SixthCity

I like Grace Gallucci ODOT should fix roads with some of the money it uses to build new ones, NOACA chief says on September 18, 2014 at 10:00 AM, updated September 18, 2014 at 10:13 AM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Transportation planning chief Grace Gallucci wants the state to break from past practice and use some of the money it normally spends to build highways and bridges to repair crumbling roads instead. The executive director of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency said Wednesday that NOACA has asked the Ohio Department of Transportation for $30 million to fix over 70 miles of roads in 26 communities in its five-county region. The planning agency sets priorities for transportation projects and directs $50 million a year in federal, state and local money to road, transit and air- and water-quality improvements in Northeast Ohio. It routinely spends about 90 percent of its construction budget on fixing decaying bridges, highways and streets. What makes NOACA's $30 million funding request unusual is that it's trying to tap the pool of dollars overseen by ODOT's Transportation Review Advisory Council – which only deals with projects that add capacity to Ohio's roads and cost more than $12 million, or projects that reduce congestion. http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/09/noaca_chief_asks_odot_for_more.html#incart_river

How did the meeting go? It went well. There was a transit consultant present from Baker and another from Parsons-Brinckerhoff. The consultant from Parsons-Brinkerhoff gave an opening address about the realistic possibilities along the corridor. He showed some graphs/charts indicating that although the corridor is home to many bus lines, ridership has been recently growing. It was then that a gentleman in a wheelchair raised his hand and told the crowd that during peak hours, the buses are so full that he cannot get on. Overall, it was hard to get excited because the consultant from PB told us that the residential density along the corridor would not support rail and there are not the financial resources to do a major transit overhaul (F U ODOT). I wasn't in the transit working group so I wasn't able to speak with the consultants directly.

HOUSING DESIGN REVIEW 1. HDRS 14-027 - Multi-Family Structure Proposed at 2450 Professor Street At Issue: Front Porch/Steps Orientation Presenter: Daniel DeAngelo, City of Cleveland http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2014/09192014/index.php

So these were posted on the latest City Planning Commission's agenda. Strangely, there doesn't seem to be an actual agenda item regarding Intesa. http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2014/09192014/index.php

I've heard this discussed for years. I've also heard that CSX and Norfolk Southern (the bridge owners) are almost impossible to deal with.

KJP[/member] I don't see you at the meeting right now. We need you!

Now if we can just think of a way to connect them all by non-automotive means........

Cool Progressive Insurance hiring 324 in Greater Cleveland as part of 1,000 jobs being added nationwide on September 16, 2014 at 1:35 PM, updated September 16, 2014 at 1:53 PM MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio -- Progressive Insurance announced Tuesday that it is hiring nearly 1,000 people nationwide -- including 324 in Greater Cleveland -- by the end of 2014. Jobs are in IT, analyst, call center, claims and corporate. Progressive, which ranks No. 5 among large employers on The Plain Dealer's 100 Top Workplaces in Northeast Ohio, said the jobs include paid training, as well as medical, dental, vision and other insurance benefits, as well as access to compressed work weeks, onsite fitness centers and yoga classes. http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2014/09/progressive_insurance_hiring_3.html#incart_river

To make the numbers work, it seems that the final build-out would have to incorporate more residential/mixed use space than originally planned. Ultimately, I think that is a much better use for the space than just a casino.

Just some speculation. Will Horseshoe Casino Cleveland play all its cards? Revenue numbers have some questioning possibility of riverfront operation By JAY MILLER September 14, 2014 4:30 AM ...The ever-looming question, though, is whether or not the casino can be successful enough to justify building a new casino building along the riverfront. The initial plan of casino developer Dan Gilbert was to build a casino atop a parking garage overlooking the Cuyahoga River behind the Terminal Tower. The complications and likely slowness of building on a riverbank moved the casino to what came to be called “Phase I” in the Higbee Building. Phase II would come later. That was before racinos were legalized, however, and certainly didn't take into account a planned, full-service casino in New Castle, Pa., near the Ohio border. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has a license for a casino there, but has yet to approve a development plan. While Gilbert has continued to say the new casino, which could offer the kind of amenities now available at the racinos, is in the offing, no timetable is being offered. Last week, Mortland would only say that nothing has changed in those plans. But Meczka isn't so sure. “I don't think they can generate enough revenue to justify a new facility,” he said. “It's an unnecessary investment.” http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20140914/SUB1/309149974/will-horseshoe-casino-cleveland-play-all-its-cards

The Bradley Building, a Warehouse District landmark, is on the block By STAN BULLARD Originally Published: September 13, 2014 11:00 AM Modified: September 15, 2014 4:18 AM The Bradley Building, 1220 W. Sixth St., spans both, and it has just been listed for sale for $10.77 million with Colliers International. The building, which dates from 1886 and was the work of famed Cleveland architects Cudell & Richardson, now consists of offices and apartments within its red-clay exterior and behind its huge arched windows. With the listing shared by Colliers brokers Gary Cooper and Tom Gustafson, the marketing reflects its mixed-use, nature as Cooper specializes in apartments and Gustafson in offices. The building has 32 apartments, 40,000 square feet of offices and 23,000 square feet of first-floor retail space. Gustafson said the building should attract a variety of investors because it offers immediate cash flow and has been well-maintained by its current owners. http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20140913/FREE/140919907/the-bradley-building-a-warehouse-district-landmark-is-on-the-block

I have never heard a local politician claim tearing down buildings was a measure of progress. Tearing down buildings in the CBD in the 70s & 80s was an unfortunate and hasty way to free up parking and get rid of blight. It would have been much better to restore than destroy but given that the private office market was interested in sprawl and the residential use of the CBD was an alien concept at that point...there wasn't really an answer to the vacancy in the center city. Also, given the disintest by the private market of "saving" the CBD at that time what would this long term government plan you speak of have looked like? Also, the shift of office use from old buildings to new has proven to be a huge blessing! This has allowed massive, outdated office building that qualify for historic tax credits to be repurposed for apartments...at a project cost lower than new construction. The decline of our center city indeed.

Submissions to the RFP for the lot at 13th & Chester are due today. Here's to hoping we hear soon.

Damnit. Well, thanks for the follow up.

KJP[/member] Did you ever make this phone call? To your knowledge, are Greyhound, Amtrak, Megabus and/or others involved in the lakefront pedestrian bridge conversation at this point? I ask because of this article (below) today in the PD talking about the expedited pace that the pedestrian bridge is almost sure to take. Just wondering if this project can still kill multiple birds with one stone. http://www.cleveland.com/architecture/index.ssf/2014/09/city_county_press_ahead_on_dow.html#incart_river

Is there a place we can find housing-start data with a geographic variable?

If I may be so nosy, what did you hear and where did you hear it?

Are there any other projects big enough in the State to even compete with these two?

^ Keep in mind that the May Co. Building already has a $5 million award from this latest round.

Hmph..there appears to be a cowboy in the first picture.

Nah, that's the Worthington Building. http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2013/12/may_co_worthington_redevelopme.html http://ech.case.edu/cgi/article.pl?id=GWC http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20131020/SUB1/310209974/proposed-project-would-create-residential-commercial-space-at

Ridiculous

National Terminal Warehouse Apartments in Cleveland sold to owner of Bingham, Drake CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The National Terminal Warehouse Apartments in Cleveland's Warehouse District have been acquired by the same company that owns the Bingham next door. The 250-unit National Terminal building will undergo significant renovations that should include "some pretty cool stuff," said Michael Barron of Marcus & Millichap's Cleveland office, which handled the transaction. http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2014/09/national_terminal_warehouse_ap.html#incart_river

So I just walked by it - its presence on 9th street is incredible. The party was in full swing.

75 Public Square office building sold to Millennia Cos., slated for apartment conversion CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Another downtown office building is set for conversion to apartments, this time in a deal that plays off the planned makeover of Cleveland's Public Square. The Millennia Cos. of Valley View purchased the 75 Public Square building Friday in a $4 million transaction, property records show. The acquisition comes as planners are working toward a fall groundbreaking for the Public Square project, which will create more green space in the heart of downtown. http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2014/09/75_public_square_office_buildi.html#incart_river