Enginerd

Apparently the co-founders parted ways after opening the original location in Tremont. Must have been personal issues if he went off and started the exact same restaurant again ha.

Zach Reed I’m assuming!

This is loosely related to the dirt bikes...but the consent decree Monitoring Team recently released it’s fifth semi-annual status report on the ongoing changes at the police department. In focus groups with officers, they described the pursuit policy as... “impeding their ability to engage in some proactive police work. Specifically, officers expressed frustration that the suspects who they try to pull over during a traffic stop may take off – and, without chase, may not ever receive a summons. Officers say that the “no pursuit policy” makes their jobs more difficult, limits their ability to respond to public safety issues, and limits their ability to be a deterrent to criminal activity.” Overall the report is a very interteresting (but long) read and to me, really highlights just how unprofessional and unorganized the police department used to be. It’s mind boggling really. EDIT: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4757934/Semiannual-Report-August-2018.pdf

I thought it was funny how catty CPP and CEI were getting with each other. It’s your fault. No it’s YOUR fault!

I've often considered this too. If you and others want to discuss it more, let's go here: https://www.urbanohio.com/forum/index.php/topic,1977.0.html So we know that nonprofits can handle transactions with real property etc with far less red tape than can government agencies and that is the main benefit of doing this. KJP[/member], is there any precendent in the US for a citywide Transit Oriented Development Corporation? State universities do this kind of thing all over the country with fervor. I wonder if they could follow the same type of organizational model.

There could be preservation issues. But a sign could be placed on the plaza identifying the retail center and transit station. Is it also problematic that the Terminal Tower and Tower City have different owners but are conjoined? Specifically the Public Square entrance. But I agree the wayfinding is BAD. I don’t think a visitor would know stores, a movie theater or the rapid station lies behind those doors.

has RTA considered becoming a partner in development projects as a way to diversify revenue streams? Rather than selling the land outright they could share in the cash flow. It would be nice if the could borrow some expertise from PlayhouseSquare, because they seem to be absolute experts in that regard.

I think CPP was cheaper back then but is has become more expensive due to mismanagement. CPPs rates are set by City Ordinance, which hasn’t changed since 1983 as far as I can tell. CEI’s standard offer rates are currently cheaper than CPP’s (I think), and then when you get into the whole apples to apples thing...yeah. I believe the theory behind CPP was to ensure that rates were affordable for the city’s residents and businesses by providing a sort of baseline price for service. But with the whole natural gas boom and all current prices are pretty low. EDIT* There is the whole CPP class action lawsuit though too, for charging some ambiguous and maybe illegal adjustment fee

I always assumed everything in CPP’s service area was theirs and everything in CEI’s was theirs. Huh. Residents of Cleveland proper can choose either First Energy service or CPP. As a result in Cleveland proper only the service areas of both companies overlap and the poles of both companies are in the same areas. Interesting! I lived downtown for a while and just bought a place in OHC. When I called First Energy to set up electric service they told me I had to call CPP ??‍♂️ Anyway...

I always assumed everything in CPP’s service area was theirs and everything in CEI’s was theirs. Huh.

A microcosm of the 58 municipality planning strategy in Cuyahoga County. Never thought of it like that before.

I guess I don’t fully know who is responsible for what...but why isn’t CPP responsible for maintaining these poles and lines?

Have there been any real discussions about revenue streams outside of a sales tax? I know there were some Cuyahoga County council meetings on transit but I don’t recall hearing anything coming from them.

Typing up my email of support as we speak...

I'm not quite sure what you're talking about. Public Square was not "cheap"ed out. It is widely considered a smashing success. Even Steven Litt in the PD raved about it upon it's opening. Also, by non-completion, to what are you referring? If you mean the temporary barriers, that's because the Dept of Homeland Security recommended barriers after the project was finished. There will be more attractive permanent barriers installed. I agree that Public Square was not “cheaped” by any stretch of the imagination. But I would like to push back on the notion that DHS recommendation it closed. The City Safety Director recommended it closed, justifying that based in part on a memo from the US House committee on Homeland Securtiy regarding truck attacks. The federal government never weighed in on Public Square specifically as far as I’m aware.

When they have to redistrict the statehouse under the new rules, it will be a glorious day.

There is a young professional event tomorrow called Old Brooklyn Rising, with a little walking tour of the neighborhood. http://www.engagecleveland.com/event/7582/?instance_id=704

Sounds to me like he wants to turn this into an outpost just like Rebol, except this time I guess he’d actually own the property it sits on. Kind of sneaky the way he’s trying to force his way into a deal but maybe that’s just business ??‍♂️

really now? i like 5 guys burgers better. well, not by leaps and bounds or anything to be sure. anyway, nothing beats a great bloody rare local pub burger. Swensons all the way! ??

*Very* new resident within the block club’s boundaries! I may not be able to attend but I will send an email voicing my support. Already tired of seeing the “My community is not your commodity” signs ?.

The plan shows bollards stretched across the entire central crossing area, which includes both the promenade crossings and the middle part. We'll have to see how it's implemented and enforced, but I'm not sure there's anything in the plan that actually diverges from the original design intent. The new plan shows them extending the curb to the central area where they’ve relocated the crosswalk (with striping) and also relocated the ADA detectable warnings and pedestrian signals. The original version had two crosswalks, one to the left and one to the right. Why do all of this work when two perfectly usable crosswalks are already there? EDIT (to follow your edit :p): Yeah it looks like nothing will actually stop you from crossing where you want. Just seems like a waste of time and money to make this change.

I may not totally buy the terrorism argument, but I do admit that the bollards look okay and blend in fairly well. The part I really don’t get though (and no one could argue a change in conditions here like the truck attacks) is why they needed to alter the configuration of the crosswalk and lanes through the middle. Adding all of the striping, changing the locations of the walk and signals, etc. Looks ugly and is a waste of money imo.

Considering the string of truck-based terrorism attacks that have happened globally since the decision was made it was no "faux" concern. Rather, it was quite prescient. Though if you're not a Jackson fan, I think you can give credit (he did) to his safety forces for requiring the design change. This is a scapegoat of an excuse. How is Public Square any more or less vulnerable to a truck attack than any other public space downtown?

Maybe I’m overstating it, but I think the local government structure contributes quite a bit. The cost of doing business in Cleveland is higher and more cumbersome. The ward based City Council is basically a patronage system, and the councilpersons infighting for “the good of their ward” comes at the detriment of the city as a whole.

The answer has to be more people AND more jobs. The solution is simple, but I’m not sure how we get there. And frankly I’m not sure which one needs to come first.