cadmen

Last Saturday driving on 90 l saw a massive ship that appeared to be off of Burke. I knew Great Lakes cruising was picking up but the size if these ships is pretty amazing. If the lakefront ever gets built out like we hope just imagine visitors debarking right onto a functioning recreational area with museums, restaurants and a park. Welcome to Cleveland!

Like you l think replacing our current system of government with a regional one is a great idea. Or even having a single entity to deal with in navigating site selection and various government handouts. It's no panacea but l think it would be a noticeable improvement. And l agree one of the smartest ( environmentally, economically etc.) ways to develop is alone transit lines. The easiest way to get on your feet ans out of poverty is a job but if it's located in some far suburb and you don't have a car, well then maybe you don't have a job. And yes, somehow some way we have to make education appealing enough so that those on the margins get a good one. My wife is an educator teaching chemistry. She is constantly lamenting the state of our schools, the students lack of interest and parents who are either helicopter parents or more often just absent. We have a problem and it begins and ends with American society.

@Clefan98Thanks for the stats to back up your arguments. In some metrics we are showing improvement while in others not so much. But in the face of a multi-decade decline we seem to have bottomed out and are indeed making progress. Alot goes into a regional economy so its natural that you will have some positive data mixed with negative. Fast forward 50 years and we should be doing better than many other parts of the country thanks to our water supply and climate so there's that. But meanwhile let's start another positive trend by increasing our population. I think we're right on the cusp...finally.

@Clefan98l didn't say bottom tier, l said middling in reality. But if you take off your homer glasses for a second and do a little perusing of the national perception you won't find much about us on it. And what you do you find is mostly negative. We both know that perception is not reality but all those outsiders who hold it really don't care that they're wrong. Too your point about all those unfilled jobs, one problem is, as you say a poorly skilled labor force. That's on us. But it is a critical component that outside businesses looks at when deciding to expand here...or not. The other problem is the difficulty in attracting outside talent. Surely you know that is primarily due to the perception of Cleveland in the national consciousness.

Jeez.

This is a very small thing but l think l read that Bomba (which l think is affiliated with Paladar) is also closing. The only reason l mention it is because they have the best quacamole nearby. Anybody know where l can get some good quac in the Lakewood Rocky River area? And please don't say Cilantro. Don't like theirs.

Yes and we have a NASA facility too. We still have a lot of economic strengths. I'm not saying we're an economic backwater but in the national economy we are a middling player in reality and a bottom tier one in perception. Love what SHW is doing and Cliffs too but we need more. Alot more. And while we're at it how about a large top flight university as well. Case is fine but l would love to see its student population double. I appreciate your sentiment as l can see you love Cleveland like l do. Always appreciate your input.

CSU expanding its campus north, the Superior Arts district expanding south and both meeting in the middle. I love it when a plan comes together lol.

I spent 25 years in clinical research working for a private company as well as the Cleveland Clinic. When l started l think the industry was more of a niche market if you can call a multi-billion dollar industry niche. It has only grown both in investment and workforce but it's still not all that large compared to other sectors in the US economy. That being said, the only reason l care about it is because of the Clinic's standing on the national scene. Other than the orchestra and maybe the art museum l can't think of another area where we are in the upper echelon nationally. So any time l read about local investment in medical research l think it's smart. We should leverage our strengths in the field by increasing that investment in facilities and physicians/scientists. Bringing in star researchers adds support staff as well. These are high paying jobs and they contribute to raising our economic bar as we navigate our way in the new knowledge economy of the future. The last piece of this economic puzzle would be having the knowledge created here turn into a Fortune 500 or even 1000 company. That would put us on the map and help create a stronger economy. That's the bottom line for me. The best way for Cleveland to thrive is to create a strong economy. We aren't in the upper echelon in the American economy but medical research is one area we can compete in.

You know despite the grand scale of this development and our history of underfulfulling l think we might just pull it off. Especially considering the 20 year timeline. Then there is the equally ambitious lakefront/stadium plan. Because of the parties involved and the desire to finally connect to the lakefront it appears that will get done as well. But...can we pull off both of them at the same time? Throw in building a new jail and courthouse too and l wonder if our little community has bitten off more than it can chew. I think something will have to give.

Interesting that you said most at the meeting didn't know much about the project. I would have thought people attend to show support or disapproval. If they don't know much why are they there?

^ Imagine what it will look like if/when Bedrock adds several buildings in the foreground.

Homelessness/panhandling drives me crazy. So much so that l find it difficult to wrap my head around it. On one hand we have very little of it compared to so many other areas of the country. Anyone who thinks it's bad here has NOT experienced it in LA or SF. On the other hand, personally l find panhandling just annoying but l think homelessness is an affront to a civilized society. It shouldn't exist. We should be able to provide for people. But we don't and l think it's because we don't know what to do about the main causes which are addiction and mental illnesses. The scary thing is the numbers are growing. Many central cities around the US are overwhelmed by tent cities. In these places it feels like society is losing control and breaking down. That's depressing and frightening too. The problem is so big and the answers seem to be not forthcoming. I consider myself to be a thoughtful individual but in cases like this l find l'm just shutting down. I don't want to see it or think about it. That's certainly not the answer but l don't know what else to do.

Downtown vs. the 'burbs. It's not so much either or but who. Everything l've read says the majority of say, 22 to 35 year olds prefer downtowns. After that as people begin to settle down the suburbs become more of a draw. So where a company decides to locate may depend on how they view that dynamic. Old/conservative or young/vibrant or something in-between. Of course there are other factors involved too but l'm just commenting on who prefers what and when.

Exciting yes but let's not put the cart before the horse. First Cliffs needs to consumate the buy. Second the government will need to allow it. Ordinarily l'm a big anti-trust guy. But since it would benefit Cleveland l'll throw my principles out the window on this one. Still, will it pass government muster?

As @OldEnoughsays nothing is splashier than a shiny new tower downtown. A suburban campus is not. I only wish Eaton had understood that. Then again, maybe they didn't care about that like all of us urbanophiles.

Looks great. Now let's hope the anti-density folks in the neighborhood don't derail it or water it down to a 4 unit 2 story nothing.

I'lI tell you what, the way other buildings are reflected in SHW is a real thing of beauty and not something l for one expected. Parking lot - gone. Hole in the skyline -filled in. Framing PS - done. Colorful reflections - unexpected bonus. Excellent addition!

Yeah that first pic is amazing.

I'm actually not old enough lol to remember when Cleveland's streets were full of mature trees creating and urban canopy but man the pics sure are sweet. And every now and then l'll stumble onto one of those still intact streets and l can only marvel at what once was.

You know if you think about it while we don't have the number of cranes that some cities do over the last 10-15 years we have been adding buildings at a decent enough clip such that those parking craters ARE getting filled in.

^ l don't want to pick a fight and l'm not sure if you're being tongue in cheek or serious but respectfully, that blank wall is an affront to urbanism.

@YABO713One of the quickest ways to discourage the random downtown visitor is give them a parking ticket. If they are the type of visitor who only comes a few times a year and when they do they get a ticket, well you can probably say bye-bye for any future visits. So the cost of parking plus any parking tickets could discourage visitors and at times like this downtown doesn't need to discourage folks. Every little visit helps.

Like Ken I can't figure out what the plans are for the Clinic and the Cavs. When we first read about it both were combining on a practice facility and a some kind of sports medicine operation and it seemed to be somewhat limited in scope - a few courts and some medical offices. But in reading this latest report I can't tell if it is just flowery writing that seems to promice much more or it REALLY is much more? Does the Clinic have some grandiose plans to create a facility that will not only pair with the Cavs but also act as some kind of regional sports medicine supported by some real money that will make this a substantial location for patients from the region as well as the necessary physicians and suport staff? It could be a big deal.

Is it too simple to have Oswald and CBRE stay where they are and just expand into some of that empty space in their respective buildings? Seems like they could strike a good deal.