8ShadesofGray

I think that's a great idea, X. Here's a link to the event for those that might be interested: http://www.ohiocanal.org/riversweep%202007.htm. Preferred neighborhood?

I'm in! Thanks for resurrecting the thread!

I certainly hope that this campaign starts a higher-visibility discussion of the assets that Northeast Ohio has at its disposal. Articles like KJP's are a much needed addition to a local media that tends to be dour and sometimes even sensationalistic and a national trend of overreporting urban problems and not urban innovations ... i.e. "If it bleeds, it leads." That being said, when it comes to the actual art of this campaign, I can't help but be ... nonplussed :-D. The fonts and symbol, as have already been noted are not particularly memorable. For me, it's the color palette that really stands out as bad ... mauve and mustard do not suggest to me future, energy, vitality, excitement ... the things that it seems you would want to address. Particularly for an area that wants to talk about a transition from a low-education manufacturing region to a region that is embracing a new economy and a new standard for quality of living. That being said, if this gets some positive word out about Cleveland, particularly to Northeast Ohio itself, I'm all for it ... But I still prefer the "Midwest kitsch is cool" marketing genius of 30Rock :wink:

^ Okay, I guess we don't have to wait 3 hours.

Three hours 'til we see if they can beat "Flee to the Cleve". Tick tock, tick tock. :-)

If we continue this pace for three out of four quarters this year (with $0 in investment in the fourth quarter), we would still outpace Minneapolis' 2006 level of investment. Now if that doesn't make you want to flee to the Cleve, I don't know what will :-)

^ Pretty cool ... Comparing with an article above, it looks like Cleveland's first quarter in 2007 has already produced 96% of the total Cleveland investment in 2006. That's a good quarter!

Planning for Towpath Trail: Segment one GreenCityBlueLake 04.18.07 Piece by piece, the $48 million plans for the Towpath Trail extension—as it winds its way the final six miles from Metroparks CanalWay Reservation to the Flats and, possibly, the Cleveland Lakefront—are falling into place. An eight-group partnership including Cuyahoga County, Cleveland Metroparks and Ohio Canal Corridor presented plans at the Zoo on April 17, 2007, that mostly focused on Stage One—a one-mile segment of multi-use path from the current terminus north to the new trail loop at Steelyard Commons ... ... More at http://www.gcbl.org/planning/canalway/towpath-trail/planning-for-towpath-trail-segment-one

You might find some worthwhile suggestions in this thread: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=10217.0 (toward the bottom of Page 1 and on Page 2). Among other suggestions, people were raving about Lipstick and Razorblades over by SPACES. Has anyone tried the place just down from Le Oui Oui? It looks nice. For an upscale cut, I hearted Scott Metzger on Shaker Square. I haven't been there since they transferred ownership, but continue to hear good things about Noir Blanc.

Thanks for all the help, guys. And special thanks to Gavster ... I am now the proud owner of a Ten Thousand Villages picnic basket. Hope this thread will continue to bring retail joy into all of our lives ... and not just be the "help 8Shades find a picnic basket" thread. :-)

^^ & ^^^ It's inside Burke Lakefront Airport. While I knew it was there, I had never been inside until about a month ago. It's a small but interesting collection. And that was great! Granted, it was very tongue-in-cheek, over-the-top, but I really enjoyed it, and outside of a shot of a highway cloverleaf, it was pretty nice stock footage too.

^ And the Quadrangle is also in the Cleveland Arts Quarter and the District of Design, and a sizable portion lies inside the Live Work Overlay District.

Thanks, Mayday. FYI, I already tried Target to no avail.

The Asiatown brand is being developed by St. Clair Superior CDC for the area between St. Clair and Superior and E.30th and E. 40th. The Cleveland Arts Quarter brand is being developed by a group of galleries who are trying to raise awareness of the arts community between Superior and Payne and E. 18th and E. 40th. Two different efforts, two different (largely overlapping) districts. Yeah, my little nabe must be the most heavily "districted" in the city. I'm in the Goodrich-Kirtland area of St. Clair-Superior within the boundaries of Asiatown, the District of Design, the Live-Work Overlay District and, now, the Cleveland Arts Quarter. Jeez.

Don't think a thread exists for this already - basically a place that we can have Q & A about where to find hard-to-find items within the city limits. Given that many of us strive to make purchases within the city, and given the general dirge of retail inside our borders, perhaps we can use our combined intellect to help ferret out who sells what and where. I'll start. I'm looking for a picnic basket. I would prefer new over used, but open to vintage/thrift if it's of a good quality. I want a nice one. And don't judge me for wanting a picnic basket ... I'm a gay man and a bit of a Pollyanna.

The city does have a recycling program, but it's currently drop-off. That being said, there are 22 drop-off points, so one should be in pretty close proximity. The city is getting ready to reinstitute curbside recycling, although I don't remember the time table ... I think 2007 through 2009. Luckily for you, it is slated to start up on the West Side and then come to scale on the East Side.

Chris Carmody Answers Some Questions An Online Exclusive of The Free Times Editor’s note: Chris Carmody declined to be interviewed, but answered questions in writing. Why did you form the film commission as a private non-profit instead of pushing for it to be an office of the city? The work of film commissions is by its nature regional – not municipal (except in huge cities like New York). Virtually no production wants locations exclusively found in one city; they generally want a range of locations we can provide from Ashtabula to Mansfield and even Sandusky ... ... More on http://www.freetimes.com/story/5094

^^ Yikes ... big changes at Le Oui Oui AND Take a Bite?! Kids menu at perhaps the gayest restaurant in Cleveland?! Where's my Xanax?! :-o

KJP raises a very interesting point above ... that this would not impact downtown abatement (and downtown in a pretty large sense) for at least 3 more years (at which point a similar debate would occur for that abatement). I think 7 years is short, but just to play devil's advocate, would it lead to an increased attention toward downtown development (where the additional 8 years of tax abatement would draw even more market demand)? If this happened, it might be an end to achieving some of the additional density, walkability, later retail hours, etc. that we're all often clamoring for. And if downtown does enjoy additional development opportunities, what role would this play in neighborhood development? Having only been in Cleveland for 5 yrs., I don't know how this played out when downtown development did have a longer abatement than the neighborhoods. How did this impact the mix of downtown v. neighborhood construction?

Well said, Urban Manna. Currently, I'm about three years away from seriously looking at homeownership in Cleveland. If tax abatement was completely discarded, I would likely have to delay another year or two, or my buying power would be a little diluted (e.g. probably would not be moving into new construction, which is okay b/c I favor rehab anyway). That being said, Urban Manna is right. Jackson does have to balance the issue for the entire citizenship of Cleveland. Not only does tax abatement put a disproportionate burden on the poor; it also disproportionately affects long-time residents of the city to the benefit of newer in-migrants. And if you recall, early rumors reported Jackson considering scrapping abatement altogether; 7 years of abatement seems to indicate that he's mollified his position a little. Moreover, I would anticipate that Jackson is recommending a low number so he has room to negotiate with a council that might be hostile toward reducing abatement (rather than recommending 10 and having to compromise at 12).

Yeah, it's pretty sad when even your monuments start fleeing the city :-P

Let the tower fall Commissioners' vote for new county center on Ameritrust site makes sense economically, practically and aesthetically (Cleveland) Plain Dealer Editorial Tuesday, April 03, 2007 The Cuyahoga County commissioners made the right choice in voting, 2-1, to demolish the former Ameritrust headquarters at Euclid Avenue and East Ninth Street to make way for a new county administrative center. The existing 29-floor tower, designed by modernist architect Marcel Breuer, simply has too many drawbacks to make it a serious candidate for renovation. plan is so limited that fewer than half of the county's agencies would fit on the same level ... ... More at http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/stories/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1175589150262091.xml&coll=2

First impressions: - Yay to incentives for green building. - Boo to incentives for short, squat buildings ... I'm all for creating incentives around senior-friendly housing, but aren't there narrower incentives that could be offered instead of a large-scale tax abatement? - Where is the abatement for rehab? Are they leaving it alone, which would mean a higher abatement for rehab than for new construction? If so, double yay.

First 3231 starts asking about the CMJ Festival and they cancel it. Then he says the administration hasn't done anything yet with tax abatement. The powers of a wizard, I say. Mayor proposes tax abatement limit Scott Shaw (Cleveland) Plain Dealer April 10, 2007 11:47AM Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson is proposing to cut the tax abatement periods for residential construction from 15 years to seven years. The limit would apply to one- and two-family homes. The proposal under discussion this morning at City Hall allows for 12-year abatements when builders incorporate "green" building techniques or include certain design features, such as shorter stairways and wider doorways, that appeal to seniors ... ... More at http://blog.cleveland.com/plaindealer/2007/04/mayor_proposes_tax_abatement_l.html