8ShadesofGray

There has indeed. But to the best of my knowledge, there hasn't been a discussion about, or research on, how this type of development works in the industrial Midwest. It's going to be a pretty amazing conversation. We're going to have people like Ann Markusen of the Humphrey Institute, Jeremy Nowak of The Reinvestment Fund and Mark Barone, who launched the Paducah Artist Relocation Project all talking about the role artists can play in regions with shrinking populations, surplus housing, environmental remediation concerns, low brand awareness, etc. And we're going to be talking about how we can all move each other's efforts forward ... so that the work in Pittsburgh informs work in Milwaukee informs work in Dayton informs work in Pittsburgh.

Conference in May to explore how to capitalize on arts districts by Karen Sandstrom / Plain Dealer Reporter Friday February 29, 2008, 5:08 PM Even the most exuberant Cleveland booster would have to agree that this city is no Paducah, Ky. Over the last eight years, the modest little town some 500 miles away has attracted 70 new residents -- artists who have responded to incentives to buy and improve homes and convert buildings into galleries and work spaces. Paducah has become an unlikely tourist mecca ... ... For more information, please visit http://www.cleveland.com/arts/index.ssf/2008/02/conference_in_may_to_explore_h.html

A few months ago, I asked for advice on vacant storefronts: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,14864.0.html. Well, I finally have some firm information on two related events we're putting on in May: From Rust Belt to Artist Belt and Pop Up Arts District. Feel free to hit me up with any questions. You can register at http://www.cpacbiz.org/business/CreativeCompass.shtml.

Justine, best of luck in your move. Two pieces of recurring advice ... set up opportunities to look at apartments in several neighborhoods so you can weigh the "feel" of each one. Cleveland is a patchwork of very unique, distinct neighborhoods, so it's best to shop around and one that has a personality you enjoy. Second bit of advice, check out www.livecleveland.org, where you can see brief introductions to each of Cleveland's neighborhoods. I would definitely check out Ohio City and Detroit Shoreway and potentially the adjacent neighborhoods of Tremont and Edgewater (although Tremont is rather limited in its mass transit opportunities). Based on what you've described, however, I would HIGHLY recommend checking out Shaker Square in the Shaker-Buckeye neighborhood. It is Cleveland's densest neighborhood and has one of the oldest shopping districts in the country. You'll have direct rail access to downtown (about a 12 min. ride) and a full-service grocery, movie theater, diner, CVS and coffeeshop, as well as a lot of other retail, galleries, etc. literally outside your door. The apartments are beautiful, many of them dating back to the 1920s, and many are small-pet friendly. A lot of the buildings do have really nicely landscaped courtyards, and you're also only a couple blocks away from the stunning Shaker Parks and parklands. The libary might be a little further away than you would like, but the downtown library is accessible by rail and then a 5 min. walk ... and it is consistently rated as the best or among the best libraries in the country. You'd also be a bus ride and just a mile or so from University Circle, Cleveland's concentration of museums and hospitals. I think you would be SERIOUSLY happy with the nabe. That being said, I would stack Shaker Square against a couple other neighborhoods in Cleveland, particularly Ohio City. Let us know if we can be of any help; specifically, I work at a service organization that supports artists and arts and culture organizations, so I'd be happy to provide some information about plugging into the local arts scene for your husband. For starters, he can check out www.cpacbiz.org. Best of luck with your potential move!

Personally, this doesn't strike me as bad per se. I personally happier to see K&D invest $20 million directly than to see the county raze the building. But if we're going to allow K&D to make a bid that doesn't conform to the original intent of the RFP, then as a matter of fairness and transparency, other developers should be afforded the chance to weigh in with the amended criteria. Whether the county will lower the requirements of the new RFP OR if any other developers would be interested in submitting with a $20 million investment OR if those development proposals would all preserve the existing building OR if the Commissioners would favor saving the building, all other things being equal ... well, those are unanswered questions, at least for me. But in terms of fairness, this strikes me as reasonable ... it would be unfair to award the contract to K&D when other developers might have been interested in the site if offered a $15 million loan.

Gypsy Bean is at the corner of W. 65th & Detroit ... and it's awesome.

Inkaelin, nice pics! I totally understand wanting to have the Case name attached to your master's. I will say, however, that I moved to Cleveland solely to go to the Levin College for its graduate programs, based on the fact that they ranked second in the country in urban policy. I can tell you that I have never regretted that move ... the education I received was outstanding, the school is constantly abuzz with activity (community forums, nationally televised events, etc.) and the faculty is top-notch. Urban affairs geeks from elsewhere drool when I tell them I've had class with Ned Hill, for instance. Moreover, the education is affordable, and they have an abundance of graduate assistantships; I would have gone there anyway, but they gave me an assistantship that resulted in full tuition, a small twice-monthly stipend and allowed me to do case studies on best practices in workforce development for a book and talk to experts across the world about global urban development through the Prague Institute - not a bad gig! During the same period, I absolutely (and unexpectedly) fell in love with Cleveland. And because Levin has such a practical, hands-on curriculum, the city was like an urban laboratory for us. It was absolutely outstanding, and I definitely wouldn't write it off. I recently was awarded a fairly prestigious and very competitive international fellowship ... most of the other fellows are from places like Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins and Yale, but my CSU education didn't hinder me one bit in competing against them. I seriously hope you consider moving to Cleveland, and let us know if we can be of any help ... a lot of us forumers are fellow Cleveland-lovers and Levin alums.

I'm working on the same thing, rockandroller ... setting up a meeting for 60 out-of-town arts administators, and it's tough. Want to find a space that's funky and has windows (gasp!) but that also has built-in tech capacity, is close to the hotels and can accommodate a group that size for two days. Here are my thoughts on a couple of things that have come up: - Ideastream has some very nice meeting spaces that definitely feel a little less corporate than some of the other spaces that have been mentioned. - Great Lakes Science Center also has some nice space and is pretty hotel accessible from the waterfront line, but they also have in-house catering, so it can get kind of expensive. - Tower Press does have meeting space in its Wooltex Gallery. The chairs are not very comfortable, the acoustics can be challenging and it's hard to heat the space during winter meetings (the overhead heating system can make it really difficult to talk, but the gigantic room loses heat quickly if you don't have it on). Still, it's definitely an interesting space with a lot of natural light and tons of art on the walls. - If you can rent chairs and tables, there are some other pretty funky areas near downtown. Josaphat Arts Hall, the Bloch Building and Daffy Dan's building next door to Tower Press all come to mind, as does the aforementioned Tyler Village. - A short train ride away, there are some interesting spaces near the W. 25th rapid station, like Bar Cento and Talkies. In the other direction, and a little longer trip, the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes has a GREAT meeting room (can probably accommodate 50), an adjacent kitchen, overlooks parklands and an exhibit area, has reasonable rates and is in one of the greenest buildings in Cleveland. Very interesting space. - While it's a franchise, the House of Blues does have some amazing private meeting space. I'm also thinking about contacting Pickwick and some of the other restaurants along that corridor about private meetings. Keep me posted! I need all the ideas I can get ... my meeting's coming up in mid-May.

Ahem ... that was at an event co-hosted by two Urban Ohioans, and we still respect you (at least as much as we did before you karaoke'd). There are many, many, many places for karaoke. Once a month, they have a karaoke night at Prosperity. That's a fun one, and brings a lot of theatre folks, too, who make for entertaining watching. Oh, and free Jello shots for every song you sing. I heart Prosperity.

Has anyone tried the new Elements Bistro on Euclid yet?

Can anyone explain the townhomes site to me? Everything I've read suggests a total of 30 townhomes on the site, but maps and renderings seem to cover almost the entire parcel, from E. 12th all the way to the adjacent buildings on the east end of the site and taking up the entire depth from Superior to Rockwell. But since the first 20 townhomes are just taking up the north third of the site, I can't for the life of me figure out what 30 is going to look like. Are the final 10 lying directly against the existing eastern building? Is the front of the site going to be a fairly large greenspace? Or have I misunderstood and there will actually be more units here?

^ CDC means community development corporation, a nonprofit organization that works to spur development, organize residents and otherwise improve quality of life in a neighborhood. Cleveland is known for having one of the strongest networks of CDCs in the country. The CDC in the neighborhood is St. Clair Superior (http://www.stclairsuperior.org/ and http://stclairsuperior.blogspot.com/); on the south side of Payne and going south and east, the CDC is Midtown (http://www.midtowncleveland.org/index.asp). Together with the Quadrangle (http://www.thequadrangle.org/), St. Clair Superior and Midtown are also collaborating on an effort to strengthen Asiatown (http://asiatowncleveland.com/), the sub-nabe between E. 30th and E. 40th, St. Clair to Payne. St. Clair Superior and Midtown both seem to have some strong momentum for their initiatives, and that again speaks well for long-term real estate prices.

Dewey's Fair Trade Coffee (Shaker Square) Shaker Lakes (Shaker Square) Koko Bakery (Asiatown) Tastebuds & Zygote Press (Asiatown) Prosperity Social Club (Tremont) Lava Lounge (Tremont) Lucky's Cafe (Tremont) West Side Market (Ohio City) ... I can't believe I missed this one! Gypsy Bean (Detroit Shoreway)

It's a nice neighborhood. I live more or less around the corner, and according to our CDC, the census tract has the lowest incidence of reported crime citywide. I haven't seen any specific numbers to back this up, but my own experience is that it's an incredibly safe neighborhood. I previously lived in Shaker Square and definitely loved that nabe as well. I was a little concerned when I moved into Asiatown that it would be somewhat unsafe, but I've found it to actually be a little quieter and safer-feeling than the Square, which itself felt relatively safe. As was already mentioned, short-term prospects for resale are pretty limited. That being said, the housing market in the neighborhood is among the most stable citywide ... you VERY rarely see any for-sale signs, although one loft-type rehab project (on E. 32nd) appears to have folded, the CDC has had difficulty with a new construction project in the E. 40s, and I've heard that sales in the Payne Avenue Lofts (which I would DEFINITELY check out ... Payne and E. 35th-ish) have been pretty sluggish. That being said, from my vantage point, long-term resale potential is pretty high. The neighborhood is still very much under the radar for the vast majority of Clevelanders (what? Cleveland has a Chinatown?), so units are still remarkably cheap. The CDC is doing a great deal of neighborhood branding work, and there is a pretty remarkable collection of restaurants, artist studios and galleries and a full-service grocery in place, all of which should help generate interest in the neighborhood. Assuming that the in-migration of artists continues and the Asian population continues to own a good chunk of the single-family homes in the neighborhood, I would anticipate that this will be a strong speculator's market in another five years and a very tight real estate market generally in another decade. But I wouldn't recommend buying to anyone who's hoping to flip a property in the near future (really, I wouldn't recommend that in about 90% of America at the moment). The area's definitely great, but I will say that that stretch of E. 40th lacks much street activity and doesn't really have the charm of either Payne or Superior directly to the west. While the units are amazing in LoftWorks, I'd put my money in Payne Avenue Lofts (http://www.mlsfinder.com/oh_normls/jacoblohser2/index.cfm?action=searchresults&searchkey=19040353-c078-f950-f12d-267b518b5739&npp=10) which are reasonably priced from about $140K - $165K, are pretty big in size (about 1800 sq. feet) and are much closer proximity to the action (including everyone's favorite Koko Bakery directly next door). But those are just my preferences wanting to be directly on the street rather than setback and right amid the retail. A magnificent 3,100 sq. ft. unit in LoftWorks for $225K definitely makes me salivate, too ... and $99.5K for a 1,000 sq. ft loft?! That's a steal no matter how you look at it!(http://www.loftworkscleveland.com/availability.php).

And so is this ... 3'-By-4' Plot Of Green Space Rejuvenates Neighborhood February 11, 2008 | Issue 44•07 DETROIT—Notorious for its abandoned buildings, industrial warehouses, and gray, dilapidated roads, Detroit's Warrendale neighborhood was miraculously revitalized this week by the installation of a single, three-by-four-foot plot of green space. The green space, a rectangular patch of crabgrass located on a busy median divider, has by all accounts turned what was once a rundown community into a thriving, picturesque oasis, filled with charming shops, luxury condominiums, and, for the first time ever, hope ... ... For more information, please visit http://www.theonion.com/content/news/3_by_4_plot_of_green_space

^ That's funny.

Don't forget that you'll also soon have La Strada, where you'll be able to get some fresh produce right on E. 4th Street.

Thank you!

Okay, don't kill me ... I know this is probably somewhere buried in this thread, but I'm not seeing it. Can anyone provide me with an updated timeline for the ECP? I'm holding an event in mid-May at Levin and am particularly interested in how much of the downtown work will be done by that time. Thanks.

This is why the PD (and all Ohio dailies) needs young columnists. Chills. Chills. The Midwest against the rest By Ryan Horton, Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Feb. 6, 2008 at 11:32 a.m. Sorry California, Colorado, and Arizona, but we no longer like you. For too long, you have taken our young college grads, our sun-seeking retirees, our capital, our income and our jobs. It's time for this slow bleed to stop ... ... For more information, please visit http://onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/midwestglue.html

I know they have been trying to establish connections in Cincy and will be doing documentary work there, but I don't believe anyone from Cincinnati attended the conference.

Robbie Banks advocates for the importance of downtown Columbus streetcars to the members of the Great Lakes Urban Exchange: “Columbus Needs a Streetcar” Robbie Banks, Columbus, OH February 4, 2008 Columbus demands an alternative mass transit system. Downtown parking is an issue. Gas prices are at an all-time high. An environmentally-beneficial streetcar system is exactly what Columbus needs to provide connectivity, spur economic development, encourage a pedestrian-friend downtown and enhance downtown as a sense of place ... ... More at http://gluespace.wordpress.com/2008/02/04/columbus-needs-a-streetcar-by-robbie-banks-columbus-oh/

Recommendation for the 28th(ish). Pop Up Cleveland is holding an event called Leap Night on the east bank of the flats the night of the 29th. Pop Up's event series is meant to highlight all of the opportunities that surplus space in "Shrinking Cities" present ... in this case, the plan is to convert the east bank into a winter sports area ... complete with snowboarding, ice sculptures and an ice rink. Given the event's nod to shrinking cities urbanism, and the fact that it could be a lot of fun, might be a good UO event ... and there's booze in relatively close proximity. http://www.cudc.kent.edu/popup/leap.html

Whoa ... you guys put the S, T & L in STYLE :wink: And you managed to capture a pretty amazing quote: "The only difference between 1984 and 2004 is that Reagan is dead". Great, great thread, and a pleasure meeting both of you. Yeah ... so I think a St. Louis road trip might be in order before my out-migration to Germany. Get some t-shirts ready!!!

Good point, Jeffrey ... I can't recall if anyone from Dayton was present at the conference, but I don't think they were. As far as I know, it was just Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown and Columbus (Toledo is participating but was unable to attend the conference). On the blog, there's a post at the bottom called "Updated cities list" ... they specifically ask for feedback on any cities that are not currently included. I'm sure they would welcome hearing about your recommendation of Dayton, although they might call on you to participate and to help them identify other Daytonites. :wink: