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I was down there in Akron last night. Listen, I'm not anti growth, but for smart growth. Just because it was hard finding a tennant for Jillians right now doesn't mean it's a bad building. Akron has tons of gaping holes downtown that need filled.

I was strolling in beautiful downtown Crocker Park Sunday after seeing Iron Man and was depressed, wondering if this project was going to end up in the "abandoned" file.... Come on Friday!!!

Tearing down Jillian's was an awful idea, symbolic of very bad planning practices. Why tear down a building that was completely renovated when downtown is filled with vacant lots? Not good.

The Tenk building is awesome.

Great news!! That gives Buchtel Hall some much needed breathing room. Agree that area is ripe for more green space. Thanks for posting.

Who is complaining? I think everyone is bringing up some good points.

Posted by: kal-el Well I hate to disappoint you, but it is likely to move to the flats. I know that's the word. But being that the Film Fest is in March, I appreciate how indoor oriented Tower City is. It's a big warm inside gathering place. I'm not sure the FEB would be so roomy and accomodating in early March.

They're already creating a westside version of the Cedar Lee over in Detroit Shoreway. I would love it if we could support all of these places, but I am certainly skeptical. As for the Cleveland Intl Film Fest, I like it where it is at Tower City.

This is an interesting point to bring up, and all relevant to the ingredients MTS just mentioned. Where I grew up on the NJ shore, the issue of public access and enjoyment of waterfront neighborhoods is a constant struggle between wealthy homeowners and the visiting masses. Finding the right balance to FEB is crucial. If the "flavor" of the FEB is too weighted on either side the project will be a failure imho. Posted by: McCleveland "I don't even think it's about "destination"... remember this is a NEIGHBORHOOD. People who live there (aprox. 1000+?) will want to use it, probably some of the workers will want to use it post work... and certainly the E&Y people brought in town for training will want to do it. I don't think it's as much about bringing people down to it as it is about servicing the 'customers" around it."

I'll say it again. If the new CC did nothing...absolutely nothing BUT bridge over the shoreway/rail, linking downtown to North Coast Harbor, it would be well worth the investment. This has been depicted in some drawings although the specifics, legality, etc. have not been released to my knowledge.

I'm not overwhelmed with the theater as an attraction. My view of the waterfront is more along the lines of boardwalks and bars/restaurants and amusement park areas. But I don't think the theater is a bad idea though. I live in Lakewook right between two excellent theaters, Crocker Park and Valley View. But since The FEB would be the closest quality theater I am sure I'll be going there instead.

Looks like the county owes MayDay a couple thousand dollars in consulting fees!!!!

^Agreed with 3231. Break that building up a little!!! "Downtown councilman Joe Cimperman says the Flats will party again, this time with accountants, new residents, and a new grocery store." Wow, nothing says PARTY like accountants and new grocery store, lol. What a lame sounding statement. But on a serious note, what is it about this plan that is going to lure people down here and make it a can't miss destination. A movie theater? Grocery store? Office buildings? The truth is the draw of the FEB is the location itself. That's the main thing that's going to set this hood apart from anywhere else- it is all about the waterfront, and we are each entrusting Wolstein to enhance that experience.

I am having a hard time reconciling the riverside area of building 4 in the pics...in one depiction there looks to be a pedestrian mall adjacent to the river. In the overhead view, it looks to be a very wide street with automobile traffic. And it looks as if the term "boardwalk" actually means "concrete walkway" to Wolstein. But again, how much realism should we be reading into these pics???

Vegas is right!! And what happens there should definitely stay there in this case. BTW, I thought the plan was to keep the IX Center, and this would allow the downtown CC to be smaller???

Horrible!!!!

Wow I've never seen those pics. What a view, and what an amazing waste.

Anyone know whether the brick street around Amsterdame will remain?

A lakefront site for the CC couldn't be more backward. Then again, this renewed idea should set off the "casino alert" siren.

You couldn't be more right about the Columbus CC. It creates a horrendous void in an area that should be lined with storefronts.

Wooster had quite the "Little Italy" appeal at one time. Instead of hanging around New York, all of the Italian side of my family headed west and settled there on "the hill." Every weekend the neighborhood would make all kinds of food, play music, and basically invite the whole town, including the starving Wooster College students over for dinner. Thanks for posting!!!

I don't think the W 117th-Madison area will ever live up to its potential, at least not in our lifetime. Just an example of horrible, planning, or lack thereof. Right KJP, it's depressing to see it, and I have to go by there 4 or 5 times every day. Everyone knows Applebees is a homogenized corporate takeoff on original places like the Rush Inn, Around The Corner, and many other places in Lakewood already. Like WalMart, it's become a flagship for suburban blandness. Yet because they are all "corporationy" they are fairly consistent, exude familiarity, and do some things better and more efficiently than the mom and pop places. I am sure it will be packed just like IHOP, but I'll stick with the local places.

Thanks for your thoughtful respnse Jerry. Scott Thanks for your note. I will make sure that people at the highest levels of RTA management read it and review it. I have several comments. Please visit http://www.parkworks.org/history.html. Here is a quote. "Since ParkWorks' founding as Rapid Recovery in 1977, we have worked hard to earn a reputation as a community organization that delivers concrete results as we fulfill what has been a naturally evolving mission. From our first efforts to clean and beautify the rapid transit lines, to our leadership role in urban beautification, reforestation and environmental education as Clean-Land, Ohio, our history reflects our ability to engage grassroots constituents and civic leaders, and to rally corporate and philanthropic support for a menu of programs tied to community need." Rapid Recovery > Cleanland > ParkWorks was formed because many people believed in the kind of things you mentioned, especially, "it's a terrible front door for visitors coming in from the airport." I am not clear why Rapid Recovery changed its focus, not once but twice. Perhaps talking to someone there could shed some light on their thought processes. I am guessing now, but some of the changes may have come from volunteer frustration...areas that were cleaned may not stay clean for long. In my personal opinion, two things are needed. 1). More enforcement of littering and dumping laws. Wouldn't it be great to catch someone in the act of dumping tires, and have the courts rule that as punishment, the company behind the dumping would have to pay for keeping the Rapid clean for one year? 2. Constant monitoring, as opposed to (or to follow-up on) a one-day massive cleanup effort. Just like groups "adopt" an area of a highway and keep it clean, perhaps groups would or could "adopt" an area of the Rapid, and take ownership of it, with cleanups on the first Saturday of each warm-weather month, April-November. The role model for this is what the Rotary Club of Cleveland has done at the West 25th Street Station, with debris cleanup, plantings, painting the fence, etc. Their work will be easier to see and appreciate once the overhead bridge is reconstructed. The last time they painted the fence, Joe and Debra Calabrese joined them. There is another aspect -- legality. Some of the areas you mention are not RTA's property, but belong to other railroads in the same corridor. There are all kinds of insurance and liability issues that I do not fully understand, but I know we have to address them. It's not impossible, it's just something we have to be aware of and take into account when forming a plan of action. This all goes back to something I strongly believe. YOU -- as a resident and taxpayer in Cuyahoga County -- own RTA. We (the staff) are the caretakers of the system. If you want to take a more active role or responsibility in caring for your system, that's great. If you or anyone else wants to contact me off-line, try [email protected], or call 216-566-5173.

Great ideas MTS!!! "Get on Track" all right. I can picture an after party for volunteers and getting a free RTA shirt out of this. Free lifetime passes would be good too lol. I was just thinking, maybe local landscapers could be encouraged to improve the trackside embankments for advertising purposes. Or "adopt a spot" efforts like on the highways. Possibly a lot of bureacracy and safety issues involved I am guessing.

Hi Jerry. First I want to thank you and RTA for providing a great service. I take the Rapid from W117 to Tower City each day for work and find RTA employees to be most helpful and cosiderate. The reason I am writing is because I am concerned about the considerable amount of garbage, tires, broken concrete and other assorted refuse that is clearly visible along my route. Most of the trash appears to be the result of illegal household dumping, but there also appears to be a lot of construction debris as well. In my opinion, this unfortunate scenery paints the worst possible picture of our city, and furthermore, is inconsistent with how most of the people here feel about our surrounding environment. My question is whether there is any future plan to improve the aesthetics or to clean up the trash on and along the tracks. Either RTA or the city should be taking care of this problem. The RTA route should feel like a welcoming, front door entrance into the city and not like a blighted wasteland. If there is nothing official in place for addressing this, I (and many others I am sure) would be more than willing to help volunteer to at least clean things up a bit. Thanks, Scott in Lakewood