NorthShore64

Baseball names are strange. The MLB has 2 teams that share their names with other pro teams, 2 teams names after socks, 2 named after fish and 3 named after birds. 4 of them got their name while they played in another city. I'm happy with the Cleveland Guardians.

He got his first acting job in Cleveland at Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in the 1970s and went to a lot of games.

There were other good options, but I've always though this was the way to go. I'm happy its over. Let's move past it. I'm here for Baseball, and I'm here for Cleveland.

Yes it's very nice to see this kind of energy behind improvements to public spaces. Columbus doesn't need to build out the projects as shown in these plans, but why not start by aiming big? Greater Columbus is the fastest growing region in the country of its size that gets snow and isn't in the Rockies (non-sunbelt, non-mountain). If that arguably puts Columbus at some disadvantage, then let's push hard into ambitions and captivating public green space along the regions existing natural features. They don't need top be that grandiose, but there is significant room for improvement along the waterways. Think of downtown before and after the work done on the river. Now the Scioto Mile the image of Columbus. I'm not sure what the reaction was to the initial plans for the Scioto Mile, but I'm sure they seemed ambitious at the time. Here are some of the more grand graphics from NBBJ's Scioto River section. Just imagine passing these by as you bike from the new Quarry Trails metropark to downtown.

Some of the most enticing parts of the Rapid 5 project (and the plans or The Visions of the 5 waterways recently released) are just the more simple added share use path connections. Many if not most of these were already planned to be implemented at some point in the future, but its still good to see them in plans as part of a larger project funded by the most powerful stakeholders in the region. I have experienced Columbus almost exclusively as a cyclists/pedestrian and COTA rider. I enjoy the metro parks, but many are too distant or are difficult to access without a car. One particularly egregious example is the lack of a connection between the Highbanks and the Olentangy Trail / the west side of the river. Something like the plans in MKSK's Olentangy River section of the report would be very beneficial. Another example of a larger project would be EDGE Group's Big Walnut Creek section which shows potential trail connections from the Alum Creek Trail to Blendon Woods and the Hoover Reservoir Metroparks. I'm sure Blendon Woods is a nice park, but I've never been there because it isn't easily accessible by bike. Feasible trail segments like these could really help open up the Metroparks to many people in Columbus. Perhaps one of the most ambitious elements of the project would be expanding park space and extending trail connections between Scioto Audubon and the Scioto Grove Metroparks. The south side deserves better public green space and pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure then what they have now.

I've always thought that the Boat House Restaurant is a pretty poor use of such a prominent location in the city. The confluence can be one of the most picturesque spots in the city, and it deserves to be a public space with the quality park infrastructure of the Scioto Mile. It'll be truly transformational when/if it happens. The views of the skyline from the confluence, at ground level or from an observation tower, may be some of the best in the city.

Ohio City Inc. purchases Front Steps Housing and Services land for Irishtown Bend Kevin Barry - News 5 - July 21, 2021 "Ohio City Incorporated has purchased the land where Front Steps Housing and Services used to be located at 1545 West 25 Street so that the land can eventually be used for Irishtown Bend. Until March 1, 2022, the building will continue operating as a temporary emergency shelter for the YMCA Greater Cleveland, providing more space for the population at the Norma Herr Women's Center. ... County records show they purchased the land on July 2, 2021 for $500,000."

Ohio regulators approve Madison, Putnam county solar projects Mark Williams - The Dispatch - July 16, 2021 "State regulators have signed off on a big solar project in Madison County and a smaller project in Putnam County. Construction of the Fox Squirrel Solar project to be located in Oak Run, Pleasant and Range townships in Madison County could start before the end of the year, according to filings with the Ohio Power Siting Board. The 577-megawatt project will take up 3,444 acres of the 3,766-acre project site. It could be in operation by the end of 2023. The tract is about 5 miles northwest of Mount Sterling."

** Cleveland.com Subscriber Exclusive ** ODOT awards Cleveland $2.5 million to study Browns’ lakefront proposal; $5 million total now committed Steven Litt - Cleveland.com - Jul7 21, 2021 "...Cleveland later revised its TRAC request to $5.6 million. It also pledged to spend $2.5 million in matching money for the study, which would have brought the total to $8.1 million. The ODOT award and the city’s money now brings the project to $5 million, or $3.1 million short of the original goal. ... 'We’re really happy that we’re going to be able to start with the $5 million, and that will give us what we need to start the preliminary engineering,' he said. ... Gates said ODOT has received from Cleveland a list of potential additional funders for the lakefront study. ... 'I’m happy to hear that JobsOhio and some of the private developers who will benefit from the lakefront vision are willing to put money on the table to make this vision become a reality,' Marchbanks said. The Jackson administration and Haslam Sports Group said in May that the engineering study of the lakefront concept would take 18 months."

CLE City Planning Commission - Sherwin Williams Special Joint Meeting on July 20, 2021 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67LBrxaVHZ8

Title in return season 'feels like a fairy tale' to Cleveland Crunch owners Kevin Kelps - Crain's Cleveland Business - July 19, 2021 "The ownership group hopes that the Crunch will make the jump to the MASL's top division in the next few years. The move would require an operating budget that exceeds seven figures, Davis and Ruscitto told Crain's in March. ... The owners had mentioned Cleveland Public Auditorium and the Wolstein Center as the most likely possibilities in the spring. On July 19, Davis told Crain's an announcement on a home for the 2021-22 season should be coming 'soon.' "

Today the Planning Commission adopted the Vision for the Valley Plan (full report). There weren't any specific details about Tower City/Bedrock in the VFTV, but here's a section from an article in Crain's by Michelle Jarboe on the plan: "Haviland described the document as a playbook, one that's not meant to derail projects that are already underway or negate preexisting planning efforts. ... But across the river, behind Tower City, there's an opportunity to reimagine a stretch of waterfront that's currently 'a vast sea of asphalt and parking,' said Matt Hils, an OHM principal. ... OHM solicited input from property owners including Bedrock, the Detroit-based owner of the mall at Tower City and much of the parking along Collision Bend, to come up with ideas for reviving that space. Conceptual images show mid-rise office, residential and mixed-use buildings along Canal Road, an expansive riverfront park and ribbons of greenery sloping from West Third Street and Ontario Street down to the water." Again nothing much new here (many of the graphics from the plan had already been shared with the public), but the finalized Vision for the Valley is worth a read. The VFTV can demonstrate how much Tower City and Bedrock's plans could affect this entire section of the flats, and how development along the river could boost Tower City. If Bedrock builds the proper connections south of/below Huron towards the river, it could help catalyze the development of the Flats South/Stones Levee, Scranton and Columbus Peninsulas (which are all within a 10/15 minute walk). The Marketplace could be a commercial center (and entrance to downtown) for the new developments along the water, further increasing the number of people passing through the building.

Vision for the Valley: https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21010772/vision-for-the-valley_final-report.pdf Cleveland's planning commission adopts Vision for the Valley Michelle Jarboe - Crain's Cleveland Business - July 16, 2021 "The Cleveland City Planning Commission voted Friday, July 16, to adopt a sweeping plan for guiding investments along 8 miles of the Cuyahoga River, stretching south from Lake Erie. ... Haviland described the document as a playbook, one that's not meant to derail projects that are already underway or negate preexisting planning efforts. The plan notes, for example, that developers who own the western side of Scranton Peninsula already have a master plan for a mixed-use neighborhood called Thunderbird. ... Flats Forward also expects to hold monthly meetings of the Vision for the Valley team to keep momentum going. But commission member Lillian Kuri suggested that the timing might be right to create a waterfront development authority to oversee investments along the river and across the lakefront, in multiple cities."

New Apartment Building with commercial space - 5055 Upper Metro Place - 1.84 Acre / 4 Story / 174 Unit / 13,500 SF of Commercial Space

Expansion planned for Pickerington's new Ohio State Wexner office on Refugee Road Nate Ellis - ThisWeek Group - July 15, 2021 "A new Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center facility in Pickerington is expected to be a precursor to a larger local presence. ... An exact timetable hasn't been set; Dahdah said such projects typically take three years to complete, but he expects a medical campus to be built locally. 'At some point, we would like to expand to a larger location that has multiple centers in there, like we're doing in Dublin, New Albany and Powell,' he said. 'We're just looking for the right piece of land and the right timing for that and then we'll transition these practices from here to that building. That'll be about 250,000 to 270,000 square feet,' Dahdah said. 'It'll have a surgery center, diascopy, physical therapy, advanced immediate care and all kinds of specialties and diagnostic services.'"

NorthStar Apartments - 9 Building/240 Unit Apartment Complex The apartment complex will be the first in the large NorthStar mixed-use development It'll also be one of the first developments (along with the Camping World super center) along the empty section of Wilson Road

Downtown Akron (7-10-21) Philadelphia Rubber Works Building - apartment conversion Canal Place Building 17 - apartment conversion The southern end of the Ohio Canal Interceptor Tunnel project (between Exchange and Cedar streets). This green space, parking lot and section of the towpath was rebuilt after being used as a staging area for the OCIT-3 drop shaft from 2016 to the end of last year. Civic Theater / Lock 4 mural The Bowery District Before a concert at Lock 3 University of Akron - Ayer and Crouse Hall Consolidation and Renovations Project - Departments of Physics and Geosciences Main Street Corridor Project Phase 1 Bikeway The hanging planters are nice, but they do block some signs delineating between the pedestrian sidewalk and the bikeway. Bicycle traffic signals at intersections along the bikeway. Bikeway south of Exchange Akron Beacon Journal Building - apartment conversion Rubber Worker Statue Main Street Phase 2 - Mill Street roundabout to Market Street The last segment of the Main Street project, Market to MLK, hasn't fully started yet. CVSR at Northside

Developers plan to convert Cleveland office building to live-work apartments Mary Vanac - Cleveland Business Journal - July 15, 2021 "Ike Bams and John Williams, co-founders of Bluelofts Inc. in Dallas, are hoping to close their acquisition of the former AT&T Building at 45 E. Ninth St. in a few months, the developers said this week. Bams and Williams plan to start the conversion to apartments early next year with a potential opening in late 2022 or early 2023. ... Bams and Williams plan to convert the vacant office building to more than 200 apartments, mostly two-bedroom units with a minimum of 700 square feet and a few larger penthouses. ... 'It's not just another apartment building,' Williams said. 'We’re essentially creating a vertical subdivision that’s going to have mixed-use at the bottom,' including retail and co-working spaces."

ODOT to focus on walking, biking with five-year plan Laura Hancock - cleveland.com - July 15, 2021 "As more Ohioans walk and bicycle to travel, either by choice or necessity, the Ohio Department of Transportation announced Thursday it launched the Walk.Bike.Ohio plan, with an eye on their safety. ... The plan doesn’t provide details about exactly where, for instance, to put in more bike lanes or improve crosswalks. Instead, it provides analyses of the state’s walking and biking infrastructure, where people who use it live, the overall health benefits of people walking and biking and other studies. It’s a framework to help ODOT and local governments know where to focus when making decisions to improve bike and pedestrian accessibility and safety over the next five years." Here are some links to reports/analyses from the Walk.Bike.Ohio plan: Walk.Bike.Ohio - Existing Conditions Summary Report Walk.Bike.Ohio - Needs Analysis Walk.Bike.Ohio - Demand Analysis And here are some maps for ODOT Districts 4 and 12:

OSU study finds homes in low-income, mostly Black neighborhoods overvalued for property taxes Bonnie Meibers - Columbus Business First - July 15, 2021 "Houses in lower-income, mostly Black neighborhoods are regularly overvalued for property taxes while the opposite is happening in wealthier, mostly white areas, according to a new study commissioned by Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano. ... There is a remedy of sorts in the Ohio House, the OSU researcher said. House Bill 159 would cap at 5% the amount that property taxes can be raised in a single year for homeowners at or below the median income for Franklin County, Outrich said. The OSU study said countywide residential property tax delinquencies rise after every property tax reappraisal. 'If you are looking at a 30% increase over three years, it helps those folks, so they’re not shocked with that price jump,' Outrich said. 'Instead of 30% over three years, it would be a 15% increase over that period.'" Here is a link to the report on the auditors website

Here are some renderings of The Bailey at Bridge Park senior housing development: Here are a few photos of the site just south of the Springhill Suites Hotel taken in early April:

Great Lakes Brewing Company Workers Take Steps to Unionize with United Steelworkers Sam Allard - Scene - July 12, 2021 "Production workers for Great Lakes Brewing Company, the oldest and largest craft brewery in Ohio, signed union cards at the United Steelworkers union hall Sunday in a declaration of their intent to unionize. An internal organizing committee had been working through the ebbs and flows of the pandemic to build support for a union. And after talking with a number of local chapters, the committee voted to affiliate with USW for its rich history in Northeast Ohio, its democratic processes and its abundance of resources for local workers."

Columbus' JPMorgan Chase employee numbers likely to top New York headquarters, CEO Dimon says Mark Williams - The Dispatch - July 15, 2021 "'We have almost 20,000 employees here. It will probably be bigger than our employees in New York in the next five or 10 years,' Jamie Dimon told The Dispatch in a wide-ranging interview in Columbus this week. The bank currently has about 18,000 employees in the region, about half of them at the massive McCoy Center at Polaris. It has other offices in Westerville and Columbus. ... Dimon cited the bank's new virtual banking service as one reason why Chase, already the largest private employer in the region, will continue to add staff in Columbus. ... 'They're happy to be here. They love Columbus,' he said. In fact, Dimon said workers are reluctant to leave Columbus to take jobs elsewhere with Chase. 'We have a hard time getting people out of Columbus,' he said."

Bedrock CEO says troubled Tower City mall will become a 'marketplace' Michelle Jarboe - Crain's Cleveland Business - July 15, 2021 "During an interview this week, Bedrock CEO Kofi Bonner said the company now plans to transform the space into a "marketplace," home to a mix of local and national retailers, pop-up shops, restaurants and a wide range of events. He described the concept as something much broader than a mall, a sort of supersized market hall where entertainment will be a key feature. ... Asked about CityBlock, Bonner was noncommittal. 'It's an interesting concept that has a place, but I don't know that it's necessarily specific to the marketplace,' he said. He characterized the marketplace strategy as Bedrock's long-term plan for the mall. ... Bedrock isn't ready to discuss its plans for the broader area around Tower City, where company executives, planners and public officials have talked about improving the pedestrian experience, reimagining streets and transit stops and adding green space."