8ShadesofGray

^ I think that would be a pretty amazing use of space. At the very least, I think that would be promising during the summer months.

Does it feel to anyone else like there's a surge in building demolition right now? Maybe it's just a jump in posts, but then again, I've been visually jarred by unexpected demolitions a couple times over in the last couple weeks (including the Chester building that JeffreyT described) ... in a way I don't remember in the last four years. Do plans for demolitions get approved by a city agency (Planning Commission, etc.)? If so, does the city have any kind of comprehensive strategy regarding preservation standards (historic or otherwise)? Relatively unlearned about this topic and feeling a little woozy.

^^ Agreed. I used to have to do office runs in the ultimate wind tunnel ... Ontario between Lakeside and St. Clair. Yikes! That being said, there are ways of strategically locating an outdoor market to shield it from the wind. At the very least, I think an outdoor market would certainly be viable for six months a year in downtown. ^I've always thought that outdoor market rows in downtown alleyways (such as the popular cut-through Daniel Thompson Way) would be an interesting use of space. I know this might cause some delivery headaches, but I would assume that it would be feasible.

Ink, it was a traveling exhibition of works by sculptor Tom Otterness. He has done a lot of noteworthy public art, and it should be easy to find out more about him on Google. Including the public art at Cleveland's Reading Garden (http://www.tomotterness.net/exhibitions_gates.html), which appears to be his only permanent public art installation in the Midwest.

Out of curiosity, since I'm rarely in this thread, does our zoo have penguins? I was there this summer, totally jazzed to see the penguins (yes, yes, uber-geek) and couldn't find them anywhere.

Oh, and jamiec, if you don't mind hanging with the gays, Hamilton's Martini Lounge in the Theatre District bears a striking resemblance to the vig bar pics.

Why doesn't downtown Cleveland have ... More surface parking lots? :lol: Just kidding. Seriously, I wish that downtown had a market district. I know we have the West Side Market directly across the bridge, but I mean something a) outside, b) downtown and c) with a mix of products other than groceries, such as jewelry, paintings, etc. Outdoor markets increase street vibrancy, pedestrian activity and spillover activity in restaurants, etc. Moreover, they are grassroots in nature (i.e. don't require a pitch to an out-of-region chain store, have rents that are not exclusionary to vendors of lower income levels and result in more money staying in the local economy). And for those of you who say North Coast weather precludes a year-round market, check out the Byward Market District in Ottawa (http://www.byward-market.com/) ... who are currently sponsoring a Snow Volleyball Tourament.

Not my area of expertise, but here's what I know from my limited experience in the hood: - There is a pretty active advocacy group for this park (the aptly named Friends of Kirtland Park). Despite their ongoing efforts to preserve the ampitheatre and provide greater upkeep and programming, I think there is a lack of political willpower to make improvements to a recreation area that has all of the challenges already mentioned (low usage, difficult accessibility, proximity to and orientation toward the highway). - The park is proximate to a pretty substantial residential population, but as has already mentioned, this is cut off from the park by the industrial corridors along Hamilton, Lakeside and S. Marginal itself. This is probably not helped by the fact that the park is visibly tucked away - not only bordering the highway off of the marginal road but down the steep hills around E. 40th that prevent it from being in the neighborhood site line. - The neighborhood is also served by a couple of other mini-parks, perhaps most notably Sterling Park between 31st and 32nd and Grdina Park off E. 61st. St. Clair Superior CDC has increasingly used these parks for arts and culture programs in the summer, not unlike what's done in Tremont's Lincoln Park and the OC's Fairview Park.

They've shrunk the window for new building construction from 12 to 36 months to 12 to 24 months since last quarter. That seems promising.

Cleveland? I'd also be interested in what they have to say about the budding integration strategies taking place in Shaker Heights (though I shudder in advance).

^ No, I wasn't suggesting that you were brutal, just that UOers tend to be hyper-critical by our very nature. I think all the constructive criticism will serve MTS well;just wanted to be encouraging, as some of those names certainly weren't bad for a creative services provider.

As a neighborhood, Uptown = Bad. As a collection of neighborhoods (opposite Downtown and Midtown), Uptown = Makes sense, acceptable. As a branding strategy, UPTown = Unwarranted, Nonsensical, Vomit-Inducing

Poor MyTwoSense. I applaud the effort of coming up with that many names. My favorite of the originals was Project 5. I have to agree ... Marlboro Men is Bad, Bad, Bad with capital B's. I think Shaker Squard2 is clever, but it's a little much for me. Plus, I think that Shaker Square, as a place, already has such a significant local brand that you might lose out in your own marketing efforts. What I did like, however was d2, maybe by itself. Or if you're married to Shaker Square as a jumping ground, maybe just s2. "We take your idea to the next level." "Moving your event from standard to superior in a matter of days: Welcome to the s2 experience." Sorry ... my dime-a-dozen tangents. Blah. I agree with most everyone, keep it simple. With creative businesses, I think it's a little less necessary to be so literal as "X-Service, LLC". That can be kinda bland. One of my favorite brand images among Cleveland businesses is Chartreuse, a Lakewood-based graphic design firm. Instead of naming themselves after the owner (Ewanko Design Services), they kept their name simple and increased brand recognition through a consistent color palette, copy, etc. Whatever happens, good luck to you. And kudos to you for being brave enough to vet your concepts with all of us condescending bastards at UO ... God knows that I won't be posting my new micro-business's name for scrutiny!

You should have no trouble finding small housing units. Keep in mind, however, that rental rates in Cleveland are significantly lower than in Montreal. Particularly if you look outside of downtown proper, you may be able to come in at a low rental rate that could offset your utilities. I live in Cleveland's Asiatown, just to the east of downtown, and while I'm in a 3,000 sq. foot space, my unbelievably low rental rate more than offsets the higher utility bills. Just a consideration.

Welcome to the forum, Cleveland and the U.S.! I worked for an NDP MP at one point, and heart Canada. Good to have you in town. I would concur with everyone said. The suburb of Lakewood (directly to the west of Cleveland) has the highest density in the region. Shaker Square has the highest density within the city of Cleveland and is also certainly one of the more transit-oriented neighborhoods. I would also check out the Edgewater neighborhood along Clifton. Both Ohio City and Tremont have some exciting energy right now, although I would concur that the OC does tend to have a greater feel of pedestrian-oriented vibrancy. Not sure what time of day you stopped through Little Italy, but that neighborhood typically feels like it has a LOT going on. I think the Warehouse District, E. 4th Street and the Theatre District would be spot on for a more urban feel. You might check out the Living in Cleveland Center for an overview of the "feels" of Cleveland neighborhoods (http://livingincleveland.nhlink.net/) and Downtown Digs (http://www.downtown-digs.com) for specific rental opportunities in the downtown area. Good luck, and keep us posted if we can be of any further assistance!

Frankly, I think that there's some pretty well developed pools of young professionals on both sides of town, and at least with the other young people I know best, we cross the river all the time. I've been East Side my entire 4.5 years in Cleveland (currently in Asiatown; previously in Shaker Square). I know other young people who live in Shaker Square, Collinwood, Slavic Village, Little Italy, University Circle, Downtown, Tremont, Ohio City, Detroit Shoreway, Edgewater and Old Brooklyn. As has been mentioned, the most young professional-oriented suburbs seem to be Lakewood, Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights. And by and large, people tend to circulate between both east and west side neighborhoods. I don't think that the east-west divide is quite as pronounced among younger people as among the Boomers and older generations, just as I think divides between race, gender and sexual orientation are less pronounced among young professionals (although still there to a degree). One thing that's amazed me is how distinct the hipster or young professional groups seem to be from neighborhood to neighborhood. Every nabe seems to have a different flava. My impression: the outlying Cleveland neighborhoods (Shaker Square, Little Italy, Collinwood, Old Brooklyn and the Heights) seem to attract a quieter, more family-oriented group of young people, along with the "coffeeshop" hipsters; Edgewater, the OC and Lakewood seem to attract the "community" hipsters (policy wonks, planners, community activists); and Tremont, Asiatown and Slavic Village seem to attract more of the "artsy" hipsters. And the sports bar crowd live downtown. These are broad generalities (so please don't be offended), but it might explain a disconnect I see on Urban Ohio: the belief that young professionals overwhelmingly live on the West Side, when I feel like a ton of us live on the east side. Maybe the west side neighborhoods have a disproportionate amount of young professionals who are engaged in community affairs and are therefore more likely to be forumers. Just a theory.

I promise not too get too off topic, as I too would like an update on the Mueller Building, but where are you guys finding all of these 29 in. waisted pants? My primary frustration in shopping for men's clothes in Northeast Ohio is that many stores only seem to stock items in the "medium and above" category. I'm usually relegated to finding jeans at stores that cater to the tween crowd, like American Eagle. I just broke my "inside the inner ring" rule to take a look at Filene's, for instance ... only to find that pants were 32 and above (with most in the 34-36 range) and shirts started at M (with most at L). And this is not an isolated incident for me; the only place I seem to have consistent luck in finding clothes that fit is the vintage wares of Flower Child! So if you know of good clothing shops for slight men (preferably inside the inner ring), PM me.

That's my first impression, too. Particularly in a region with a stagnant population, I don't think that dense, haphazard exurban development advances the urban agenda very well. Ultimately, however, I would prefer to see regional land planning that identifies strategic corridors for denser housing (1 acre lots, 0.5 acre lots?), while protecting large swatches of natural land from residential and commercial development.

My guess, they took the info straight from the BLS's press release (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/metro.nr0.htm), rather than delving into the data itself. The percentage change was not among the four worst nationwide, the BLS therefore didn't include it in the release and DDN therefore didn't include it in the story. Just a guess. That being said, they did miss covering a few other depressing Ohio tidbits that WERE covered in the press release. Namely: - Mansfield had the fourth largest percent decrease in employment between November 2005 and November 2006 (-2.4%), following Jackson, MI (-2.6%), Gadsden, AL (-4.0%) and Danville, VA (-4.8%). - Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor was one of only 3 large MSAs (those with average employment of 750,000 or more) nationwide that experienced declines in employment. The other two, as already noted, were Detroit-Warren-Livonia and St. Louis.

From the 01.05.06 PD Taft rejects traffic camera bill Regina Fields (Cleveland) Plain Dealer January 5, 2006 Gov. Bob Taft today vetoed a bill that would have sharply restricted the use of automated traffic cameras, a victory for cities that had lobbied hard against the measure. If the bill had become law, it essentially would have prevented use of the cameras for speed enforcement, which has been a revenue-producer for cities like Cleveland, although the cities have cited safety as a reason for the camera programs ... ... More at http://www.cleveland.com/newslogs/plaindealer/index.ssf?/mtlogs/cleve_plaindealer/archives/2007_01.html#222068

Can't help you with Cincy, but Cleveland has seen several churches converted into arts-related space. Most notably: - St. Josaphat Church, its rectory and nunnery has been converted into the stunning Josaphat Arts Hall (http://www.josaphatartshall.com). - Old Red Church was converted into Kathy Skerritt Studio (http://www.kathyskerritt.com/index.htm). - A church on Church Street was converted into the Gallery of Photographic Arts (http://www.gopacleveland.org/), which subsequently folded. It now is a private residence. - Parish Hall (http://www.millerweitzelgallery.com/Information.htm), an outbuilding adjacent to the church, serves as a gallery and live music venue in the city's Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood. I would love to see your research when you're done ... I find this topic really fascinating.

Thanks, sky. I love Tyler Village ... they're actually more or less my next door neighbor! A person in our office has been pretty engaged in their initial planning efforts. Our project is on a broader scale ... looking at increasing ownership opportunities citywide. I'll likely start a separate thread about the project in about a month, after we've gathered some more data and solidified the project a little more. Thanks again.

Good story, KJP. I don't think I had caught the "artists' angle" of Zaremba's plans previously. I'm currently working with a group that's exploring opportunities to give artists access to home and business space ownership opportunities in Cleveland, as a way to preserve their presence in neighborhoods and to make them direct stakeholders in the city's outcomes. I wonder if there are opportunities in The Avenue District. Hmmmm.

New, redone theaters to anchor Gordon Square Arts District Friday, December 29, 2006 Joe Guillen Plain Dealer Reporter From the outside, the old Capitol Theatre on West 65th Street is practically invisible. The theater's anonymous set of green doors, boarded-up ticket booth and archway lined with empty light bulb fixtures easily are hidden among the surrounding storefronts in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood ... ... More at http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1167385350132270.xml&coll=2

^ The list I included above is of churches participating in the Steeple Lighting Program (to date ... my understanding is that they hope to eventually assist a couple of dozen churches located in proximity to the highways).