cadmen

So it's a chicken or egg thing. In other words there's no one using it because there's not much to do or there's not much to do because no one's using it.

I see. We have the immovable object against the irresistible force lol

^ I agree. While there are those who are being priced out of some neighborhoods I think at this point the scale of gentrification is still quite small. We could use a lot more development in the city. I also think as gentrification increases this is the time to put some thought into how to bring along those who can no longer afford the rent or pay the property taxes if they own. Cleveland continues to be a poor city so our baby steps at economic progress show us the road is still a long one. Even so, we have to figure out a way to include the habitually poor. I know there is a history of failed social programs but we can't give up. Maybe we need to look outside the country to see what kind of programs work there and apply some of those successful ideas here. I believe a rising tide lifts all boats. If we can figure out a way to create citizens who are more a part of the solution and less a part of the problem we will all benefit.

'Course if you're talking about someone like Putin then I fail to see the nuance there. His actions speak louder than his words and there is nothing nuanced about them. Yeah, some things really are black and white. I'll stop here as this is not the page for that discussion.

Is gentrification a good or bad thing? Depends on who you ask. I think most of us live with blinders on. Unable to see things that don't fit their preconceptions. The world is usually more nuanced and complicated than most are willing to admit. I try to look beyond what someone is saying and see if I can figure out what is prompting their position in the first place. I may not agree with their statement but if I can find their reason it's usually more insightful than their statement. Isn't that the first step to understanding? And once you understand someone then it's easier to find a solution to a problem.

That concrete looks so new l thought it was freshly poured. So more to come on the base? Too bad. I was hoping to see something going upward soon.

Wow, blast from my past.

Aren't these developers from Chicago by way of Cleveland? Maybe they learned something from doing projects there. I hate to say it after all of the construction in town lately but while we are very happy with the growth some of it really is second class in design. We need to raise the bar a little and that doesn't always mean a huge increase in cost. Intro is probably one of the best if not the best example of what can be done if the developer doesn't settle. Sometimes not being from here is an asset.

Still don't like it in the day but that blue lighting sure makes it look cool at night.

I guess there are reasons to carve out the little hillside to create the new addition but in general, l prefer building up not borrowing in. Similar to the newish convention center. We must have the only center in America that has a little bump for the main entrance. A green roof is fine and all as well as the little promontory for a view. But all that comes at the expense of an aboveground building that is a visual calling card like the Pittsburgh convention center for example. I know that ship has sailed. I'm just expressing a general preference. Carry on.

Not good news although l'm glad to see the renovation continues. If you ever read reviews the hotel on the Square usually gets hammered for the condition it's in. I wonder if this means bringing back the Hotel Cleveland sign on the roof is gone too? I don't think we're out of the woods yet with travel related industries. Many places have come roaring back but others struggle still to get back to pre-covid numbers.

^ Yes, downtown is definitely not back to its pre-covid activity. Recently I met up with some friends visiting from Phoenix. They were staying downtown and I offered them a little walking tour. It was almost the reverse of Uptown. Much more street life with very little auto traffic. I guess that speaks to the 20,000 living downtown. Regardless, whatever foot traffic we saw paled in comparison to what I remember pre-covid. I think covid and the riot set us back a few years. plus WFH is not helping either along with particularly bad spring weather. At any rate, Uptown seems more energized than downtown at this point. Maybe my entire impression of Uptown is colored by by frequent trips to Boston and Phoenix. Both cities have way more people on the streets than we do. Phoenix has a new section of downtown that is full of new housing, retail and street festivals that really juice it up. There seemed to be some kind of event every day but my friends said they have to pack them in now before it gets too hot to go outside so there's that. I just want my town to develop, be active, be alive. We have made a tremendous amount of progress compared to where we started, say 40 years ago. I've lived each step of it. Maybe I'm just getting anxious in my old age...I want to see more and I want to see it faster. Is that asking too much lol.

What's there to be confused about? I think Uptown has been somewhat of a success. Do you think its been a great success then? Maybe the difference is just in our expectations because l thought it would be a huge magnet, drawing crowds on a daily basis and unfortunately that's not the case...yet anyway. I still think it can be more successful than it is. Maybe a tenant tweak. Maybe some organized public events. Something to get more activity there because, as l said, l think it's a great looking development in a great location.

Hell of a rooftop view

^ Right. for some god-forsaken reason we seem to treat trees in this town like grass. Any little change on the street, well just mow'em down. We can always replace any thriving trees with new saplings. What's the problem??

Yes bumsquare, I read the article. I didn't say Uptown is a failure. But it hasn't been the rip-roaring success I and others thought it would. And the only reason I can think of is brick and mortar retail is not what it used to be. Maybe it needs a better mix of establishments, I don't know. Other than that, I can't think of what is holding it back. When I've been there I've noticed a lot of auto traffic but considerably less foot traffic. The shops and restaurants showing some life, just not close to what I had expected. There has been a not insignificant amount of turnover. Much more than you would expect if it was thriving. Now compared to what it replaced, well, there is no comparison. I think it's a wonderful work of modern architecture. Something rarely seen in these parts. And it's in a great location. It should be much more successful than it is. I don't pretend to know what financial shape it's in and maybe selling it at this time is nothing more than what kjp says...MRN simply wants to use the proceeds to invest in another project. Maybe they'll sell it at a profit even. But I'm not sure about that. It just seems to me that, based on the cost of land acquisition, construction, leasing, and managing I'm thinking MRN is not going to come out with the expected rate of return they were hoping for. And that's too bad if that is the case because we need more developers to take a chance on success and not be reticent over fear of failure.

What to think?? With the mixed success of Uptown will this be something like a fire sale enabling MRN to simply cut their losses and live to fight (invest) another day? Or will a new buyer with a national reach come in with the goal of making it even stronger with a better group of retailers? i have to admit Uptown puzzles me. The design and location seem perfect. I get that storefront retail is struggling in America today but I thought there are still places where people want to gather and spend money the old fashioned way. As UC continues to grow I still believe that ultimately Uptown will be a successful part of it.

So no benches. Should we assume then that the doors in the (un)welcome center only open from the inside? Whatever. These are small (but legitimate) complaints. My biggest gripe is building the research center in Brecksville. That one really hurts. Then again, the headquarters could have been built in Brecksville too. Or Solon or Strongsville or, god forbid, Atlanta. At least we do have the headquarters downtown so in that case...YEAH SHW.

Maybe l'm not seeing things correctly but l swear when l travel to other cities around the country most seem to have a much larger and healthier tree canopy. While ours mostly seems to struggle. I have to believe if we just stopped treating trees has an afterthought we could do much better. It's not rocket science right?

Yes but, god those trees look sick. We need to do a much better job of figuring out the best kind of trees to plant in an urban setting, plant them correctly and maintain them properly. The new tree commission can't get started too soon for me.

Build it and they will come!

This may be a dumb question but is SHW planting and maintaining the "gardens" or the city? I think you all get my drift on this one.

Great looking infill. Those houses fit seamlessly into an older residential neighborhood. The best urban neighborhoods around the country incorporate new designs that have many of the "old" features but in a fresh and new look. One of the worst things a developer can do is too create something that doesn't fit on the street. Different can be an asset but it can also be a liability if not done right.

Hey, I can be cynical too but in this case l'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. This strikes me as another example of Mayor Bibb getting it. Jackson had me so beaten down with his sclerotic administration l gave up on city government doing much of anything other than balance the books. How much success this tree commission has will depend on the people chosen for it but, come on, even a half assed focus on urban trees will produce a better result than what we're used to. This is music to my ears.

Savannah may be my favorite American city. I've been there several times but l'm not familiar with that converted Greyhound station. I'll have to look for it next time l'm visiting.