KJP

Nice photo. Good to see more lights on.

I don't think that's the Variety theater and neither do several people in my office. One of them said the Variety was in terrible shape the last time she was in there a few years ago. I don't remember them making any improvements to the theater since -- and certainly not to that extent! The interior actually looks like the Agora, and even a little like the Cedar-Lee. But what's the stylish "P" emblems above the doors? It's not the Palace Theater downtown. What is it?

Again, we must look overseas for news that goes beyond what is needed to keep U.S. sabers a-rattling. http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Gulf%2C+Middle+East+%26+Africa&month=December2006&file=World_News2006122611734.xml Iran’s nuclear drive linked to looming oil crisis: US study Web posted at: 12/26/2006 1:17:34 Source ::: AFP WASHINGTON • Iran's nuclear ambitions are motivated not just by a desire for regional supremacy but by a potentially devastating crisis in its oil industry, a US researcher said in a report made public yesterday. Iran's image is of a muscular oil producer with plentiful reserves, but in fact it could soon face its own energy crunch owing to failing infrastructure and lack of investments, Roger Stern at Johns Hopkins University said. Writing in the respected Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, the professor of geography and environmental engineering said Iran's oil problems have the potential to topple the clerical regime.

Pretty countryside photos, except for the one with the power lines in it!

Monte, since you're near Cincinnati, I'd be happy to smack X for ya and save you the drive.

Not a lot of lights on in the photograph.... When I see a photo spread like this, it reminds me that this country isn't as great as it thinks it is. No truly great nation would let one of its largest cities suffer such a horrible fate. And Detroit doesn't have a monopoly on this kind of urban decay. It's just the largest example.

The pot lock sounds like a good idea. My party room, atop my seven-story condo building, is available. The party room has a fridge, stove/oven, windows on three sides, and a great view of the Gold Coast. If you go out on the sun deck on the south side of the building, you can see downtown better (fewer tall trees blocking the view). Between the party room and the sun deck is an indoor pool. If anyone is interested, I will host an upcoming gathering. Kinda neat to go swimming when it's 10 degrees outside. Maybe we could call it UrbanOhio's "Figi in February" or "Maui in March." Here's a nighttime view from my building's party room:

There's a road overpass of I-77, coming into Akron from the northwest side. It was rebuilt with black-painted steel fencing (looks like wrought iron) with the word "Akron" on it. Simple, but classy looking. Same thing with the Fleet Avenue bridge over I-77. Nice use of brick, decorative fencing and flags on it representing a number of Slavic nations. Let me guess, you're working on design concepts for the railroad bridges over Euclid, Mayfield, Cedar and Fairhill in/near University Circle?

Too bad we have to go to Turkish news sources to get this stuff.... ________________ http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=62496 ANKARA - TDN with wire services Alarm bells are ringing on the issue of security of global energy supplies, International Energy Agency (IEA) Chief Economist Dr. Fatih Birol said Friday at a press conference in Istanbul. “The threat to the world's energy security, especially on oil and natural gas, will reach serious dimensions in the next 10 years,” he added. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Güler and Birol co-hosted the press conference at which they commented on a report prepared by the IEA titled “World Energy Outlook 2006.”

How reliable is this reporting outfit? Were those your words or theirs? Either way, that's a pretty odd definition of "outer suburban"!

I hate the office vacancy measuring stick, because it includes older office buildings that will never be offices again. I'll bet the Park and Southworth buildings on Cleveland's Public Square were considered vacant in the last count. I hope they won't be this time around (both were rezoned and due to be renovated with condos)! I wish there was a more accurate way of measuring the office supply in a downtown area. Come to think of it, there is. Just refer to the Class A space, because that's what's on the market and will likely be marketed as office space for a long time. On that score, downtown Cleveland's office vacancy rate drops to near 10 percent. As for the poverty rankings, how is that a small change in factors causes Cleveland to go from #1 to #12 and back to #1 again? And, is the income level of a Cleveland individual/household taken into context against the city's low cost of living, or is the income level merely compared against those of other cities without the cost-of-living adjustment? I would be interested in learning that. Since I went from covering the suburbs for 12 years at Sun to covering Cleveland City Hall, I was astonished at how professional, dedicated and aware of urban planning issues most city hall staff, planning/landmarks commission members and councilpersons are. While covering the suburbs, I heard all the horror stories of Cleveland City Hall being a din of political backbiting, corruption and waste. Guess what? It's not as bad as advertised. In fact, I've seen much worse in the suburbs -- including those suburbs that are growing rapidly (Westlake, Avon Lake etc). Better still, in Cleveland, council members treat each other professionally and respectfully, even though they may disagree. They recognize something more important is at stake than themselves. I was talking to councilpersons Jay Westbrook and Fannie Lewis who say that City Council has been its most productive and professional in the last couple years -- moreso in the prior decades they've served on council. Now, I do wish some of the designated cheerleading organizations (DCA, CVB, etc) would do more of it (at least locally), and the PD would stop being such a downer all the time in the guise of hard-hitting journalism. There are so many great Cleveland success stories to be told, and I'm just one person. There's so much more I would like to be able to share with all of you and Sun's readers (like the business incubators being added downtown and in the neighborhoods, the efforts to create more regional partnerships, joint-development agreements with more suburbs tied to extension of water lines, successes in the city schools, and much much more). So, in the end, I give Cleveland a "B-". The things that knock it down are the shortcomings of the city's "cheerleader organizations," the continuing problems with crime and the lack of parental involvement in the schools, and the inability of RTA and NOACA to break out of their "use the past to plan for the future" approach. For RTA, I would like to see it act as less of a social service organization and more as a transportation/development entity to enhance ridership and revenues, while nurturing more sustainable land-use practices. It's starting to move in that direction, and any bureaucracy will be slow to alter its strategies. For NOACA, they have terrific planning principles but do not stick to them. Howard Maier is a very nice person, and he understands the urban planning dilemma faced by metros under anti-urban state policies. But I don't think that is an excuse for continuing to use past trends to guide future land-use planning decisions. Get a hard-nosed, bully-pulpit pounder to replace Maier, then develop by consensus a metro Cleveland land-use/transportation plan that identifies what Greater Cleveland wants to be in 10, 25, 50 years from now. Get the region (even by a public vote) to support it. Then direct resources to achieve it. Make it a binding agreement, not a wish list like Voices and Choices.

I checked with a friend of mine who recently worked for Metra and whose job it was to assign crews. The only Metra lines that use freight railroad crews are BNSF and UP -- that includes on-board crews as well as station agents. All the other lines (Wisconsin Central, former Milwaukee Road, NS, former Rock Island, IC Electric, etc) are all Metra crews.

ColDayMan wasn't there, so it was great. Actually, about 14 people showed up. Good food. Good company. West 25th was busy with shoppers and people strolling around. The market was jammed. Very nice! Went to Tower City afterwards to finish up my Christmas shopping at FYE. Good crowds there, too.

Welcome aboard. Check out the thread at: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=3281.msg31832#msg31832 Lots of Lakewood development projects in there, including Rockport Square.

I will be bringing MarkyMark48 from Chi-town. He is an expat. Rag on him mercilessly to get him to move back here.

I was thinking they ought to be combined. This thread shows some of the early stuff of the Pesht project.

I agree Montecarloss. That last one is definitely poster quality.

Curiosity has the better of me here. What made you zero in on this message of mine from 21 months ago? Do you work for Sherwin Williams' facilities department? Or have some other tap on insider info about that Public Square parking lot? If you do, you can always PM me if you want! BTW, I'd forgotten all about this message string! Seems to be an ideal candidate for combining with the Pesht thread.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ZAREMBA SECURES AVENUE DISTRICT FOUNDATION PERMIT; UPDATES CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE FOR 1211 ST. CLAIR AVE. CLEVELAND Dec. 21, 2006 Zaremba, Inc., developer of The Avenue District, a $250 million residential development in downtown Cleveland, has secured the Foundation Permit to allow underground construction to begin at Site 1, 1211 St. Clair Ave., on the northeast corner of East 12th Street and St. Clair Avenue. Construction fencing for Site 1 has been up since early December, with the majority of work scheduled for evening hours to avoid disturbing traffic flow during the day. Future Site 1 milestones include excavation of the foundation beginning in February 2007, superstructure and core construction starting in May 2007, and completion of phase one, including 50 lofts and eight penthouses, in August 2008. Construction is underway for Site 3, located at East 15th Street and the newly created Lindazzo Avenue. Site 3 will be home to 30 townhomes, with the first 15 set for completion in August 2007. Zaremba also plans to install a live, 24-hour webcam to broadcast construction of Site 1 on The Avenue District Web site, www.TheAvenueDistrict.com. The webcam is tentatively scheduled to start broadcasting in February 2007. Updated Site 1 Construction Timeline Utility Relocation (Present - Feb. 15, 2007) Closing of St. Clair and East 12th Roads, and closing of parking as needed Installation of construction fence Excavation and relocation of utilities Foundation (Feb. 16 - May 2007) Closing of parking lots Onsite presence of trailers and construction vehicles Excavation of foundation work Foundation and framing for both the parking garage and 1211 St. Clair Ave. Superstructure and Core (May - November 2007) First visible signs of out-of-ground structure Framing and pouring (in floor sequence) of columns and floors Installation of the building core (elevator, stair and mechanical shafts) Building Shell (October 2007 - July 2008) Installation of metal stud framing and substrate along the entire exterior perimeter Installation of all building skin materials: brick, stone, metal panels and windows Interior Buildout (December 2007 - August 2008) Metal stud framing to begin concurrently with the construction of building shell Installation of metal stud framing, drywall, and interior finishes, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing equipment and risers Units completion and occupancy Updated Site 3 (Townhomes) Construction Timeline Site clearing and demolition (Present) Excavation and foundations (Present - March 2007) Wood framing and roofing (March - May 2007) Interior buildout (May - August 2007) Occupancy to begin (August 2007) The Avenue District will provide residents with upscale living options within walking distance to dining, shopping, arts, entertainment and recreation. The first phase includes the construction of 50 elegant lofts, eight penthouses, and 15 townhomes, with master plans calling for 426 upscale housing units in a wide range of size and price options. For further information, visit www.TheAvenueDistrict.com. Since 1920, Zaremba has been a trusted name in home construction. Zaremba, Inc. has partnered with the City of Cleveland to create several award-winning housing developments, including The MillCreek community, Beacon Place at Church Square and WoodHaven. Zarembas most ambitious project to date, The Avenue District, is a $250 million residential development in downtown Cleveland. With principles deeply rooted in product quality, customer service and architectural integrity, Zaremba continues its commitment to building neighborhoods that enhance communities and enrich the lives of its residents. To learn more, visit www.ZarembaHomes.com. # # #

Whoops, I said North Chester. Upper Chester. Thanks for the correction. Glad to see those coming up soon. I reiterate my desire for high-density, even high-rise housing between the clinic and the UC-Cedar station. I think it would fill up pretty quickly.

Several Cleveland City Council members do. And the amazing thing is that they mentioned it to me first. Who? Councilmen Cummins, Cimperman and Zone. All good guys.

JeTDoG, it's OK to be optimistic. Optimism is a contagious thing. Plus, it's a source of energy and energy leads to getting things done. Besides, you know what an advocate is without optimism? A bureaucrat.

Unfortunately, except for a few pockets, the surrounding neighborhoods aren't in much of a condition to accommodate wealthier residents. That's what I'd hope the Cleveland Clinic would have tackled after all these years... Use housing and land use changes to improve transportation and access. But the clinic is turned inward with its armored back to the neighborhoods. And it isn't the only major hospital to do that -- see MetroHealth Medical Center. What's with these hospitals? I was in the clinic area during afternoon rush yesterday and was dismayed to see all the shuttle buses to this parking lot and that parking lot. So many more shuttle buses than I remember. While the clinic looks at North Chester for a housing site, I would love to see the area between the clinic and the University Circle rapid station targeted. I realize there's plans for something, but the maps don't clarify what the buildings uses would be.

When I read that in Crain's it was the first I'd heard of it. And boy that hurt to admit that! Congrats to Crain's for that scoop.

Love the highway sign saying Cleveland is closed. Awesome!