if any attention being paid to the race. Is Jane Campbell just going to win re-election by default? Has anyone seen any polls? I'm a big fan of Bob Triozzi (www.triozziformayor.com) and hope to get involved in his campaign once I'm back in Cleveland this August. But I'm worried that time is running out to get anyone besides Campbell enough name recognition to win.

Also, that Channel 3 clip MGD posted does in fact show some sketches of the Avenue plan. The buildings actually look relatively attractive -- about 5 to 7 stories, made out of what appears to be brick and lots of glass. Thank heavens they don't look like Beacon Place, one of Zaremba's past projects.

Those sound like great dreams to me! ;) Thanks for posting that link. You know, I think the only potential Achilles heel for this plan is the fact that Zaremba's asking the city for $7.5 million for street improvements. If there's one thing I've learned about development in Cleveland, it's that waiting for action and/or money from the city is usually futile. He should just suck it up and do the street improvements himself.

The Free Times finally posted the story. The way they frame the story, it makes more sense that they would include some suburbs. Still, it'd be nice to see a similar story focused exclusively on the city. It's sad that they feel the need to explain their inclusion of city neighborhoods! -- ------------- Your Move Rating communities is a game. We'd like to suggest some new rules. by Michael Gill photos by Tina Brugnoletti Friday, June 24, 2005 ARTICLE REMOVED: NO LINK.

I know, it looks like it could be Brooklyn or something. I just wish we knew the exact location! I've had it as my screensaver for months. :) P.S. It's so funny that we get so hot and bothered over photos like this. hehehee...

While we're on the topic of Cleveland rowhouses, check out this photo. I found it a couple years ago on the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History site and it has been one of my favorites ever since. It's from an entry on blizzards; unfortunately the exact location is not given; the year is 1913. Beautiful, though, isn't it? If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably somewhere on the near East side, on some block that has long since been razed.

Lakewood, Ohio City, Cleveland Heights, Tremont and Shaker Square? That's about the most predictable list of best city neighborhoods imaginable (and lest we forget, two are actually suburbs). Don't they pretty much publish the same picks year after year? :|

It's digital.