Vulpster03

The prospect of a new student union won't do too much to curb drinking, but a new union would be better used. I'd personally like to see Ogden become the site of a new student union with Laws fulfilling some of the duties the current Shriver Center provides space for after it is vacated once the new business school is completed. Drinking at Miami University really isn't that much more of a problem than other universities, but this alcohol task force is being so active at communicating there is a problem that people are believing it is this huge problem on campus. The new student union won't change that. People still prefer to eat uptown, see movies uptown, play pool uptown, meet at coffee shops uptown, when the Shriver Center provides all of those things. Moving the student union to high street would be a good move though. It would be better used and maybe encourage more people to use it instead of going parties. Shriver Center is too far out of the way for a lot of students.

www.world66.com is a new travel website and follows a wikipedia model. Anyone can add things like restaurants, sights, entertainment venues, accomodations, photos, etc. We really need to build up Ohio cities. I recently discovered it and it is pretty fun. It seems to be popular with backpacking type of travelers and people who want good insider info. Some important tips on posting things: -After you post things it won't show up for about 24 hours. However, if you view the site through www2.world66.com you can view the most recent posts and monitor your own progress. -If you are adding photos and want it to directly appear with the restaurant/shop/bar/entertainment/sight then add the picture through the upload photo link on the page for the item you want the picture to correspond with. You can then go back to the page for the item and then choose the image to display with the item. -For a lot of items there is overlap and difficult to determine what section you should post an item in. It is a good idea to view partiuclar sections and click the link "add place" to view the various categories within the section. Definately brows the sections already posted for a city to get an idea, and even browse other cities where there are a lot more sections. You may need to add a section for the item you want to post. For instance you could post a lot of places in the Bars and Cafes section, Nightlife and Entertainment Section, and the Eating out. I decided that Bars and Cafes should be somewhat exclusive to places that emphasize only beverages and snacks. Nightlife and Entertainment should include bars with dance floors, live music, or something else unique to do. Eating Out section should list places that emphasize food over drinks.

That is really funny. Everything about the story made me laugh, even the reference to Plain Dealer's finding out about the matter via google.

I think these buses sound great. The fact they look different than other buses will help people identify them, and their frequency and free fare should make it easier and less intimidating to take a chance and try the buses out. I hope these buses could run a little later. The marketing efforts sound terrific. I think they will be a big hit this summer for tourists and visitors with the marketing efforts planned. Does anyone know if this means they are running now?

Greater Cleveland Transit and Optima Bus Corporation Work Together to Bring Nostalgia and Accessibility to the Streets of Downtown Cleveland MASS TRANSIT MAGAZINE April 3rd, 2006 11:13 AM EDT Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, located in Cleveland, Ohio, envisioned trolleys operating on the streets of downtown Cleveland. In this vision, the trolleys combined the nostalgic appeal of turn-of-the-century trolleys with the accessibility of a low-floor transit vehicle. http://www.masstransitmag.com/article/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=539

No, I don't really. I guess it would be difficult for any urban planner or architectural firm to make a statement and not sacrifice the medical integrity of a medical institution. I guess I just wish the Clinic could have expanded on other parts of blocks and not take up so much streetscape on Euclid Avenue for instance. It could have preserved or encouraged creation of mixed-use development between some of the churches along Euclid as approrpriate infill to serve its employees and visitors, instead of completely surrounding some of these churches or some other properties holding out.

The Goggin and parking garage look practically finished as of fifteen minutues ago.

While the Clinic is undoubtedly one of Cleveland's greatest assets and they certainly aren't to be criticized for their success and economic impact on the region, does anyone feel their campus planning fails to to create a sense of place and good fit within the neighborhood? I think the campus has been getting better, but a lot of times when I go there I feel like the campus isn't too impressive from a visitors standpoint. For one of the greatest institutions in the country/world to be located in Cleveland I'd really hope to be impressed by the visual impact of the institution, but maybe this isn't so important for institutions with medical purposes and the prestige of the Cleveland Clinic intself. What do you think?

I think this issue is a big deal for the region. With Cuyahoga County being almost entirely built out, stagnent population growth, and people being lured to outlying counties with new construction the region does need a comprehensive housing strategy. It could start with Cuyahoga County. I'd like to see something like the Port-Authority created but with housing in mind. Something like the Cuyahoga County Housing-Authority could deal with redevelop throughout the county. As soon as homes go up for sale in Cuyahoga, the Housing-Authority could offer financing for aquisition and redevelopment of homes one at a time. Something like the Heritage Lane neighborhood in University Circle is a good example of what could be done throughout the county if a semi-private body was created with start up funds from the state and federal governement. Slowly but surely, entire streets could be transformed that are on par with new developments in outlying communities. This would help contain the population within Cuyahoga County and stop sprawl outward. Cleveland could become higher density with new housing, but entire streets in Cleveland, East Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, and Lakewood could also become a little lower density by transforming their duplex units into single family homes to remain competitive with outlaying communties, boost property values, and attract a greater middle-income base to their cities.

I think the arhitecture of the Avenue District is appropriate for the concept Zaremba is going for. They seem to want to create a place for artists and other admirers of contemporary art to live or go out. The minamalist and contemporary expression seems to fit well. There is also little worthy historic architecture in the surrounding neighborhoods to take into consideration anyway. As for Detroit-Shoreway, I think somewhere in Cleveland needs modern architecture, and Detroit-Shoreway seems to be doing pretty well. It could be considered Detroit-Shoreway's niche. I am a little less supportive of proliferation of modern architecture in places where historic character is strong like Ohio City, Warehouse District, Tremont, Little Italy, Lakewood, and Cleveland Heights.

yes. very true.

Frank Jackson has been proving me wrong too. I thought he would be kind of lame duck mayor who didn't have the ability or willingness to transform the city as an attractive place for business. So far, he seems to be doing well at making it known that economic development and regionalism are important issues, and he wants to make these things a reality.

I do think a lot of single people, young people working downtown, and other childless people have tended to prefer cities like Lakewood and Cleveland Heights, but are now being loured to downtown. Cleveland Heights and Lakewood are suburbs, and while they should embrace their more attractive urban qualities, maybe they need to start acting more suburban to attract families. Instead of new townhouses and condos, maybe they should be more focused on their schools, renovating single family homes, and promoting their city to families. Not that we don't need middle-income families and better schools in Cleveland, but maybe at this point Cleveland Heights and Lakewood should make their communities more attractable to middle-income families who seem to prefer newer neighboring communities. This would be a good option as they will start to rely less and less on students, professors, young professionals, and other single people working or studying in the city.

About the Stark project though, I think Stark meant the retail component. He didn't mean live. Maybe I'm wrong, but 1% of however you consider the metro area would be hundreds of thousands of people. He wasn't talking about them all coming to live downtown. I think he meant to shop. Another thing about the retail component of Stark's plan. I believe he wants to create a retail strip that would transform Northeast Ohio, meaning retailers not in the Cleveland marekt. One can only assume what they are, but I think he implied that the retail would be high profile and exclusive enough to draw a market that stretches all the way out to Toledo. This retail component he is envisioning is probably really upscale, and wouldn't have much impact on area shopping centers. If anything it would try to steal some of the retail markets like Chicago and New York where some Clevelanders spend quite a bit of money, and/or provide better access for those who could afford these types of shops who live in the Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburg metro areas. But in terms of living, the downtown Stark project as all projects in Cleveland, could steer people away from living in Lakewood or Cleveland Heights where urban-inclined people tradiontionally wanted to live.

Thanks for making those changes! It is very approrpriate that we have a form with "travel" in it. I mean it was always kind of implied, but I like that it says it in the title. I still don't know about relocation assistence in the category. Where to live in a community is a little different than where to go out to eat or what to see. It would probably be better to put relocation assistence under city discussion with "community news, and other city discussion". I don't know, what do you think?

For a weekend in Cleveland I always recommend Friday nights for dinner and entertainment. Entertainment like HOB, Pickwick's, sporting event, or Playhouse Square, and dinner on E.4th or Warehouse District. Saturdays I recommend downtown sightseeing and Ohio City. Sundays I recommend University Circle museums and Little Italy. If someone has the chance to visit more than a weekend I recommend Tremont, Coventry, and Shaker Square. A nice day trip would be Chagrin Falls or Vermillion for a little exposure to small historic Western Reserve towns would be something good to do.

The Lorain Blvd and Midway Blvd. highway and interchange arrangement in Elyria. The area is full of strip malls, shopping centers, and parking lots but no housing or greenspace. A lot of people work in these retail retail stores, and it would be nice to infuse some affordable housing here for all the people that work there. Lorain Boulevard (connecting Elyria and Lorain) should be more impressive and apply mixed-use development. This could be a really exciting corridor for Lorain County's core.

Here is an option: Maybe the nightlife/dining/attractions discussion forum should be renamed Entertainment and Travel. And then a category for Community and Relocation Assistance?

Yeah, Jungle Jim's is about the coolest place to buy food in Ohio besides the West Side Market in Cleveland. If Jungle Jim's wants to expand a little bit, maybe they could open one in a new metro area like Cleveland. It could be a catalyst for neighborhood development in Cleveland Jungle Jim's openned up somewhere like downtown, Midtown, or University Circle. It really has become a huge destination in the Cincinnati area. Anyone know the deal with the monorail track and train recently installed there? I don't get it, and the website isn't too helpful at explaining what plans there are for it.

I think it shoud be considered to add a relocation discussion category within Ohio Discussion for people moving to Ohio or within Ohio to other cities or metro areas. It has been my experience that people post a lot on Cleveland.com forums regarding their relocation to Cleveland, and seek input. Most of the people- not all, but many - are a little abusive and very negative. The people on this forum could be much more helpful to people relocating to Ohio cities in getting good information on neighborhoods, transit, schools, things to do, the economy, etc. Maybe an Ohio Travel discussion category would be nice too.

-As for my negativity regarding the Cleveland to Lorain/Elyria line; Lorain County commuters do not deserve the convenience of rail to commute to their jobs downtown. There are plenty of older homes for sale with better school systems in Cuyahoga County. They need to be encouraged to live there as gas prices rise. The county is loosing people to these outlaying communties. In Avon Lake I have seen the population more than double, become increasingly upscale, and property values skyrocket. In the meantime I have seen population losses and school system issues for Lakewood and Fairview Park! -I went to St.Eds along that railroad in Lakewood, and I can tell you that I got stuck at the tracks many times and was late to class. It is used by freight. It probably can support passanger commuter rail, but to say that is unused isn't quite true. -I see greater potential in creating a BRT Gold Line along the West Shore. Maybe the owner of all those trollies that wants to build a museum and get them running in Cleveland could be worked with to make the Gold Line a trolley line. We have this guy who wants to do it, and the Cuyahoga County engeniers who want to use the lower deck of the bridge, and the city that wants development in Detroit-Shoreway and along the redesigned West Shoreway. From downtown on the lower unused deck of the Detroit-Superior Bridge to some outlet on the redesigned West Shoreway boulevard and down Clifton is a much better idea. It could use the Trolley as part of the attraction for new development. This could certainly go into Rocky River over the Clifton-Lake bridge into a redesigned road alignment and mixed-use development as KJP showed and create something like a Shaker Square for the West Side. You could see how this would nullify the need for a regional rail line to make all those stops in Cleveland, Lakewood, and Rocky River. I'm not saying we should discontinue discussing the potential for Cleveland-Lorain line, but let's invest in Cuyahoga County first where it needs it, and not Avon or Avon Lake (the only two cities showing real growth in Lorain County and perhaps directly related to population losses of Cuyahoga).

Well good for Wolstein. I think it will be pretty successful. I think people really want to go to the Flats again. It needs something newer and better than before. My impression of the recent article about the holdouts from these owners is that they wanted their property devauled so they could pay low property taxes. But now that the property is being sought after, they are throwing a hissy fit and demanding a lot more money than their property is worth based on the legal value that they fought so hard to lower. I mean I guess you can't blame them. They want as much as they can get out of it, but after seeing the offers published for some of these properties, I think these owners are foolish not to take the money and invest in new property somewhere else. They won't get an offer like this in the future if this project doesn't go through.

Yes, Rocky River is a good example. Not only at Lake Road, but I feel also the interchange at I-90 could be reworked as well. I think Rocky River, though a suburb, was planned relatively well (pre-WWII era). I think it has remained strong on the basis of relatively good planning. They have an authentic Crocker Park neighborhood, good recreation oppurtunities, various forms of housing, and a sense of place. You could see though where a lot of improvements could be made that will continue to sustain Rocky River, especially if sprawl and attention goes any further. Improvements in Rocky River could be considered pre-emptive protection, and a good move. North Olmsted needs a lot of help in my opinion. Driving around there isn't pleasent at all. I can't think of too many places off the top of my head where I'd like to see an interchange reworked in Northeast Ohio. Butler County in Southwest Ohio has numerous annoying setups like these that need to be replaced. Reagan Highway is a good example and one that I can name. Navigating through all kinds of horrible little highways and exit ramps from Oxford to Cincinnati is a real shame. Butler County is also the fastest growing county of all Ohio. Colrain Township that I drive through every time I go to Cincinnati is probably the most depressing scene of urban sprawl I have seen in Ohio.

I have kind of crude understanding of this opportunity corridor area, but I feel if they are going to go ahead and make the investment in acquiring property, building new roads, and tearing things down, it might be a good idea to extend Shaker Boulevard and directly and as seamlessly as possible link it with I-490. Maybe the tracks wouldn't have to be realigned, and the boulevard would simply continue along the tracks all the way to E.55th? In addition to the 490-Shaker connection, they could still build a new avenue as you (KJP) proposed along the red line? The reason why I would be in favor of a Shaker Boulevard connection to I-490 would be to improve both the west side access to university circle and east side, but also the east side access to to downtown and the west side. Might it also be possible to run the Shaker Rapid the center of I-90 out to the west side? I have seen such a combination of interstate and rail in Chicago. I realize this would all be a stretch, but with the innerbelt bridge and other things coming up, maybe it would be a good idea to examine the relationship between the potential west shore rail line, innerbelt bridge and reconfiguration, and opportunity corridor.

Anyone have any photos of Park Lane Villa? I couldn't find any online. Thanks.