Freiburg

Iceland has been booming as a tourist destination the past few years, so there is definitely demand. That said, Icelandair's business model is based on offering Reykjavik as a connecting point between the US and destinations in continental Europe, while offering passengers the opportunity/option to add in a short trip to Iceland during the stopover at no additional cost.

Icelandair is starting flights to Cleveland! Four days a week to Keflavik Airport beginning in May 2018. CLE finally gets its coveted route to Europe. For what it's worth, I think Icelandair is a much better "get" than WOW, which flies to Pittsburgh. Icelandair is a much more reliable operation with better inflight service (including business class and economy plus options) and more connecting options in Europe. Big win for CLE.

What historic context? The square had been renovated a number of times over its 200 year history. It's not the same as re-doing the Mall or Jackson Square. Both of those spaces are valued public gathering areas and provide a lot of benefit to the city. Public Square, in its old form, did not. And don't forget, the Mall in DC was completely overhauled in the early 20th century, so just because something has been a certain way for a long time does not mean there is intrinsic value in the status quo. Completely agree. The concrete and granite plazas that are being replaced date from the 1980s. Not sure what historic value those had.

Also announced this week, Southwest is starting a daily flight to St. Louis. I'd bet that will lead to United dropping their STL flights.

KeyBank is buying Buffalo-based First Niagara Bank, which will significantly expand its footprint in the Northeast and make it the 13th largest bank in the country. http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2015/10/keycorp_buying_first_niagara_wi.html#incart_m-rpt-1

JetBlue announced today that it's increasing the number of daily flights between Boston and CLE. Great news given that the route has only been around for 2 or so months, and it bodes well for JetBlue's future in CLE. Wouldn't be surprised to see some new destinations from them fairly soon.

Lubrizol was bought by Berkshire Hathaway a few years ago. Cliffs is #560. Other Cleveland/Akron area companies in top 1000 are Aleris (#546), RPM (#589), Key (#592), Timken (#632), PolyOne (#638), Diebold (#743), Lincoln Electric (#792), Hyster-Yale Materials Handling (#805), Medical Mutual of Ohio (#879), Applied Industrial Technologies (#880), and TransDigm (#904).

Three years and counting. This must be one of the most egregious misallocations of resources in Cleveland's history. Over $120 million for this boondoggle. Meanwhile, the roads outside the building (and in neighborhoods across the city) are literally crumbling away, but we are meant to celebrate an increase of the road-resurfacing budget to $10 million per year. And yes, I realize that it's federal funds going towards this project, and it's not like the city could have decided to spent it on something else. Nevertheless, the juxtaposition is just maddening to me.

Boston is 2x daily, so three flights in total.

I still don't see how it's a "gated community." But what design changes would you suggest to make it less so and alleviate your concerns? Or is it simply that you don't think anything other than single-family style housing is appropriate for the area?

Honestly, I'm not trying to be snarky, but I don't really understand your criticisms. Is it that you think there's too much density for the area? That's an argument I could certainly understand, although I would tend to disagree. But the idea that this is some sort of inward facing bunker that doesn't interact with the street or the surrounding area just seems wrong to me. There are a bunch of Breakwater-fronting townhomes on the western side of the development. Then an apartment building in the center with entrances, balconies, etc. that front and, to my eye, seem to interact perfectly well with Breakwater. Unless I am looking at these plans completely wrong, it doesn't have its back to Breakwater. Then on the eastern side, potentially, a parking garage. Whether the parking garage is a good thing or a bad thing is an open question that will depend a lot on the execution. Right now we have no idea what they plan it to look like, so it's just too soon pass judgment. But theoretically, I'm all in favor of consolidating parking in a condensed area and getting rid of the need for more neighborhood killing surface parking. But ultimately, it's a city. Cities have buildings. Cities have density. And too much density isn't exactly one of Cleveland's most pressing problems.

Where are you getting this information about the area being walled off?

Two new routes announced today: jetBlue to Fort Lauderdale and Spirit to Boston.

FWIW, the only Kimpton I've been to is the Epic in Miami, and the name is quite appropriate. One of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed at. I'm not saying the Schofield is going to be quite at that level, but I do fully expect it will be a high-class operation.

Huh? Looks like the storefronts are basically right up to the sidewalk, with a bit of extra space for some outdoor seating. And the small overhang from the balcony above means there is somewhere for people to stand out from the elements while waiting to get in, waiting for a car/taxi while leaving, etc. Seems like good business for a city with our weather. Aesthetically, is it a 10/10? No. But I actually don't think it's ugly at all, and it's certainly a dramatic improvement from what's there now. And it gets us one small step closer down Detroit to Gordon Square.