Ethan

Needs more books, like 10 times more books, in wooden bookcases. Libraries shouldn't feel sterile.

Does any part of this depend on insurance coming through, or are they committed to rebuilding even if insurance won't cover it?

Second building is already occupied. So we already have some new apartments in the area. Unfortunately the building that got burnt down was about twice the size of the completed one and was set to house basically all of the amenities. Hopefully insurance pays out and this building gets rebuilt eventually. Also, if this was arson, here's hoping the guilty party is caught and finds justice.

Morning update. Firefighters still active, so I didn't go any closer. This sucks, no idea how long this delays the opening, but I assume a long while. Hopefully it still pulls through eventually.

Mostly contained now.

My mistake, I got the two apartment complexes mixed up.

So, tonight, about an hour ago, was the first time I've seen lights on in the apartment. One apartment, on the top floor. Edit: my bad, got the two apartment complexes confused.

General op-ed from Crains talking about the recent crop of influential political newcomers from Ohio, particularly in the maga movement. https://www.crainscleveland.com/editorials/crains-editorial-ohio-gets-its-moment-political-spotlight

There's a difference between why something is done, and how it is explained. With regards to the Lakefront, you have the two mixed up. Bibb sought public comment to find out what people wanted from the lakefront. A vision/plan was created from that feedback. The plan was then defended using political ideas popular at the time, but it wasn't created based on those ideas (regardless of what politicians may have said). People wanting access to free outdoor activities isn't what anyone on either side is calling DEI, it's just something that is generally popular. Also, I don't think there's any going back anymore. The city not accepting the Haslam Lakefront proposal carte blanche may have contributed to the Browns (attempt at) leaving downtown, but I don't think they'd come back at this point if the city offered them full planning control, nor do I think the City would ever offer it. Nor should they to be honest, I think the City went about this the right way. Personally, I like the redesign, and I think the area North of the stadium is much better in the City's plan than the Haslam's plan. As I detailed above, there are aspects of the actual land bridge in the Haslam proposal though that are preferable.

Here's a rough mock up of what I'd like to see, pink is land for development. Green is park land. Ideally the land bridge would slope or step down into the new development area. It shouldn't feel like it's elevated above it. Some small developments over the tracks at the sides of the land bridge would be cool way to really sell the illusion.

Yeah, Downtown is clearly not in a death spiral. Its resurgence is taking longer than I'd like, but it's trajectory is upwards. That's obvious to anyone paying attention. Downtown apartments are filling up fast, and more are getting built or converted. Some businesses are moving out, but that's less to do with Cleveland, and mostly to do with national level trends towards remote/hybrid work.

I'm not sure if I've seen those, but it would be an interesting win-win compromise. The convention center gets bigger, and could line the sides of the land bridge with plenty of windows, bringing in plenty of natural light. It also brings it closer to the new multimodal transit hub, and the cultural centers on the lake. The land bridge gets to be complete without stupid gaps, everyone wins. Perhaps the convention center could also help support some of the cost? Being potentially 25% larger has to be of value to it, and should theoretically help them bring in more money. My only real question is if there's the vertical space for it? And if the added construction cost is worth it, but it makes sense without actually running the numbers.

I know there are a lot more engineering difficulties for Cleveland's land bridge due to level changes, etc, but this highway cap is along the lines of what I'd like to see in Cleveland over the tracks and new boulevard. My concern with the proposed land bridge design has always been that it simply won't be wide to create the illusion that the road is tunneling underground, and the land bridge isn't a bridge at all, but a park breaking though the city. Personally, I don't think the land bridge as currently designed is wide enough to create that illusion. If the Browns really are moving, I'd like to see us reconsider the land bridge design to something more akin to the original proposal, at least as far as land bridge width. The most logical, and I would argue best, design for the land bridge is to continue the mall straight up until the new lakefront area proposed in the plan. (We also need a good connection to the Rock Hall, which wasn't present in the original Haslam plan). I still don't like the cutouts for the Convention center though. Those should go. There's a reason most downtown convention centers don't have natural light. It isn't worth all the rest of the sacrifices to city amenities. Honestly, I'd be in favor of eliminating the bump up entrance on Mall B as well, but that's another discussion. Tldr: if the stadium is going, let's use the opportunity to make some lemonade and widen the Land bridge.

I hadn't, I looked it up on Google Street view. Ugly. An interesting case of reuse, and they are visually interesting but interesting does not mean beautiful, nor are the two even related. This building is not beautiful, it is ugly. We shouldn't seek to build more ugly buildings like this.

Whatever, I'll say it. We should stop abusing historic preservation to keep ugly and uninteresting structures. People are talking as if these are beautiful impactful structures worth preserving, when they are grain silos... We should preserve buildings from the past that are beautiful, or at least architecturally interesting, not every single building. Some discrimination is required.

Cool, so now I'm opposed to Cliffs acquiring US Steel... Go Nippon! My interests in this were always purely from a Cleveland pride standpoint and now that it seems like this deal is likely to reduce Cleveland's global prestige, and possibly embarrass it. Not a fan. Not to mention shedding the name CLEVELAND Cliffs...

As @PlanCleveland noted, the real threat to Cleveland is the downtown workers from their offices in 200 Public Square. This is a potentially huge blow. In football terms, this feels like we may have just thrown a pick six from the red zone. Instead of potentially getting a new office tower, we might be losing one of the largest (if not the largest) tenant in 200 PS.

I'm sorry for all the people getting disappointed from this development. My question(s) for the people that took a chance on this development, do the bones seem good? If the finishing touches are completed and the building is transferred to new management, will it live up to its initial hype? Or do the problems run deeper than that? Or was it just oversold from the get go?

Metroparks requesting brownfield grant to demolish Grain Craft property.

So wait, Cliffs might buy US Steel, but instead of a larger Cleveland headquarters, we'd actually lose downtown workers to Pittsburgh?

Another Crains editorial that I think many here will agree with. Opinion: Building new Browns stadium in Brook Park would undermine Cleveland's progress https://www.crainscleveland.com/commentary/opinion-new-browns-stadium-would-undermine-clevelands-progress ... The facts paint a clear picture. Downtown Cleveland currently attracts 4.5 million visitors monthly — more than triple the annual visitors projected for the Brook Park development. Our downtown serves as the economic engine of Northeast Ohio, housing the region's largest job hub, a growing residential population, and premier cultural and entertainment assets. The Browns aren't just a football team; they're an essential thread in this urban fabric. Downtown Cleveland's renaissance is gaining national recognition. We rank #1 in office conversions and among the top 10 cities for workforce and visitor recovery. Major investments are transforming our skyline and economic landscape: the new Sherwin-Williams headquarters, Progressive Field renovations, Bedrock's ambitious Riverfront Plan, and the North Coast Master Plan. The International Downtown Association (IDA) has recognized Cleveland as an "emerging downtown" with extraordinary post-pandemic potential. The proposed relocation threatens this momentum. According to economic experts at Econsult Solutions, LLC, moving the Browns would strip at least $30 million annually from Cleveland's economy and reduce tax revenue by $11 million. This loss would affect everything from public safety to basic city services. On game days, the ripple effect of tens of thousands of fans patronizing downtown businesses creates an economic surge that would be lost if the Browns move to Brook Park. And frankly, it’s unlikely that this level of economic activity can be replicated in a suburban location. ...

Crains story on the same for anyone who still has access, no different information at time of posting though. https://www.crainscleveland.com/manufacturing/cleveland-cliffs-nucor-making-joint-bid-us-steel

This is a common refrain, but is the claim that the bridge can't be repaired/renovated? Normally when a bridge reaches the "end of it's life" it's shut down for a little bit while repairs take place and then it's reopened. This isn't my area of expertise, but I can't imagine the smart economic decision is to knock this bridge over entirely. I would think repairing it makes more sense. Lots of sunk cost that is effectively lost if it is demolished. And there aren't that many bridges over the navigable portion of the Cuyahoga. I'd bet against this bridge being demolished in the near future.

Looks like planned removal in exchange for stairs and a wide boardwalk. I won't miss it tbh. Conceptually it's hard to get behind removing any water fountain, but this is a pretty unattractive water fountain. I think the larger park will be better served by the stairs and boardwalk.