8ShadesofGray

I did, too, and took some pics ... but forgot to bring the cable for my iPhone. Wahwah. I think it looks good, but it needs some time to grow in. Right now the trees are short enough and the plantlife sparse enough that the street still feels extremely wide (wider than it did before, IMHO) and very, very concrete-heavy. Still, love the new street configuration, bike racks and chairs.

Take a train! There are 3 Amtrak stops along the southern edge of the park. West Glacier would probably be the most used as it appears to be at the main entrance to the park. Oh believe me, that's the first place I looked :) ... that would be a spectacular trip, but it's unfortunately almost $200 and 38 hours one-way from Cleveland. I would love to support the rail system, but that would eat up a huge portion of my vacation time and vacation money.

I walked by last night, and frankly, I'm amazed. It looks like it's almost completely laid now. Amazingly fast! What is also exciting for me is that they're working around the existing lamps and trees. I was so disappointed to see the large-growth trees go on E. 12th, so to see so much care being taken to preserve the existing landscape elements warms my little urban geek heart.

Definitely agree with Murray Hill. Nothing wrong with West Park. But it will be a sizable adjustment from downtown. If you're hoping to approximate that urban feeling, diversity of residents and access to restaurants, I would say that West Park might not be an ideal fit. Both Tremont and Ohio City have some terrific areas where I think you would feel comfortable being outside around the clock. The best bet is to talk to people on the forum who are already living in the neighborhoods and getting their honest feedback about how they feel there and which parts of the neighborhood they would advise and which not. Any Near West residents want to jump in? I would also take a 10 p.m. drive around both and get a feeling for which parts of the neighborhoods feel safe to you, paying attention to whether there are people out on the streets (keeping in mind that, in July, this is probably the height of evening pedestrian activity, but car activity is also important) and particular attention to which areas are the best lit. From what you're describing, I again think West Park would be absolutely fine, but I think you can find some great fits in OC and Tremont, too. My personal feeling is that the housing stock in Ohio City is a little more inspiring than in Tremont, but anectdotally, it seems like Tremont is relatively safer (at least around the park and to the east). But I'm not grounding this at all in data, so take it with a grain of salt. I also wouldn't rule out Detroit Shoreway. I feel like this is Cleveland's fastest improving neighborhood. You can already feel a major shift in visitation and pedestrian activity around Gordon Square and Battery Park, and that's before the streetscape improvements, Battery Park build-out and opening of the Capitol Theatre. A lot of the housing stock is equally stunning to that in Ohio City and often at a much more favorable price point. As a long-term investment, I think (again, just from a personal opinion) this neighborhood is best positioned to give you a return on your money. Plus you get the added bonus of having easier lake access than the other three neighborhoods you're examining. There are several forumers in D-S, too. Anyone have thoughts?

Stunning! Definitely toward the top of my must-see list. Do you have recommendations on what city would be best to fly into from Ohio, though? What is the fullest-service airport? Missoula? Billings? Calgary?

Wow. Next week?! That's great. I like this incremental approach. $60,000, one week, one block ... really highlights how simple these improvements can be done and what an impact they have. Exciting, too, that it sounds like the entire E. 12th renovation is slated to be completed this year, if that's accurate ... I was under the impression that only the northernmost stretch was going to be done. And I know I give them constant sh*t, but I really have to say that I think the PD coverage has been improving lately ... nice stories about "urbanizing" Cleveland ... and not a single reference like "The sidewalk expansion is an initial step in revitalizing the downtown landscape of Cleveland, one of the poorest and fastest shrinking cities in the nation". :) I'm confused by a few seeming discrepancies between the PD story, Crain's story and McCleveland's press release, though. Do the planters and the benches have dedicated funding? Is there a timeline for these elements as well (surely these are not going in within the next week)? Will the restriping be done this week as well? And the shared bike scenario seems a little vague to me as well ... Will there be signage to signify that the lanes are to be shared with bikes, or am I misunderstanding?

What I find really lovely about this project is that it's nestled into a residential neighborhood. We have so many great public art projects going on in the city, but most (understandably) are concentrated on main thoroughfares. I can't really think of a project of this scope in such a residential / sidestreet setting anywhere else in the city. It really speaks to the great work Cleveland Public Art is doing. In the early 90s, they were having to make a case for public art in major downtown locations. Now it seems like downtown work is popping up all the time, thanks in part to advocacy around percent-for-art (setting aside one percent of major construction projects' budgets for public art components ... both the city and RTA have such an ordinance now). More recently, there was increasing demand for "gateway signage" that promoted neighborhood names and identities, like Midtown's pillars along Chester. And then fairly large-scale projects at neighborhood anchor points, like the recent statue park along Buckeye and the public art elements at Gordon Square. Now it's leaking into the side streets. It's pretty amazing that that kind of shift in mindset has occurred within 15 years. Good work Cleveland Public Art ... 5 large projects in the past year alone and 7 more in progress.

Cleveland Public Art posted some pics of planted trees and placed benches along the corridor. There's enough construction debris around that I don't think it's a composite photograph. So yay! It's going to be great seeing these elements slowly start to creep in over the coming few months. http://www.clevelandpublicart.org/projects/completed/gordon-square-arts-district. Click on the bar of photos toward the top of the page. The last two are the ones I'm talking about ...

Is anyone else having trouble with the website? It doesn't appear to be working. Which seems problematic for opening night ...

It sounds from the description on the website that they are replacing the trees ... "new, more compact, yet airy, street trees". Maybe I'm reading it wrong and they will supplement the existing trees. But it doesn't sound like it. That would be a real shame, given how mature the trees look to be and how long a corridor we're talking about. Still, a great project. Edit: Taking it back. Looking at a site plan of the corridor, it looks like at least a portion of the existing tree stock will remain.

Looking at the list and time permitting, I would try checking out at least one unit around Shaker Square, or alternately, to just walk around it. It's not the most exciting neighborhood for the 20s and 30s crowd, for sure (although I really liked living there during my mid-20s), but it is lovely, very pedestrian-friendly and great access to staples like groceries, movie theater, restaurants, public parks, etc. If you go, make sure to check out both the Square and walk up N. Moreland, E. 128 or E. 130 to Larchmere (5 min. walk to the street and then probably 10 mins. along the corridor). It's also definitely really cute. And if you have a whole afternoon to dedicate to the area, wander over to Shaker Lake, a couple of blocks to the east, to get a sense of the 600-acre parklands you would have nearby. That being said, I think all the recommendations seem point on. I'm currently looking in much the same places (with the exception of the few places in the burbs), and you have a lot to choose from in those neighborhoods. Judging from your interest in Shadyside and South Side, I kinda lean toward Tremont or Ohio City for you more than downtown, but definitely, all of that is worthwhile to check out.

Not to pull this thread off-topic for more than a brief sec, but McCleveland, do you know if the same kind of protections exist on Superior between 19th and 26th(ish), where a historic designation was sought for the corridor a year and a half ago or so? Or to the existing Warehouse District stock? And to what degree is protection of the buildings built into the Landmark review? It seems that quite a few buildings (some that are arguably of historic note, although none recently that I can think of in the CBD) have been given relatively quick demolition approval. If this is too off-topic, feel free to PM me, but it does seem to have relevance to the area directly adjacent to E. 4th.

Sorry, yeah, I wasn't clear about it. From what I recall from the site plan I saw, there will be a little L-shaped nook on the northeast corner of the building, but the patios will face east and south. So I believe a handful of units that front Euclid will have patios, but they will be to the rear of the apartment, not on the Euclid side.

Oh, and I should have also mentioned that tenants on the Prospect side will have an option to move to the Euclid side upon completion. Apparently, a couple of tenants have already made arrangements to do so. I think that's a really nice offer.

I did a walkthrough of the building last week. Here's what I found out: - All of the Prospect-side one-bedrooms have been rented, and there was only one studio left. - Move-in on the Euclid side is at least tentatively scheduled to be March. The leasing agent said that she already had one one-bedroom rented on that side of the building and anticipates they will move incredibly fast, particularly the units with patios (I believe 8 or so units on the northeast corner of the building). - Work was underway on the fitness studio while I was there. It's GIGANTIC. I was told that it is being managed by an outside service provider and that there are plans for it to operate 24 hours (!). It will be open to the public, and residents will receive one year free use. - Overall, I was really impressed with the building. The studio I looked at was cute and overlooked the roof of the Arcade, with Terminal Tower in the background. It was a nice-sized studio but still small for my needs (or wants, rather), and I wasn't crazy about the finishes, particularly in the kitchen, but these are still really nice units. The deal-breaker was that the units are fully carpeted, which I know, makes me a total princess. Oh well. I'll wear the crown. - Just a final note ... As I've been scoping out apartments, I've been amazed by how the rates have climbed over the past 5 years. Most of the units I looked at were really nice, but I was often seeing a minimum of $700 (usually more along the lines of $800) for a studio and some one-bedrooms going for $1,500 (!). And that's if you can find one ... downtown developers - OFFER ONE-BEDROOMS!!! The market is gobbling them up! I think this is a great development and speaks to the market value people are now placing on living in the center of everything; I just hope that it doesn't become too exclusionary or that the rent climbs slow the great in-migration trend we're experiencing, particularly after the recent legislation that eases the way for condo conversions (and potential shrinkage of the already scant availability of rental units).

As an alum, I'm obviously a little biased here. But I do think the college is making a substantial difference in the community. Economic impact analysis, alternative energy, historic preservation, form-based zoning, asset-based community development, bicycle connectivity ... these are just a couple of the issues that Levin has been really great at advocating. Granted, our city has many, many problems, and Levin is hardly in a position to solve them all ... but I would argue that decision makers in the city are increasingly taking on a progressive agenda compared to 10 or 15 or certainly 20 years ago; Levin can't take exclusive credit for this shift in focus, but it has certainly played a strong role. The college's rankings and thus its magnetism for high-quality students is relatively recent, so I would look to see this role increase in the years to come; almost all of my friends are Levin alums now working in the area as mid-level managers and pushing a more progressive agenda. This type of shift is bound to take time. In the meantime, the college is at the very least capturing students who would never otherwise consider Cleveland ... and many stay. I for one relocated to Cleveland intending to head to D.C. afterward. Had it not been for my time at Levin and how it exposed me to the really interesting projects going on here, there's no way I would have accidentally fallen in love with Cleveland like I did :) Beyond that, I think you guys might be expecting a little too much from a single college. By the same token, why do we have one of the best medical schools in the country and still such a high rate of obesity-related illness? I would hardly guess that Lawrence, Kansas (home of No. 1 on the list, the University of Kansas) or DeKalb, Illinois (No. 3, Northern Illinois) or LA (No. 4, USC) or Chapel Hill (No. 5, UNC) or Phoenix (No. 6, Arizona State) are making anyone's shortlists for cutting-edge urbanism. But the schools are still undoubtedly making a positive impact to their students, universities and respective communities.

This is a good discussion, but is there a more appropriate place for it? It seems to be getting a little tangential to population trends. Sorry, not trying to be an ass ... it actually is some good stuff but might get some more traffic in the Cleveland Public Schools thread or something. Anyone have any thoughts about the fact that the inner ring is now shrinking faster than the city (see previous page for numbers)? This seems like a pretty monumental demographic shift, and I can think of all kinds of implications, some of them good, some of them bad.

1. It is very important to remember that these are population estimates and that, historically, both the estimates and the general census tend to undercount residents, particularly individuals of limited means, the incarcerated and students, and the estimates are more likely to undercount than is the full census. One of the reasons that Cincy is showing a positive gain in population from 2000 to 2008 is that it has successfully challenged the initial estimates. That being said, the numbers do suggest a troubling amount of out-migration from the city. 2. This article failed to note that out-migration from the city slowed considerably between 2007 and 2008, as did migration into the exurbs. This is very likely due to the recession and the housing crunch but is still notable, particularly if we're going to go all "sky is falling" with our coverage. 3. To me, the population updates are only minimally news. We all know that Cleveland is losing population and has been for 60 years. The rate of decline has accelerated from the late 1990s, and while it is discouraging, it's nothing new. We shrank an estimated 9.2% in an 8-year span. Compare that to an 11.9% drop during the 1990s ... only two more years than the period currently under discussion ... pretty comparable decline during a period when the city was being labeled the "Comeback City". Then compare THAT to the 14.2% decline of the 1970s and the unbelievable 23.6% freefall during the 1980s. Decline has more or less stabilized to 1990 levels and is dramatically better than it was 25 years ago. 4. But here's the true story that the PD has missed (again, keeping in mind that this is all based on ESTIMATES) ... For the first time in decades, Cleveland is shrinking slower than the first-ring suburbs, and the county's rate of population decline is getting closer and closer to Cleveland's (buoyed only by second- and third-ring development). This is big news ... for the first time in a looooong time, Cleveland's population outlook is starting to look better than the suburbs that surround it. Consider this: - Between 2000 and 2008, Cleveland's population declined by an estimated 9.2%. During the same time period, Cuyahoga County lost 7.9% ... not a huge difference. This is even more evident when you compare 1999-2000 with 2007-2008. Between '99 and '00, Cuyahoga County lost 0.87% of its population, while Cleveland lost 1.16%. Between '07 and '08, Cuyahoga County's loss was still 0.87%, but Cleveland's had shrunk to a rate of 0.97% per year. - Even more telling is what is happening when you compare Cleveland with its inner ring suburbs. Between 2000 and 2008, it is estimated that every suburb that directly borders Cleveland lost population. The vast majority lost a larger percentage than the city proper ... Linndale had a pretty whopping 23.9% drop, Cuyahoga Heights 11.0%, Newburgh Heights 10.8%, Lakewood 10.5%, Fairview Park 10.3%, Brooklyn 10.2%, Euclid 10.1%, Shaker Heights 10.0%, South Euclid 9.9%, Garfield Heights 9.8%, Cleveland Heights 9.7% and Maple Heights and Brook Park, each 9.5%. That leaves only two inner-ring suburbs that fared better than Cleveland ... Parma (which was close at 9.0%), and Bratenahl, with its relatively low 5.5% decline. Obviously, none of this is exactly good news, but it is clear that this is no longer a problem of the "scary inner city" ... the city's robust community development efforts seem to be paying off and slowing out-migration, while the inner ring is falling victim faster than the city proper to the lure of the exurbs. Now THAT's news. Where are you PD?

This is looking really, really bad. Such a shame. I hope this leads Levin to invest time and dollars into an endowment campaign among the alumni ... or a campaign to provide at least modest offsets for these losses. But I would imagine that a college already strapped for resources would find an effort like that daunting at the moment. Makes me really sad for my alma mater. :cry: Budget cuts could impair research at Cleveland State's Levin College Crain's Cleveland Business By SHANNON MORTLAND 4:30 am, July 1, 2009 Much of the research that has put Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs on the higher education map is likely to disappear as state legislators are expected to stop financing such research projects in the two-year budget that begins July 1. Hanging in the balance is Ohio’s Urban University Program, which has supported economic development research in areas such as foreclosures and financed training programs and community forums. Under the 30-year-old program, Ohio’s public urban institutions — including CSU, Kent State University and the University of Akron — have been paid by the state to conduct research and host the various programs ... ... For more information, please visit http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20090701/FREE/906309952

I think it's a great neighborhood for a business to move into, actually, and a lot are. There are a number of start-ups in Perkowski's Tower Press and Bloch Buildings, and look at the amazing work being done a mile down Superior at Tyler Village ... nothing short of astounding how many suburban companies they have brought in. I would also think there might be some advantages for a marketing agency to co-locate with the region's largest newsprint publication, if nothing else as a subconscious hook for clients (heck, of course they're going to be able to get my event placement ... they work down the hall from the editor of the paper!).

I'm absolutely baffled by how this story is framed. The Sportsman has a frontage the size of a postage stamp. Have they already finalized arrangements to tear down the much larger parking garage or 113 St. Clair Building (adjacent on either side)? Seems really odd to me that they would only mention the restaurant.

For my own information, since I find these resources to be quite clear in this regard, what aspect of our online information led you to think that the #32 Westbound served downtown outside of the 6:00am - 9:00am time slot already mentioned? If there's something we can improve, I'd like to take the steps to do it. I boarded the train at 7:30 a.m. and had printed the schedule and used the Trip Planner feature to verify that the schedule was still accurate. Maybe I just misunderstood what was going on, but everyone but me poured out at the Rapid stop, then the bus took the loop back into the Eastbound turnaround, and the bus driver turned off the sign and told people not to board. At that point, I just jumped off and ran up to the Rapid, as I was nervous about being late for work. But if I just misunderstood and there is indeed continuing service downtown at those hours, that would be wonderful for my commute.

Does anyone know whether the 32 Westbound still goes all the way downtown? The online maps, schedule and trip planner all suggest that it does, but when I hopped on the bus this morning, it appeared to terminate at University Circle / Cedar. Sorry, I know this question is pretty specific, but maybe it has applicability to some of the other routes that run on Euclid?

Agreed. That being said, while we may not have a giant music festival in front of the Rock Hall, we have no ends of art festivals (many providing local musicians as entertainment) ... Detroit Shoreway's Made in the 216, St. Clair-Superior's CultureFest and Waterloo Arts Fest all this weekend alone.

Well, some of them are mid-size and the Pavilion is quite large. And I actually liked that they were all spread out and really enmeshed into the city ... visitors got to see a lot of Cleveland. But point taken. Still, there were also a number of acts that performed at the Festival Village, which would have more of the feel of that kind of concert, although granted not enough room for the same scope. From my hazy recollection of the mid-90s, most of the Lollapalooza concerts (at least the touring event, if not the Chicago original) have taken place at big box exurban closed-off concert venues ... I saw a lot of these music festivals at places like Deer Creek waaaaayyyy outside of Indianapolis. Not to say the Rock Hall couldn't do it, but I wouldn't WANT them to just plop down a Lollapalooza model. I like Seattle's Bumbershoot better for how its laid out and fits into the urban fabric, borders the cultural institutes, etc. But as you noted, it's hard to have that kind of mass of people down by the Rock Hall and I agree that the best you could do is have it up the hill at Public Hall and the Malls ... or maybe spilling back toward Voinovich Park, which works nicely for Gay Pride as a festival area.