audidave

its hard to say what is happening. With Rocket Fieldhouse he just spent top dollar to be the dominant arena/venue in this part of the US. Do they sell off Thistledown Jack and refocus on finally doing phase 2 right next to the Rocket Fieldhouse? There would be synergies of the parking, hotel, and casino visitors with post and pre game and performances at the Rock. I’m thinking he probably wants the control of how the built environment looks and interacts with the updated arena. So why not build a glassy casino across the street like they originally planned?

I’m referring to Lordstown as that is an assembly plant. Walton hills is a stamping plant

^What about an assembly plant? If their production is that large, maybe they can all be sending parts a bit further east to a plant that has been idled and supposedly up for sale.

I see this development dominated by professional athletes and snow birds. So probably even deader in the winter as maybe half the units will be actively occupied.

I’d look at being near Rt 8 in Stow or the Falls between Graham and Steel’s Corners. my nephew lives off of Graham and works in Green. He said the drive is not too bad. I can attest as i had worked in North Canton for a year from about there the drive wasn’t terrible. The issue will be that the bridge is getting replaced over the valley on Rt 8 in the next 2-3 years. So that should slow things down at rush hour. Heading North it is probably a 40 minute drive that can be very iffy on rt 8 to 271 to 480 west to 77 north. You’ve got multiple options with side roads to 77 through the valley and probably during bad snow days to hop on the turnpike to 77N. Construction should be finishing up on 271 expansion. Not many “walkable”neighborhoods in the falls and less so in stow. That said it would be cool to live within a half mile of the market district on state rd or Kriegers market on Graham as those are both great markets. Perhaps look at the white pond/Mull ave area of Akron. That gets you right to 77 and is not too bad of a drive either direction. That is very close to Highland Sq. That also avoids the future bridge project on Rt 8. And avoids all the current work on 271.

That area has insane amounts of infrastructure updates. Across the street was where the Portage Hotel was taken down. I remember as a kid going by that area in the car and seeing the excavation going on well below the surface. That became the start of the innerbelt. That is less than 20-30yds from the underground little cuyahoga before it comes unhidden 80ft down. North side of downtown is becoming hot with all the refurbishments of all the buildings. Testa is adding new buildings and Troppe and others are repurposing many factories, century old buildings, and office towers.

^There was a beer festival there a couple years ago., the akron ale fest. It says its address is 47 n main st. You should be able to check out pics online. Its like a high ceilinged aircraft hangar. The article says they want to build research facilities around the main building so there really is very little purpose for this complex. No buildings specified. But this and whatever is attached to the pavilion would be the likely candidates. I see why you were questioning what was going on. I forgot the ‘not’. I would hope no office buildings will be torn down on main.

Not sure if this should go in demolition news but several old industrial buildings downtown are getting demoed over next several months. There are 2 separate projects. One is the Akron Children's Hospital clearing out some riff raff buildings off of Exchange st for more parking and perhaps they will add something in the future. I think it is 3 rough looking warehouses mainly. https://www.ohio.com/news/20190906/demolition-to-begin-for-buildings-near-akron-childrens-hospital The other project is Smithers is moving their HQ from West hill to downtown at the Austen BioInnovation on Main near the interbelt. . They want to knock down several buildings for more parking and maybe also develop the new land as well. I am assuming they want to take down the old trolley barn and whatever buildings are in its periphery. Hopefully they are NOT knocking down the other office buildings. https://www.crainscleveland.com/real-estate/smithers-group-looks-redevelop-austen-bioinnovation-institute-campus-move-headquarters

Here’s tweet from UofA with splashy quick edited video. Might want to turn sound way down as it has loud clangy music. @uakron: Notice anything new on the corner of University and S. Broadway? Today, thanks to 280 donors, UA is set to open its newest campus building: The Anthony J. Alexander Professional Development Center. @akronCBA Learn more: https://uakron.edu/im/news/northeast-ohio-business-community-supports-student-development https://twitter.com/uakron/status/1171526706391175173/video/1

Its a challenging spot since the area is dominated by a bar owner that has control of 4-5 locations and there are only 7 in the complex. His focus is definitely on the people that live in the valley now which is 21-25yr olds. So i think Crave realized they had better make a change to get that location to even work. With Rshea brewery near by it wouldn’t be unreasonable to have another brewery to pick up some of that crowd. I think a brewery will have a calming affect so that it might not seem so much like a wannabe mardi gras party scene 365 days a year.

Another brewery coming to Akron. This time to the valley. Sounds like the old Sloopys and thirsty gator? space will be converted over to a small Royal Docks brewery with the tasting room upstairs at the current Craft Crave. I suppose once that serpentining bar is taken out there probably is decent space to do this. I wonder if Woodys will be brought in as well since it does have a connecting doorway. https://www.ohio.com/news/20190829/royal-docks-and-crave-teaming-up-for-new-brewery-restaurant-in-akron

^^This can be mitigated by offering free service or a free zone in downtown Cleveland. The people that do come downtown for various events might feel free transportation is a fair trade off by not having a bus come to their community 4x a day. So waterfront line could be made free while the levy pushes to create a downtown loop.

^^Thanks KJP. The reason i suspect something is up is this seems to be a well capitalized and shrewd logistics company seeking to double the amount of goods through the port. If it was easy it would’ve been done already. I don’t think they buy into the Cleveland port railroad without having done due diligence on how they can make infrastructure improvements and add trackage rights to their connecting short lines, and understanding how much all that will cost and time-frame to complete it. It seems like something to keep an eye on.

Wanted to get some thoughts on what this might mean for other projects since i thought this was big news. This seemed to be merely a blip last Monday. To me it sounds like they will have to do what KJP suggested with the rail lines in the port which should have positive effects for other rail and Amtrak that comes through Cleveland.

A few months ago Starks was pushing to build an apartment tower on top of a parking deck or two in Cuyahoga Falls in the newly redeveloped Front st. I believe he was asking for a 30 year abatement which quickly fell on deaf ears. He completed the updated State road shopping center now Portage Crossings a few years ago. With his wheelhouse really shopping centers I would think these developments would be much more challenging with a different marketing strategy and different construction methods.

I believe that Platform had some deep pocketed investors to get them expanded so fast. I’m sure those investors got paid today. I don’t see Platform continuing on in the same fashion of coming out with 3-5 new beers a week. AB is not going to have that. Heck i can envision AB turning platform into a brand of taphouses across the nation that mainly carry all the beer of breweries that AB has snapped up. That would include Goose Island, Elysian, 10 barrel, Breckenridge, wicked weed, devils backbone, and golden road.

^It would’ve been nice had Mayor P started the sewer infrastructure update along main st when there was nothing happening on Main st after 5pm. Now its like 3-5 projects all happening at once for 3-5 years. He kept postponing the inevitable and fighting the feds in court. It may have shown goodwill to have started the project knowing that Main st would be the main area needing updated.

^^there is also war of 1812 Perry’s monument on the islands in Ohio’s key west. For Civil war history , you can follow the Morgan’s raid in Southeast Ohio.

I recommend new hobbies. I would think one would try to adapt to things that go on in the place you are in. Mountain biking is big in Ohio. There is kayaking, SUP, lazy river and many other things to do. We don’t have alligators to worry about or fire ants. People do enjoy skiing and snowboarding in ohio as well in the winter.

^i think you have an irrational fear of airplanes. Its only loud at BKL during the airshow or when the indy cars were in town. Your little study of scary noise was based on living under or by Heathrow, LAX, McCaren, Seatac, and Phoenix. Also what toxins are coming out of low flying airplanes that aren’t coming out of smokestacks or random Cleveland car exhausts? We could very well find with new technology that Burke could be the hot downtown airport. For example, say technology of flying car drones takes off. Me just wildly speculating that a possible early rule could be to minimize congestion and collisions in the air, a primary land point must be used by all vehicles within a 20 mile area. Burke would be a handy downtown airport and drone base, Cleveland could be the big winners in big drones.

Sit at the volleyball courts on E 9th or hang out at the Rock Hall plaza. I think its very cosmopolitan to see the jets fly in and out along with the Coast Guard helicopters. Are you anti freighter on the river also?

I have no dog in the fight. I just don’t see the logic in being so passionately against a minor airport that theoretically is providing a good for Cleveland. To me its like pointing out MetroHealth or Great Lakes Brewing or Great Lakes Towing is on valuable land and they need to go because the real estate they are occupying is way too valuable. I’ve never been to Burke other than the air show. If you look back on the thread you can see the various reasons people came up with closing Burke. You can also see the various reasons for keeping Burke. Its complicated and needs a new study in about 5 years. We are living in the middle of a transformation of Cleveland. There have been 3 new buildings added to the skyline in last 3-4 years and it looks likely there will be another 3-4 more in the coming 3-4 years. There will still be plenty to build on throughout downtown, midtown, Scranton, and obviously points east. The airport is an attraction and part of the package that Cleveland can use to entice a company to come here. I worked for a small company that the owner loved visiting branch offices by air. Transdigm hq is in Cleveland. Would they move their hq if Burke closed? Would others? The focus does not need to be on Burke at this moment. I would rather it be there and focus on how it might work with ferries on Lake erie or a better Amtrak train station. And see where the Pace/Cumberland project goes.

There is talk in Chicago of reopening Meigs field. The one mayoral candidate says they are losing a half billion in revenue for the city by having it closed.

Cleveland was not an attractive place. There was a lot of corruption with county government. There was a lot of red tape. Processes moved slowly. The city had high crime even in Ohio City. None of the foodie places or breweries existed. Cleveland was a bigger Scranton with a burning river as far as the nation was concerned. None of the above has anything to do with an airport next to downtown. If anything that makes Cleveland interesting as a working city. The airport just like the freighters on the river show vibrancy.

i just don’t see the impetus to close Burke or the great need for additional towers to line the shoreway. Maybe in 10 years it may be a good time to revisit once another recession has hit and we understand better where electric cars are going, and Cleveland continues to boom with national events.