KJP

I've heard the same thing. It's a trunk fiber optics line that runs cross-country. You're not the only one, Zaceman. Lots of knowledgeable people like you in Cleveland don't know that. So does that mean tech people outside Cleveland don't know that the information technology equivalent of the transcontinental railroad or the Panama Canal running through Cleveland -- right down down Euclid Avenue? If not, that's a story the region's economic development marketing people need to tell the world. What this has to do with the Inner Belt, I'm not sure!

Believe me when I tell you that Wimwar does know, but he may not be able to say why or reveal much else on a public forum like this. I'll leave it up to him. But suffice it to say, he is a very credible source on this topic.

True. As Jane Jacobs pointed out, cities aren't rebuilt with massive civic projects like a convention center, a stadium and certainly not a highway bridge. They are rebuilt with warm, touchable, human-scale things where people can see, use, stay at and be uplifted by spiritually on a daily basis. Things like a corner market where the unusual and the usual can be bought or just perused with a smile. A cozy cafe where the employees know your order before you do. A neighborhood park that allows you to unwind and be energized at the same time. A block of mixed-use buildings with a sidewalk presence designed to foster some friendly chaos. A well-designed highway bridge is OK. But unless I can stand on it and admire the view from it, or at least have some places where I can stand and admire the bridge's beauty, then its impact on a city is less than fleeting. Fortunately, the Inner Belt's new Central Viaduct bridge will likely be designed with a cable-stayed span, similar to the I-280 bridge. But I don't like the Central Viaduct's proposed location. Nor am I happy that ODOT is recommending that the bridge won't have a hiking/biking path on it. Maybe when the new bridge opens, a bunch of us should get in our cars and drive out onto the bridge. At the midpoint, we stop our cars to block traffic, get out of our cars and take some photographs of a view we otherwise won't be able to stay and enjoy.

How does a bridge make Cleveland a powerhouse?

This is more for the benefit of others BuckeyeB and Noozer, but B&O was one of the few Northeastern railroads that ran decent passenger trains near to the end. Many of the railroads from Chicago to the West Coast also ran decent trains, as did some of the Dixie railroads -- Seaboard, Southern, etc. I find it ironic that it's in the Northeastern part of the U.S., from Chicago and St. Louis easterward, where people nowadays say that's where passenger trains make the most sense due to a decent-sized city being every 100-150 miles apart. But that's where the worst passenger trains were run prior to Amtrak. From the 1950s to the coming of Amtrak in 1971, New York Central, Pennsylvania, New Haven and their successor Penn Central ran rattletraps disguised as passenger trains. Erie-Lackawanna was a bit better run, but still hurting financially and it showed in the quality of their trains.

I mentioned the Downtown Service Unit in an article in the West Side Sun this week. The article was on the last page of Section A.

3C, Shaker Square was redeveloped by CenterPoint Properties (now Fairmount Properties).

I would love to scan and post images from the 1960s Cleveland Heights rapid transit study, but my scanner is on the fritz. So, here's a text description (follow along with your street map of Cleveland Heights, boys and girls)... The routing proposed east of the Euclid Heights/Coventry intersection was not on Mayfield. Instead, it would have cut across street blocks. Coventry was proposed to be realigned eastward between Euclid Heights Blvd and Mayfield, with the old street turned into a pedestrian mall. The Rapid was to follow the new Coventry Road to a point just south of Mayfield, then go behind the houses on Hampshire. At Middlehurst, the line would go into a subway until it reached Severance. It was proposed go below Cumberland Park, beneath residential properties along the north side of Oak Road, and east of Ivydale Road the line would be behind homes on the north side of Euclid Heights Blvd. The station at Severance Center was to be on a gentle S-curve in the southwest corner of the Severence area. The S-curve would have brought the line to the southern edge of Severence, and head due east directly behind the homes along Severn Road. In the vicinity of Staunton Road, the line would dive back into a subway and stay directly behind homes on the north side of Severn until the line entered the Oakwood Country Club. A stub-end station with no apparent potential for extension eastward would be on the west side of Warrensville Road. The station site would have been just south of Warrensville's intersection with Bexley. A two-track yard for storing up to 20 transit cars was proposed to be built on the golf course property. Backtracking here geographically... The section that was to be built first and which would have cost about $16 million (in 1950s $$) was from the existing CTS Rapid, up Cedar Hill and Euclid Heights Blvd and ending at Coventry. And, as clvlndr noted, the rapid transit line would have gone under the Cedar/Euclid Hts/Overlook intersection. But it would have emerged on the east side of the intersection on the south side of Euclid Hts, not in the median. The reason is there was a proposed development called Agora East slated to go there, and the rapid transit station would have been in its basement. The line was to curve back under Euclid Heights Boulevard's eastbound lanes and come up to the surface in its median east of Surrey. Interesting plan, but I don't like the routing east of Coventry. While it would have been a very fast service owing to it being mostly in a subway, its terminus location would have precluded further extension eastward. And we know the "wisdom" of doing that based on the Red Line's alignment at Hopkins, which also made its extension difficult if not impossible.

Regarding the retail presence at Stonebridge, this is from my article posted on Page 15 of this thread.... http://www.cleveland.com/sun/westsidesunnews/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1168537995195200.xml&coll=3 An 11-story, 109-unit Stonebridge Plaza condominium tower could be ready for occupancy as early as late March [edit: Price is now saying May]. Next to it is Stonebridge Square, in the former Cantina del Rio restaurant, which will add 30,000 square feet of retail and offices this summer. The former restaurant was built as a machine shop in 1870. Stonebridge's co-developer Bob Corna said leasing is "95 percent complete" for Stonebridge Square. The ground floor of the sky-lit plaza will feature a coffee shop, delicatessen, family-style restaurant and a mini maket. Corna's partner in the project is Doug Price of K&D Corp.

You'd probably first see one going up Cedar to Euclid Heights Boulevard to Coventry, then east to Severance on Mayfield. That was the only proposed LRT into Cleveland Heights in recent times (in RTA's 1993 long-range plan). There also was a serious planning effort in the late 1960s to build an LRT along a similar routing, but its costs ($16 million) were deemed too high. The city of Cleveland Heights even preserved the old streetcar tracks next to Cedar Glen and in Euclid Heights Boulevard's median for many years after the streetcars stopped running so they could be revived as a Shaker Rapid-type service. I don't when they were finally pulled up, but I think it was after the 1960s effort was stopped.

By the way, I should note that the Corner Alley actually occupies the ground floor of three buildings.

I'd like to see someone with access to a local inducted band, like the O'Jays for example, ask them to lead the cause. Here's another idea... If we don't have the hotel facilities to host major rock stars, then what about hosting them in large homes. I recall the story of a Saudi prince who was going to be at the Cleveland Clinic for at least a month's worth of treatment and testing. So the Saudi prince bought a Hunting Valley mansion, renovated it to his liking and then when he was done with his treatments at the Clinic, he had the mansion put back the way it was. (Your oil $ at work). While that's an extreme case, my point is that I'll bet there's a few wealthy local business people who would be willing to rent out his/her mansion (or downtown penthouse) for a few days to an aging rock star and his/her entourage. Think of the mansions in Brahtenal, Edgewater, Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights etc. or the penthouses at Stonebridge, Pinnacle, Park, Avenue District, Reserve Square, etc etc. Could temporary spas and baths be set up at downtown athletic clubs? And what of the rock stars who like the gritty roots of rock and roll, and might be just as happy with a svitz in Little Italy or, at The Svitz itself? But if we can host Saudi princes for more than a month at a time, why can't we offer at least some amenities to rock stars for just a weekend?

Yes, because the area doesn't have the critical mass yet to support lining the ground floors with retail. But where I differ with them is that the buildings have zero street presence. There isn't even a bright glassy lobby, a leasable office space, a little coffee shop/sidewalk cafe at the corner, or anything along those lines. I also question whether they have enough experience with urban projects to understand the importance of street presence. I only hope the building was designed in such a way that ground floor uses can be added at a later time. As for the issue of amending their Planned Unit Development plan (PUD Plan Amendment: Stonebridge Towers, 2222 Detroit Avenue, garage plan).... This was discussed Friday at Planning Commission. Stonebridge built that garage too small. Parking spaces are too narrow and there's not enough room to manuever medium to large-size cars in it. If I remember the number right, 14 tenants have filed suit against Stonebridge regarding the parking situation because their cars were damaged (read: dented). Most if not all of those tenants agreed to become tenants before the garage was finished, and were told by the developer the parking garage would suit their needs. So the developer is asking to have the number of spaces reduced and will seek to replace the lost spaces elsewhere.

That's great news. I wish I had that story!

Matthew Simmons, chairman of Simmons & Co. International in Houston, talked yesterday with Bloomberg's Rhonda Schaffler about the need to address energy use, his view that global supply has peaked and the likelihood oil prices could reach as much as $300 a barrel. (Source: Bloomberg) http://www.theoildrum.com/node/2239 Simmons is also author of "Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy " and former energy advisor to the Bush Administration.

More than just downtown economic news, dating from December 2006... http://www.heartlandrebusiness.com/articles/DEC06/highlight1.html

Flats property owners are appealing the Planning Commission's Dec. 15 approval of the demolition of their buildings.... http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/bza/agenda/crr02-05-07.htm 9:30 Ward 13 Appeal of Flats Waterfront Associates, et al Calendar No. 07-7: Joe Cimperman Flats Waterfront Associates, East Riverfront Properties Limited Partnership, Prime Properties Limited Partnership, 1124 Old River Road Limited Partnership, Cuyahoga Lakefront LLC, K&S Parking Co., Inc., George-Khouri Family Limited Partnership, #1 Media, Old River Road Cleveland LLC, HDV-Cleveland LLC, MSGG-Cleveland LLC, Droe Express System, Inc. and 1146 Old River Road, Inc., by and through their respective counsel, appeal under the authority of Section 76-6(b) of the Charter of the City of Cleveland and Section 329.02(d) of the Cleveland Codified Ordinances from the decision of the City of Cleveland Planning Commission to approve the Flats East Bank Redevelopment Demolition Request rendered on December 15, 2006. (Filed 1-17-07)

Let me rephrase. How many 50 mph limited-access highways have condos where you can pull out of a drivewalk or sidestreet onto the highway? Or walk out of your condo to take a stroll along the highway? Development is occurring along access roads to limited-access highways, but not on the highways themselves. The reason is a limited-access highway, even in its most minimal form (see Route 8 between I-271 and SR303) is not feasible. And if more access roads are added to the highway to reach any new developments, then it's no longer limited access.

He may have been. I haven't followed his employment status.

Agreed. Great series. It took me a minute to realize what the Cleveland scene was. But I see your plane came into Cleveland from the northeast. There's Rocky River Drive, Kamm's Plaza (upper right) and the Rocky River valley. I spend too much time looking at maps, so I always pass the time trying to figure out what I'm over while flying. Helps pass the time.

"Here, you call the NYPD on those two guys."

Ask those in New York who pay even more to look out their windows at a brick wall. If those units at Stonebridge sell, then the center city housing market is better than many think -- and Price and Corna are geniuses. If they don't sell at the asking price, then Price and Corna took a gamble that didn't pay off. Live and learn.

There are no guarantees about development happening anywhere. But I can guarantee where development WON'T happen -- next to a 50-mph limited access highway.

Asbestos has to be removed prior to demolition as well as renovation.

I deleted it. The proposal is no longer relevant.