cadmen

Not that it's going to happen but l think if the cruise ships had a dock in the Flats plus immigration, passengers could just walk off a boat and be right in the heart of the Flats scene, boardwalk and all. As it is they disembark onto sort of a void. Nothing there except maybe some kind of transport to some destination. Would really be cool if they could leave immigration and have bars and restaurants waiting. If that was the setup l think the passengers and Flats establishments would be much happier. Oh well.

Preach it!

Hey Ken, you mentioned the repairs are taking place in June. I have more people coming in July 3rd for a week. Do you think the train will be ready to take us to Little Italy then?

^ RTA did offer a bus but l thought it would be easier to just take the one down Euclid. Don't know which one would have been faster but time wasn't of the essence. At any rate as far as I'm concerned most any bus doesn't compare to a train. I'm like a little kid...l love the train. Busses are just a means to get there but trains...trains are just cool. At least they are to me.

I hate to say it but I've given up on getting any kind of rail transit here. It costs WAY too much per mile (it shouldn't but it does in modern America) and there just isn't the political support. At the rate funding is going we'll be lucky to hang on to what we have. I had a visitor in from Boston last week. I suggested we take the train from West 117th to Little Italy. Riding in we were forced to get off at Tower City because of some reason l never did get an answer too. Forced to take the bus down Euclid and man is that street a mishmash of repaired concrete. Newish road. What a joke.

There are a series of old (but beautiful) apartments on Lake in the Edgewater neighborhood. I lived there a long time ago but every time I drive through there l still think it's a great place to live.

I think this is one of those underrated business opportunities. 10,000 visitors (and growing) is nothing to sneeze at. Getting some of them into your little shop or restaurant could be the difference between staying open or closing. I know we have various tourism organizations promoting downtown but l wonder how much they actually work with local businesses to help them grab some of those customers? I'm sure they talk with the cruise operators but if they don't already they need to reach out to downtown business owners too and help connect the dots.

Man, that's tough. Those bridges in the Flats scream Cleveland but finding the cash to keep them operating of even to just maintain them is really difficult. So many hands out for public works. Even so, we have to find a way to get people in and out of those peninsulas or doom them to insignificance.

Would a lift bridge like the one in Lorain over the Black River be cheaper and easier to build?

Either that or it's a funeral shroud lol

You know...reading Ken's article which included a lot of info on all the amenities City Club will offer (which are numerous and seemingly of high quality), it occurred to me that we may see an unexpected but consequential affect of this addition to the marketplace. That being it raises the bar for those providing housing downtown. If you follow various reviews of certain property owners you will often come across people complaining of high rents with poor maintenance or limited amenities. We like to throw around "world class" in describing something here which is usually far from it but in this case City Club doesn't have to be world class - just much better than we are used too. If they can do that all renters here may benefit. If Cleveland wants to compete for an educated and pampered workforce it will have to offer more than the average standard of quality we are often provided. We up our game - we snag some of those people rather than losing them to the Chicago's and New York's or LA's of the world.

Frank wasn't interested in the little things that perception is based on.

Adding density to my new neighborhood.

@YABO713 do you mean those double lots are being turned into single family homes, multi-family buildings or are they being turned into two single family homes?

But what about American exceptualusm? Seriously though...a pet peeve of mine is how excruciatingly long it takes to get a project done today. Way too many layers, lawyers and added on costs that render a good idea un-doable. It's ridiculous really. We just need to get out of our own way. I guess it's a natural byproduct of a advanced civilization, no perspective or vision without everyone giving their two cents.

Wow. You guys are brutal lol. I still like it. The real question is will the public like it?

Turning this space into an extension of the convention center is an example of making something out of nothing. Sure it's been trial and error getting this building to have a purpose but if it leads to larger or simply even more convention activity then it will be an asset and not the liability it was for too long.

Downtown has made so much progress in many different ways over the last few decades but man, do l miss the days when office buildings were filled with actual office workers.

Looking sharp!

Probably more to do with the inflationary costs of construction. If you think about it interest rates aren't all that high compared to past decades. I think developers just got spoiled with the super low rates. This project seems like a winner considering the neighborhood and lake views. If IT can't get done l think a lot of the more speculative developments will really just quietly go away.

Hey Ken, l don't know about the "face" for radio but you do sound like a much younger man lol.

It sounds like an 80's idea who's time has passed. But more power to them and good luck to the fellas as l think they're going to need it.

I was about to say something snarky but after reading Ken's piece it doesn't sound like the delay or even possible cancelation are Kassouf's fault. Lending has gotten tighter and will necessarily change development. That being said, l still wonder how a developer?? with the track record of a Kassouf ever won a TMUD in the first place.

I'm curious. Does anyone know which side of the shack will have the drive through? I really like the idea of picking up some paint without actually having to get out of my car. This is America after all.

No, no, no. I've made my decision. It's going to be a high rise. Somewhere between 40 and 45 stories. And glass, lot's of glass. That's it.