redbrick

^The ORD flights are about the business traveller -- with rare exception, I'm flying into MDW if I'm going to Chicago for fun but for work trips it's almost always ORD since so many of the companies I'm visting are in the Chicago NW burbs.

certain insects like to run and hide when you turn on the light... edit: I just listened to the mp3, holy s**t. I hope Dimora follows through on his "getting out of this business" comment :-o :-o :-o

^ That's very positive news. With all the "foreclosure epicenter" talk we tend to forget that historically regions like northeast Ohio tend to weather gyrations in the real estate market much better that high cost/bubble areas on the coasts and in the south.

^I say either -- it's amazing what nice plantings can do to enhance small yards, porches, etc. One of my favorite things about C-bus (lived there for 11 years) was the creative gardens in German and Victorian Villages and checking them out during the spring and summer months.

There's been some talk of growing food in the "...sprawl of it all" thread. I did a search on urban gardening and didn't find a topic so I decided to start one. Here's my contribution for those of you who have limited space and may have hit or miss success with container gardening -- google earthbox. These things are a bit pricey but boy do they work. You can also find instructions on the internet for a homemade version of these if you are so inclined. The earthboxes below are sitting in a nice sunny spot on my driveway -- tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers in mid-June in northeast Ohio. I'll post some photos from later in the season if I can find them.

^^^#10 would have to change quite a bit to get me off my soapbox :-o ^I'm concerned about connectivity -- certainly the Eaton part of FEB could be designed with connectivity and continuity to surrounding neighborhoods in mind, even those not yet on the drawing board...

I am a bit surprised by many of the recent posts here. The port land (including the Eaton campus footprint) is really Cleveland's one shot at getting it right as far as a waterfront neighborhood -- downtown proper anyway and assuming Burke stays as is. None of it is a "garbage" site. Active rail lines are dealt with all the time in redevelopment. Columbus dealt with one when they built their original convention center/Hyatt. Seattle did it with Safeco field. To use that as an excuse for piss-poor land use/planning on some of the most valuable real estate in Cleveland when there is essentially a blank slate to work with is a shame. Sorry, unlike KJP, I haven't mellowed on this yet...

I got the quick impression when I passed by there the other day that they were moving and just trying to lease out the building -- could be totally wrong. Certainly would be nice to see a higher and better use on that corner. Maybe with the reinvestment occurring on surrounding blocks they see an opportunity to lease out that building to bring in some dough.

^ I'm only throwing these ideas out due to the fact that I see a suburban style corporate campus in the works for a significant portion of the port land north of the tracks that's all. As I've said before, I hope I'm wrong when the final plan is put on the table. I'm envisioning/hoping for a real waterfront nab (something like Portland, Maine for example) here in Cleveland -- not stadiums, Rock HOFs or other touristy stuff like Navy Pier but a real neighborhood. Seeing the Eaton part of the FEB plan makes me fear the opportunity will once again slip by.

I would say what can be done depends on how much money can be spent for the WFL redesign/relocation. Probably not enough to do it right. I like the idea of bringing the WFL down to grade sooner rather than elevated as it is now. How about extending W. 10th via an over or underpass? How does a corporate campus that can only be accessed via auto help bring vibrancy back to this area. You know the Eaton office workers are not going to walk across ped bridges to frequent establishments in the new FEB neighborhood, or very few of them will anyway.

If they are going to pay to move the WFL anyway, why not do it right? Doesn't look like that is going to happen. I hope I am wrong but this "corporate campus" sure seems like it will cut off access to the land to the north that the port wants to develop into a "mixed-use lakefront neighborhood"

Just reading about the continuing fallout in the airline industry these last few weeks and with the prospect of airline industry consolidation once again on the front page, plus we have movement at the state level on rail -- I'll ask the question again. Shouldn't the connection to a future rail station (Ohio hub?) on the lakefront be a key factor in siting this thing? Wouldn't that sort of direct connection set Cleveland's facility apart for regional trade shows/events?

mmmm... gyros

From the PD: Legacy Village will get Ohio's first Nordstrom Rack discount store Posted by Zachary Lewis April 14, 2008 13:09PM Categories: Breaking News Ohio's first Nordstrom Rack store is headed for Greater Cleveland. The Seattle-based clothing chain said today that it plans to open a new "Rack" discount store next fall at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst. It will be Ohio's first. Marcie Gilmore, general manager of Legacy Village, said the new store, which could open as early as October, will occupy a 40,000-square-foot space inside the former Home Depot Expo, just east of the Urban Active gym. Interior and exterior remodeling at the site is scheduled to begin in May. More at cleveland.com http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2008/04/legacy_village_will_get_ohios.html

Thanks for posting those KJP -- and looking at them just reminds me, what the hell could the county commissioners be thinking when they put forth the plan to tear down the Breuer building??? Or is thinking a foreign concept for Dimora and Hagan...

From the PD -- as many have already said, the best case scenario is this sort of deal... http://blog.cleveland.com/business/2008/04/scotiabank_interest_in_nationa.html Scotiabank interest in National City could mean bailout on the way Posted by Peter Krouse and Teresa Dixon Murray April 11, 2008 18:57PM Categories: National City Scotiabank's reported interest in National City Corp. could signal a pritave-equity bailout is in the works. Last week, The Plain Dealer reported that Scotiabank might be talking with National City. Friday, the Wall Street Journal said Scotiabank's parent, the Bank of Nova Scotia, has made a bid "to buy at least a stake" in Cleveland's largest bank.

That's just his "rudder"...

postmodern vinyl castle vernacular???

Guess I really never the followed the Skybus story that closely -- I missed the part about $57 million in government incentives. That's money down the drain now right? All so people (many apparently from outside the Columbus metro) could buy cheap direct flights to secondary airports. When will the insanity end! :-o

You should do the right thing and tear your next 5 trip card up after only using it twice :wink:

This report should be titled "CORRIDORS OF THE PAST" -- with the subtitle "Burning More of Your Tax Dollars on Relatively Inefficient Modes of Transportation"

From the PD: Cuyahoga County's Ameritrust contract got little scrutiny Posted by Sandra Livingston and Joel Rutchick April 02, 2008 01:58AM Categories: Impact Questions remain about the dead plan to build a headquarters on the site of the Ameritrust complex. • County commissioners violated Ohio law by talking about a construction manager in a private session. • In public, they took less than a minute to select R.P. Carbone Co. for a $10 million contract. • Carbone's partner, McTech, has connections to a company that closed after federal investigations. • Timeline of the project (PDF). • Questions about McTech go back years. • Carbone president awaits trial on bribery charges. • Previous story: County likely to lose money on Ameritrust property. On April 27, 2006, the Cuyahoga County commissioners faced a critical decision: whom to select to manage the county's biggest construction project in decades. The choice was vital to putting the headquarters project -- now budgeted at more than $200 million -- on the right footing. Yet the public record on the decision is stunningly thin... http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/04/cuyahoga_countys_ameritrust_co.html

Fantastic shots and thanks for posting them KJP! Haven't been to England but definitely will go some day (hopefully, maybe after the kids finish college :-o)

Before I start searching, does anyone know if this underlying "commuting patterns" data is available anywhere on the web? I would be interested in taking a look at it just to balance against my anecdotal experience. I know (and have run into) many people who are commuting to the Cleveland CSA daily for work that live outside the CSA. From Mahoning, Ashtabula and Erie -- I've run into three people from Erie County in the last two weeks alone. Just curious what the actual numbers might be.

Whether or not it influences the outcome (it won't) or you care if "Suzy Schwartz wants the mall location..." it's good government to have public input with $40 mil/year of taxpayer money for 20 years going into this project. Here's just one example of the other side of the coin -- for those familiar with the I-670 High Street Cap in Columbus. Wouldn't be there if not for public input. The "experts/consultants" said it would be too expensive, developers wouldn't be interested, etc. etc. I was at the meetings and heard the "experts" say this stuff. Many of us non-experts in Victorian Village and the Short North had other ideas.