cadmen

What? I'm confused. Seems like with the new and cheaper version this building was being sorta fast tracked. But now it may have to wait for another round of TMUD credits because of the rising cost of construction materials? In re-reading the previous comments l don't really see how that happened. Went from trying to get on the next Planning Commission agenda to being postponed due to the high cost of construction. That's alota conflicting info squeezed into a short timeframe. And yes, why bother fencing off the site if nothing is going to happen for awhile? Whole thing seems odd to me.

Wow! While we have read about each of these potential developments before when you see them in one article it does serve to remind us that in total, these are transformational projects. If all three occur on the scale indicated that will make downtown Cleveland virtually unrecognizable. This is all doable, not pie-in-the-sky dreaming because of the big money developers involved. Will one, two or three get built? We can't say at the moment but it sure will be fun to see how this plays out. And it's not just these major developments. There is a lot of momentum all across town. For those of us who love this kind of activity it's a great time to be alive.

^ I'm glad something will be done with the (eyesore) blank canvas. It is simply way too prominent both in scale and location to remain as is. Especially considering how the area will look when the new SHW building is added to the Square. Is a painted mural the best solution? Since I'm not artistic in any sense my opinion shouldn't count. Having said that, even though I can't create art I think I have a pretty good sense of what works collectively and what doesn't. If I was in charge of this I would look at all the different kinds of possibilities that have already been done with large blank walls. I'm not adverse to stealing ideas. If it works it works. If it doesn't it doesn't. So I would match the best ideas with the money allowed and go from there. And don't forget, the finished product will have a shelf life and possible maintenance costs so that needs to be factored in too. Personally, I would prefer some kind of lighting over paint (which fades) but then, I'm not in charge so there's that.

I'm sick of losing population. Used to be it was because of lack of jobs/opportunity but with people now quitting jobs left and right and good paying jobs going begging that doesn't seem to be the problem anymore. So what is it now? The weather? We're not cool enough? Where is the bottom here?

^ Streeeetcar. Ahhh. At my age, that's porn for me.

I'll throw in my 2 cents. I think the design is alright. I do love the scale. It's no attention grabber by any means but I'm sure the Clinic doesn't want that anyway. My biggest concern is not with the design but with the location. This building faces a massive parking garage on a very non-descript side-street. Seems like all that does is minimize the place. Logistically it dovetails with the rest of campus which is important from a time standpoint I guess. As a retired employee I have not so fond memories of hoofing from one end of campus to the other. And the footprint is only getting larger. But FROM a design standpoint I would have preferred seeing this same building facing Euclid right where the the old Playhouse parking lot starts. Maybe they sacrificed fit (prominent location) for fit (logistically better suited).

This is great news for the Clinic and I think the city of Cleveland as well.

Yes, one then the other. We don't even have to dream. Just sit back and watch.

So...this is potentially great news for a couple of reasons. SHW now exists the stage opening up the land for development by a deep pockets company (Bedrock). A company that already has a huge stake in the adjacent property. We have already been apprised of their potential plans for the area and they look great. The only problem l have is the timeframe. I think we better slow our roll on this. If Bedrock plans on buying the Stark property on Prospect AND this property along the river how are they going to develop both at the same time? I can't see both happening. Who would be the tenants? The only demand for office space downtown is for Class A space and even so, how much demand is there really? That leaves residential which IS moving along at a decent pace. But developing both properties at the same time would be dumping way too much housing onto the market in too short a time. I think the best case scenario is Bedrock buys both properties, develops one and sits on the other and waits for a more opportune time to develop. That way they at least control both properties. Companies the size of Bedrock don't plan for the short term but rather the long term. If the reports are true they will purchase both properties and develop them in an orderly and timely fashion meaning one and then the other. It very well could happen. But if it does it will probably be over at least a 10 year timeframe. This won't be fast

Too much density. I miss the windswept parking lot.

Just stop it Ken!. You're making too much sense.

Yes, like you my first real encounter with rail was 1978 when l went to Europe for the first time. Because l am a history buff l was aware that Europe used rail extensively but for me there was a huge difference between theory and reality. Simply put, l was blown away by the ease, romance, and just a different mentality that is European rail travel. I thought I'd died and go to heaven. It reminded me of all those black and white movies in the 1940's showing Americans using trains. The golden age of trains for me. The other thing about Europe that captivated me was the way they designed their cities and towns with the focus inward rather than on some farm field or forest 30 kilometers away. Sure, as a history, architecture and rail buff l understand why it's different over there. I'm not ignorant to the different reasons for how Europe and the US is set up. But there is one thing that l don't understand and its always perplexed me. I can't figure out why when my friends come back from Europe for the first time invariably they'll say something along the lines of "Boy, l sure loved the quaint architecture, how the cities and towns are so walkable." But when they have a chance to support something like that here (density, rail or walking paths) they don't. They continue to vote with their feet and move to the suburbs where everyone lives in a new development, everyone drives to the office park and used to drive to the mall to shop. I tell them don't drive to Crocker Park for a touch of Europe (or even America they way it once was). You can get some of that here by living in the city. You can even grow that lifestyle if you support it rather than decamp for the 'burbs. But no. They look at me like I'm crazy. They LOVED it in Europe but they won't do anything to change things here. I just don't get it.

Very sorry to hear that you resigned as a rail advocate Ken. From reading of your past efforts on behalf of rail l think it must be painful to see how things have played out. To be a rail advocate in a country like ours must feel like beating your head against a brick wall...a lot of pain and precious little progress.

It pains me to say this (since rail is my favorite form of travel) but we are getting squat. Until the political leadership in Ohio changes from Red to Blue public transit will remain underfunded to the extent that rail will become extinct and we'll probably be down to a handful of bus routes in the larger cities. As long as Columbus has the ability to sh*t-can Amtrak and starve locally funded transit operations I'm afraid the auto will remain king. I was so excited to read about the massive Federal funding for Amtrak. Having a mini-hub in Cleveland, connecting the three C's with rail and even creating some form of high-speed rail got my juices going. Stupid me. I forgot Columbus had the ability to veto it all. You know what they say, elections DO count.

Another nice thing about the development is how it flashes out that part of the neighborhood. Heading east on Carnegie then turning right to head up to the Heights you go from buildings to...nothing really. It's an abrupt transition. Now,with this latest addition the road up will be a more seamless cruise. It's not a big deal but one of those little things that fill out a neighborhood and sorta says "Yeah, this is a large intact area, not two separate entities connected by urban wasteland." Just another sign that Cleveland is back.

This is great news for visitors but it's even greater news for the animals.

First thought when I saw the article come up...Oh boy, not another older office building coming on the market because of a lack of tenants. Nice to know lack tenants isn't the main problem here but still a three year long foreclosure case is a symptom of a larger problem. And from other articles I've been reading about a lack of office tenants nationwide this is NOT just a Cleveland problem. Over the 40-50 years there has been a tension between downtown and suburban officer leasing. No need to go over the points favoring one side or the other, there had been a sort of equilibrium until Covid came along and work from home became a necessity. And now WFH may be a new normal for many office workers thereby reducing the need for office space. For someone like me this is a terrible trend. I'm not just a fan of vibrant cities today, sometimes I day-dream of what it must have been like, in say, the 1950's in Manhattan or San Francisco. You know before suburbia when downtowns were filled with well dressed office workers and women got dressed up to go shopping in the downtown department stores. I'm not trying to white wash the times. I know back then our society had a lot of other problems. I'm just saying as someone who has a love for cities I hate to see this recent trend. Yes we have all these new activities downtown today including housing and sports/entertainment but downtown needs the office worker to remain a vital part of the equation.

Maybe the lack of progress is due to everyone involved sampling the wares a little too much. I know that slows me down.

That's right. They just changed the requirements. No training. Don't have to tell the cops you have a loaded gun under the seat. It's all good unless you get shot. Or the cop does. Look, my dad was a sherriff and an actual Pinkerton guy way back in the day. Every gun owner l know is a responsible one. They are not the problem. It's the proliferation of guns that is the problem. Too many guns in the wrong hands. Not to mention the gun that finds itself in the hands of a guy who two minutes ago was sane but now is temporarily insane because of some stupid argument and now he can't control himself. I know l've gone off the reservation a couple of times in my life. Thank god l didn't have a gun at the time.

Right. A gun in every hand because it's our constitutional right don't you know. I just got back from a week in Arizona. I saw people carrying side arms like it was 1880. I'm not used to seeing something like that although I guess we're going to have to get used to it since Ohio passed open carry. Time marches backward now.

^ All the more reason to NOT follow every rule to the fullest. If State is gutted and demoralized from the Trump administration then they can't even handle normal guidelines. How are they expected to perform in these extraordinary times? The immigration process IS necessarily complex. It's designed to ensure fairness in adhering to mandates that allow certain numbers from certain countries. It also protects us from letting in criminals and terrorists. All well and good in normal times. Streamlining the process at this time will necessitate upsetting the status quo regarding the allowable number to come here from Ukraine as well as shortening the time for their admission. But if we want to help alleviate the suffering imposed on these people by Putin then we have to change the immigration rules if only temporarily. Of course if we were to do it in this case, it begs the question why don't we do it in every other case where a people were displaced because of war? That's a real can of worms there.

Seems like it will be wood framed based on the images used for the second building. Although the new building is several floors higher so maybe that picture is no longer valid. Maybe they decide to go with a different look entirely. I hope not because one of the things l like about the development is the look of the first building.

Normal government processes are designed to work in normal times. They are not designed to work in abnormal times. The obvious solution to the refugee problem is to expedite the process. That would entail officials switching from requiring every step to be completed in a orderly fashion to one focusing on resettling refugees as quickly as possible. The easy part is that in the US there are organizations and cities willing to take them. The hard part is getting immigration officials to change how they work. The only way that happens is a top down edict. This is a crisis. Now is not the time for routine. Now is the time for leadership.

Great news for the West Side Market. Buddha say everything connected.

All of these so-called highway improvements in the recent past and future are costing billions of dollars. Aside from rebuilding the I 90 bridge I fail to see how all this money is really improving anything. We don't have all that much traffic here and I just don't see the kind of benefits for the enormous money being spent. Having said that I'm sure these projects will get built in some fashion resulting in constructing delays, traffic flow all that improved and the average driver none the wiser. That's how we do it here in America. Coming up with real alternatives would require the highway and cement lobby to take a backseat in the discussion and that's not going to happen. Taxpayers, rail and bike enthusiasts will remain on the outside. Status quo.