surfohio

Snowboarding in the Flats is perhaps the best, outside the box idea I've heard in some time!!!! And, I was at Wendy Park on Saturday thinking the exact same thing...disc golf would work nicely there.

Euclid is home of my favorite Disc Golf course....Sims Park!!!! p.s. i think Euclid is interesting, and call me crazy, but the commercial areas remind me a little of Hilcrest on the outskirts of downtown San Diego.

I can't say it any better.... Biggest problem for Cleveland = separation from our waterfront. Choosing the current site would've solved this puzzle, AND give us a new convention center in one fell swoop. I also bet most people don't appreciate the Group Plan and the potential that exists in turning it into one of America's most exciting urban, public spaces. We've seen proposals in the past for expanding the current site. Hell, my employer has produced countless plans and ideas for expanding the existing site-these go back 2 decades! These plans link the Malls, CC, and Northcoast Harbor better than anything we've seen, yet 2 decades later nothing has changed. I don't know what we do. If this thing goes to TC, we really need to start brainstorming as to develop some new program(s) for the Group Plan site. Between this project and the Innerbelt, we may p*ss away nearly $2 billion and set the course of the city for generations to come. Nice... :-(

People are worried about the impact on Dyke 14. Looking at the new drawing, it looks that it will be unaffected. However, if the Port must re-establish the lost State Parkland and the marina, cramming both into E. 72nd likely will have an adverse effect on the Dyke. If you've never been there, it is a very cool place, provides habitat for hundreds of bird species, great potential for natural hiking trails, learning centers, and lake access. Here's a letter a friend sent to me: The Honorable Ted Strickland, Governor of Ohio Governor's Office Riffe Center , 30th Floor 77 South High Street Columbus , OH 43215-6108 Dear Governor Strickland, I urge you to intervene immediately to keep the East 55th Street Marina and surrounding and neighboring parkland as an important part of the Cleveland Lakefront State Park (CLSP). The East 55th Street Marina , fishing piers from East 55th St. to East 72nd St. , concessions, picnic areas, parking lots, and other areas of the Lakefront State Park System are being targeted for elimination by the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority. The Port has claimed these State Park lands as their site for a 200-acre Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) and future industrial site for port activities, including bulk storage. As you know, for more than 30 years the Cleveland Lakefront State Park from East 55th St. to East 72nd St. , including the Marina , has served the recreational needs of Ohio citizens and visitors of all ages. This centrally located State Park provides beautiful views of Lake Erie , especially from its 10-foot wide walkway that extends 1,200 feet along the east and north sides of the park. The Park also provides fishing access, picnic areas, rest rooms, a concession and restaurant building, 268 boat slips and 20 transient docks, and ample parking. To lose this recreational Lakefront jewel to an industrial use is neither reasonable nor appropriate. Although the Port Authority has suggested that it will replace the public amenities of the East 55th Marina State Park elsewhere, its promises are fraught with unanswered challenges. But even if a new marina is built elsewhere along Cleveland ’s lakefront, it cannot replace what would be lost forever. I ask that you act immediately and firmly to halt the Port Authority’s proposal for the following reasons: 1) The Port’s proposal would destroy a central and spacious expanse of public access to and public view of Lake Erie . This proposal would be a reversal of the plans of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, as well as plans by the City of Cleveland, as well as publicly stated promises made to the citizens of Cleveland's neighborhoods and the entire region, to expand CLSP at East 55th St. and the Marina and to open up more of Cleveland’s lakefront to public access. 2) The Port’s proposal violates the City’s own Lakefront plan, which was created just a few years ago and approved by the City’s Planning Commission after three years of input and approval from thousands of citizens, the State of Ohio , and Cuyahoga County . The Lakefront Plan (aka Waterfront District Plan) has as one of its goals the preservation and expansion of the State Marina and Park from East 55th St. to East 72nd St . 3) The Port’s proposal contradicts Army Corps’ extensive public planning process conducted over several years that studied eight sites and then identified, with the Port’s and City’s full involvement, three viable sites for locating Cleveland’s next Confined Disposal Facility (CDF). The Port delayed and then derailed the Corps’ process, rejecting the three publicly reviewed CDF sites and privately arranging with the Army Corps and the City of Cleveland to approve a fourth, never before mentioned, CDF site at the E. 55th St. State Park and Marina . The Port then conducted two public meetings with little notice and with virtually no back-up to support the sudden change of CDF locations. The Port’s claim to the new CDF site is based on a speculative plan for a container shipping port facility, which the Port’s own study found to be of questionable viability. To date the Port plan continues to be touted as ‘a done deal’ when in reality it is only a ‘concept plan’ without any feasibility study, without any cost-benefit analysis, and without any environmental impact study. 4) The Port has been lobbying individual organizations for support of its plan for a 200-acre industrial maritime facility and claiming that all displaced State Park recreational facilities can be crowded into an area east of East 72nd St., which would have devastating and negative impacts on Gordon State Park, Intercity Yacht Club and, in particular, to the new Nature Preserve at Dike 14. Please intervene now to stop the Port’s takeover of Lakefront State Park lands between East 55th St. and East 72nd St .

Note the use of the world "old" convention center, rather than "current." I think using "old" slants the article to favor Tower City.....or maybe I'm just reading into this too much!!! p.s. The mall next door, a Nationally registered historic site?

I've actually been meaning to check out Gateway Church. They were meeting at Pickwick and Frolic on Sundays. There was a write up about them a few months back and they actually sound like very nice people.

GREAT PICS!!!!! One thing I've noticed just the past two years....people walking their dogs downtown. I may be wrong, but I've never seen so many dog walkers. But I think the number of people walking dogs is representative of the livability of a community.

That's too bad. It is (was) a pretty sweet looking building with a lot of character. A perfect fit along that great brick street. Perhaps this is related... I was downtown near Progressive Field and saw that they were demolishing the building along Sumner between Erie St Cemetery, and the building with Ginza Sushi. Not sure of the exact address, but this google link should do the trick: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1101+sumner,+cleveland,+oh&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=43.713406,92.8125&ie=UTF8&ll=41.497232,-81.682341&spn=0.010141,0.022659&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr

Agreed.

On WTAM a guy from Crains (sorry missed his name) said this corruption fiasco won't hurt the Med Mart/CC, but perhaps delay it a little. In fact he said this won't affect the timing with site location at all. On the other hand, Ed Morrison is on WCPN right now basically saying Med Mart/CC is dead in the water.

Thanks for posting!!! My friend in Baltimore is a consultant and recommending the plants for the "native plant experimental plots." He's also hoping this will improve asthetics along the towpath as it winds through the industrial valley, calling it "functional urban ecology."

No not fuse Jpop but...FUEL!!!! It is the network for skating/surfing/bmx/motocross.

very very cool!!!!! i may get satellite tv just for this channel alone.

The lake levels have been rising and falling for 10,000 years....the waters edge used to be ten miles south. I wouldn't jump to any immediate conclusions over this report. This is not the biggest enviromental problem facing the lakes. Anyhow, a shrinking Lake Erie means less erosion, and opens up more possibilities for beach restoration.

Hmmm now how do we get that many people there all the time??

I always thought that Tower City plan looked amazing!!!! Look how it opens up to the Cuyahoga, giving the riverside the prominence it deserves.

Check out Musky's second to last pic....gives the impression that the waterfront Loop isn't as isolated as I first thought. In fact, when viewed from Shooters, the area looks downright accessible.

Sad and amazing. Thanks for posting.

Anyone who saw the AST Dew extreme sports tour on NBC Saturday saw that the city was looking fantastic, and getting a ton of great publicity from the event. AND it was so cool to North Coast Harbor packed with people....we need more events like this one. It is a terrific venue and amazingly photogenic. See what I mean: http://video.astdewtour.com/player/?id=277549

I think people are more touchy about the Flats project because the Flats East Bank has (had) a pre-existing ambience what with the waterfront heritage, brick buildings, and lots of short term memories of hundreds of thousands of visitors. The AD is a blank slate, a parking lot with zero history and no feeling of nostalgia is attached. Plus, with the FEB project being on prime waterfront property, to me its much much more crucial to get that project "right." That's the scary thing-we can't keep nurturing this sheltered, 5 years too late outlook on what a city should be or on what a building can be. I really didn't intend to attack the AD design--I just wanted to know why it appeared that a lot of people are quick to attack the FEB renderings yet show little negative criticism towards the AD? Once we see some steel at the FEB sites maybe we'll all move on...

Ron Reed, a partner in the firm, said: "We're taking a huge leap of faith," Reed said. "You just have to have confidence this is going to get done." Why is this a "huge" leap of faith? Is Reed insinuating that the requisite tax credits are a longshot, or what exactly???

It took Don Plusqualic a very very long time to warm up to the University.

Sure, if they screw them up, it's only our tax money that's involved!!!!!

Home town of number 5, Charlie Frye. The best quarterback ever to wear the Akron uniform. GO ZIPS. :-)

I thought so!!! My wife and I lived in 310 from 1999 to 2004 when we outgrew our little 450 square foot apartment and bought a small bungalow in Birdtown/Lakewood. I miss that great neighborhood, walking to Edge, the very very hot radiator in winter, walking along all the very cool houses. And, of course, I miss the thrill of the Lake West elevator lol. p.s. I will not miss being towed from Lake Ave, flaky hardwood floors or being periodically scalded in the shower by extremely hot water.