KJP

Awesome

How does having one cab company serving the airport give "a better look" to out-of-towners? What does that even mean? And I don't see how having multiple cab companies serving the airport creates chaos. If I'm an out-of-towner, I'd want to see some cabbies hustling for my business. It's always great to be welcomed in a strange town. Your comparison to road construction contracts is a very selective one. Are we going to offer bids to choose one airline to serve Hopkins? Or have just one food-service provider throughout the entire airport? Or have only one hotel brand allowed within five miles of the terminal. C'mon people. Give me a GOOD explanation for this.

I missed something here. Why is only one cab company being allowed to make pickups at the airport? I seem to recall something about competition being considered a good thing in this country.

Great pics all around. But I love dense fog in an urban setting. That second-to-last pic, as grayscale, is my fav.

Have fun with ColDayMan666

One fender-bender at the Central Interchange can easily make a rush-hour trip up I-77 take 30 minutes. Happened too many times to count, back when I lived on the East Side.

I also tried. Not many journalism jobs were available in my preferred choices of Toronto, Hamilton and London. I did apply for those that suited me (ie non-broadcasting), but got no replies. So, here I am, stuck in the middle with you...

They need to fund both to offer the basic services of a major city.

I get a queasy, fear-of-heights feeling in my stomach just when I imagine someone working up there, outside the top of the Cleveland Union Terminal Tower. More power to those guys.

Dear West Shore Corridor Regional Rail Stakeholders: Please find below the schedule of upcoming meetings and a belated attendance list and meeting summary from the Oct. 20 stakeholders meeting held in conjunction with the Lorain County Community Alliance's annual summit. We had 86 persons in attendance. Thanks to LCCA for a wonderful event! Note that the next stakeholders meeting will be at 8 a.m. Dec. 13 at Lakewood Hospital's Wasner Auditorium. Reports from the Community Station Subcommittee and the West Shore Law Directors will be given, plus there will be discussion of efforts to secure federal funding for an alternatives analysis and public involvement process. Thanks to Lakewood Mayor Tom George and Lakewood Hospital's Chief Administrative Officer Jack Gustin for hosting this meeting. ++++++++++ Schedule of upcoming West Shore Corridor Regional Rail meetings Nov. 15, 9:30 a.m. Community Station Subcommittee, Council Chambers, Westlake City Hall, 27700 Hilliard Road. Contact: Bob Parry, 440-617-4307 [email protected] Download agenda: http://members.cox.net/kjprendergast/StationsSubcom111506agenda.doc Nov. 18, 6 p.m. All Aboard Ohio Fall Rail Cocktail & Buffet, Black River Transportation Center, Downtown Lorain. Please register ASAP: 614-228-6005 or online with credit card at http://www.allaboardohio.com/cms/index.php Dec. 13, 8 a.m. West Shore Corridor Regional Rail Stakeholders, Lakewood Hospital Wasmer Auditorium, 14519 Detroit Ave., Save the date! No RSVP required. Detailed agenda to follow. Download map of meeting location: http://members.cox.net/kjprendergast/lakewoodhospitalmaps.jpg ++++++++++ Summary of Oct. 20 2006 West Shore Corridor Regional Rail Stakeholders Meeting/LCCA Summit Held at Lorain County Community College Spitzer Auditorium. 86 persons were in attendance: Jean Anderson, Mayor, City of Vermilion David Ashenhurst, City of Oberlin Brian Barker, Lorain County Community Development Andy Bemer, Law Director, Rocky River Dan Billman, Director, Lorain County Solid Waste District Betty Blair, Lorain County Commissioner Linda Blanchette, Lorain County Community Development Pat Cano, Lorain County Visitors Bureau Ken Carney, Lorain County Engineer Michael Challender, Lorain Growth Corp Dennis Clotz, City of Amherst, Safety/Service Dnnis Clough, Mayor, City of Westlake Brian Cummins, Ward 15 Councilman, Cleveland John Dietrich, City of Amherst Gary Ebert, Law Director, City of Bay Village Jon Eckerle, Century 21/Homestar Richard Enty, Planning Team Leader, Greater Cleveland RTA Rocco Fana, Northcoast BIA Ed Favre, Lakewood Mayor Tom George’s office Stephen Friedman, SB Friedman & Co., Chicago Bill Gardner, City of Sheffield Lake Dave Gillock, Mayor, City of North Ridgeville Jack Gustin, Chief Administrative Officer, Lakewood Hospital Gail Hall, L.C. Board of Mental Health Steve Hambley, Medina County Commissioner Jason Hammans, Team NEO Barbara Harper, LaGrange Township David Hartman, R. E. Warner Deanna Hill, Lorain County Community Development David Hintz Bill Holtzman, Lorain County Engineer Jennifer Hooper, Lakewood Community Progress Inc Tony Iannoe, Vice President, United Transportation Union Gerald Innes, Office of the Prosecuting Attorney Denny Johnson, City of North Ridgeville Rebbeca Jones, Lorain County Community Development Kevin Kelley, Ward 16 Councilman, Cleveland Pat Knight, Lorain County Community Development Lori Kokoski, Lorain County Commissioner Stan Kosilesky, Cuyahoga County Engineer’s Office Tom Kowal, Lorain County Realtors Dennis Lamont, Lorain Street Railway Dennis Lechlak, Proudfoot Associates, Toledo John Lescher, Village of Grafton Neil Lynch, Amherst Township Trustee Howard Maier, Executive Director, NOACA Shelley Marrero, Lorain County Engineers Ron Massimiani, Lorain County Engineers Mike McCarthy, Burgess & Niple, Inc. Joseph McCormick, Lake Shore Railway Association Will McCracken Tony Mealy, City of Oberlin Betsy Merkel, Regional Economic Issues, CWRU Patrick Metzger, South Lorain Community Development Anne Molnar Ed Morrison, economic development consultant Rick Novak, Exec. Dir., Lorain Port Authority Thomas O’Leary, Deputy Director, Ohio Dept. Transportation, District 3 Frank Pakish, New Russia Township Robert Parry, Planning/Econ. Development Director, City of Westlake Peggy Paulick, Lorain County Community Development Bette Pearce, Chronicle Telegram Ken Prendergast, Dir. of Research & Communications, All Aboard Ohio Steven Pyles, Village of Wellington Joseph Reitz, City of Avon Lake Larry Schuck, Norfolk Southern Rwy. Police Toni Shanahan, Lorain County Children Services Board Ken Sislak, Board member, All Aboard Ohio Jerry Skully, United Way of Greater Lorain County David Sonner, City of Oberlin Donna Spanski, Lorain County Engineers Phil Stammitti, Lorain County Sheriff Kim Strauss, Mayor, Village of LaGrange Gail Stumphauzer, Leadership Lorain County Walt Sukey, Village of LaGrange David Taylor, Mayor, City of Amherst Beth Thames, Office of Congressman Sherrod Brown Vince Urbin, Lorain County Community Development Bob Verhoff, Great Lakes OLMC Ginny Vigrass Sparky Welnau, Erie County Commissioners John Whitcom George Zeller, Center for Community Solutions Don Zickefoose, City of Vermilion Freda Zickefoose, City of Vermilion Gregory Zilka, City of Avon Lake A presentation by Chicago-based real estate consultant Stephen Friedman showed how communities, developers and the Metra commuter rail agency are doing transit-oriented development (TOD). In some cases, TOD is used as a financing mechanism for adding or expanding rail transit service. Discussion of development densities, appropriate retail uses and mixes, residential and office uses and definitions of station areas was given. For more information, please see a primer on station-area development from Friedman available at: http://members.cox.net/kjprendergast/FriedmanMetra.pdf (a 2.37mb download) The law directors of Bay Village, Lakewood and Rocky River had recently met to determine that their bosses (the mayors) want to pursue commuter rail while also wanting their communities' joint agreement with Norfolk Southern (which addresses limitations on freight train traffic) to be protected. The law directors reported that they are seeking a meeting with NS to determine how that can be accomplished. More on this will be discussed at the next stakeholders meeting on Dec. 13 in Lakewood. Often, discussion following these meetings is as productive as the meetings themselves. In attendance was Tony Iannone, a vice president of the United Transportation Union. The UTU is a major national union and employer headquartered in downtown Lakewood, in the Lakewood Center North building. Iannone noted that his union not only would like to see the increased number of union jobs from the commuter service, but that the their headquarters would gain a station site. UTU officials said it will be a huge benefit to them to have people come in from out of town, take RTA's Red Line rapid transit from the airport and transfer to the commuter rail service at West Boulevard to downtown Lakewood, saving a $15 taxi cab ride. Lakewood city officials desire a station site next to the Lakewood Center North building. The UTU has indicated it will be of assistance to the West Shore Corridor Regional Rail effort. ###

I seem to recall that there was an ancient Indian burial mound on Whiskey Island. Does that qualify it as a potential Native American reservation?

When we do headlines, their length should leave no more than two spaces at the end of each line. And you can't arbitrarily change the width of columns or give yourself more time to come up with something really exceptional. Newspapers are MASH units, not cosmetic surgeons. So creativity and/or accuracy of headlines often does not happen. Our MO: Get the news, get it in, move on to the next story.

Why demolish Chagrin Falls' paper mill? If they want an artists district, reuse these neat historic buildings. I see from other articles that no buyers emerged for the buildings. Perhaps the village could have assisted with repackaging the property (new zoning, creating an historic district, offering historic tax credits, etc) for sale for a new lease on life?

Hey, no praise for Cleveland is allowed in this thread! Vent, you ingrates!!

Seems their new jobs are on the west side, so the east-side marketing machine gets put at a disadvantage from the get-go. Wonder if newcomers taking the new jobs on the east side already know where they want to live?!?! And, I doubt it's a case of no new east-side jobs drawing out-of-towners -- what with the Clinic and all the financial employers in Bitchwood.

Just out of curiosity, what city are you coming from? West 25th does have a lot of attractions along it, ranging from public housing to $300,000 condos. Some are within a few hundred feet of each other. But the farther north or south on West 25th Street you go, the "edgier" it gets. Best bet is to stay between Detroit and Lorain avenues. But I'll let the Ohio City residents here give you more specific guidance. Glad we could be of help. But a personal visit will help you decide what's ultimately best for you.

THE NEXT THING: MILES PER HOUSE? ULI EXPERTS DISCUSS IMPACT OF TRANSPORTATION COSTS ON LOCATION DECISIONS; LOOK AT FUTURE INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCING For more information, contact Trisha Riggs at 202/624-7086; email: [email protected] WASHINGTON (November 7, 2006) The cost of energy likely will play a more important role in home buying decisions, with "house miles" (the number of miles a home is from employment, retail, education and entertainment) becoming a deal breaker or maker, according to land use industry experts at ULI's recent annual fall meeting in Denver. Three of ULI's senior resident fellows -- William Hudnut, John McIlwain, and Robert Dunphy -- along with University of Maine Orono Petroleum Geologist Elizabeth Wilson, discussed the connection between energy use and community design. The upshot: the smart response to long-term increases in oil and gas prices, along with shrinking energy supplies, is to develop in a way that reduces energy consumption by both buildings and cars. Much-discussed designs that are now gaining traction include close-in infill projects, more downtown housing, and more mixed-use projects in urban centers and on the urban fringe, panelists said. The cost of distance, along with heating and cooling, is a factor in energy consumption that has a direct impact on housing affordability, McIlwain pointed out, noting that "miles per house" could become a standard measurement of location desirability. These factors are driving interest in green and sustainable development "like never before," and this will only increase as the environmentally conscious Generation Y enters the home buying market in full force, he said. "A new generation of home buyers (Gen Y) is looking at the world differently, and to them, green building will be a given. The issue of energy savings will be a fundamental driver in their decisions on what and where to buy." Dunphy cited a 2005 ULI survey of consumers, which found them willing to combine more trips and use mass transit more to cut down on fuel consumption. Transportation spending, he said, is the second largest component of consumer expenses, currently taking up an average of 19 percent of their monthly income (monthly home mortgage payments generally at least 33 percent). Dunphy suggested that cost-of-living expenses per metro be recalibrated to more accurately reflect the impact of transportation costs by housing location. Hudnut cited three converging forces he predicted will thrust energy consumption into the spotlight: "How much gas prices will affect people who are already squeezed; a declining investment in oil and gas exploration and production; and the need to reduce fossil-based fuels to counteract the impact of global warming." Despite growing interest in alternative fuel and power sources, reducing dependency by the U.S. and other countries on fossil fuels "will not be easy," Wilson noted. (For instance, in 2003, 39 percent of the energy used worldwide was oil, followed by gas, at 24 percent.) In the U.S., public policies that more stringently mandate fuel efficiency of cars are one solution; another is greater investment in mass transit, she said. Funding for mass transit and other forms of infrastructure was discussed during another real estate education session at the meeting. With public funding for U.S. infrastructure becoming increasingly scarce (the Federal Highway Trust Fund could be empty by 2009 unless the gasoline tax is raised) states and localities are scrambling to piece together other sources of financing, including the private sector, said ULI Senior Resident Fellow Tom Murphy. He listed several factors that could "contribute to solutions" to the infrastructure funding shortfall: 1) better connections between land use and transportation planning; 2) public policies that address linkages between areas within an urban region; 3) increased private financing of infrastructure; 4) greater emphasis on the relationship between infrastructure investment and quality of life; and 5) political leadership on infrastructure investment. The flooding catastrophe caused by the failed levees in New Orleans is a prime example of the danger of disinvestment in infrastructure, Murphy said, noting that in cities nationwide, there are examples of neglect. "We can be doing so much better," he said. While private funding of infrastructure is relatively new in the U.S., there are lessons to be learned from some overseas operations, said ULI Treasurer Dale Ann Reiss, global and Americas director of real estate for Ernst & Young in New York City. She pointed to Innisfree, a U.K.-based fund manager, which has invested in 60 projects over the past ten years with a total capital value of more than $20 billion; and to the Australia-based Macquarie Group, which manages a number of funds that invest in infrastructure acquisitions and development projects worldwide. The evolution of infrastructure investment funds, including private equity funds, holds promise in changing the investment landscape for a wide variety of major public infrastructure projects, including roads, mass transit, utility and energy providers, water treatment facilities and airports, she said. (In a July 2006 Urban Land article on infrastructure funding, Reiss wrote that private equity funds are estimated to have more than $100 billion available for investment globally, and some are diversifying into infrastructure in their search for investment opportunities.) Still, while private funds can help offset the shrinking public funds, it is the public sector's responsibility to set the course for infrastructure planning and development in the U.S., noted session panelist and ULI JC Nichols Prize Laureate Richard D. Baron, chief executive officer of McCormack Baron Salazar in St. Louis. Although many state and local governments are "doing what they can" in this capacity, urban areas "cannot endure the disinvestment by the federal government much longer," he said. "Until we start reinvesting, our cities will slip farther and farther behind the rest of the world." As part of its overall program of work, ULI has created an infrastructure initiative to bring together public and private stakeholders in various communities to help them reach consensus on solving pressing infrastructure problems and examine the best ways to use and leverage available funding. The Urban Land Institute (www.uli.org) is a global nonprofit education and research institute supported by its members. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. Established in 1936, the Institute has more than 34,000 members representing all aspects of land use and development disciplines. ###

Delta seeking ways to cut cost of replacing bridge Toledo Blade, 10/26/06 Replacing a simple footbridge - used by dozens of people from two northeast Delta subdivisions - to make it compliant with floodway and disabilities regulations would cost $90,000, according to an engineering firm's estimate. But a newly appointed committee of village council members and subdivision residents hopes to find a way to reduce that cost and keep in place the bridge that children and adults use to walk to the village park and schools, bypassing a busy street that does not have sidewalks. MORE: http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061026/NEIGHBORS05/610250335

Damn. Beat me to the Moss Isley Spaceport quote!

Yes, I have. Riding the long hill down on Rockside, from Route 21 to the CVSR station at the bottom, you get to overtake cars and give them dirty looks for getting in your way! In the opposite direction, motorists take pity on you. West of Route 21, ever since Rockside was widened to three lanes in each direction (plus the center turn), it's not as congested as it was before. Plus, there's sidewalks now...

Down with the old, up with the new Tiffin Advertiser-Tribune, 11/6/06 Forty-five people gathered on Elm Street for Sunday’s dedication of three Habitat homes that occupy the spot where an aging water tower once stood. The crowd included the homeowners, many Habitat volunteers, Tiffin Mayor Bernard Hohman and Michele Bighouse, executive director for Seneca Habitat for Humanity. Don Loving, a member of Habitat’s Church Relations Committee, offered prayer. Sr. Paulette Schroeder, Orders of St. Francis provided music for the dedication ceremony. Rev. Cliff Farmer, vice president of the Habitat board, read appropriate scripture passages suggesting people turn a building into a home. “The Seneca Habitat builders have erected these three houses. They’re sturdy and warm, attractive and serviceable. They represent a good amount of effort and devotion toward that goal of eliminating inadequate housing for God’s people,” Farmer said.

If you don't want to drive or own a car at all, you may be able to take transit to your work site in Independence, depending on where it is (and where you ultimately choose to live). All RTA buses have bike racks on them. If you choose to live downtown, the 77F is a fast, frequent route. Rather than meandering down city streets, it takes I-77 and Route 21 into Independence, and also avoids the very congested interchange of I-77/Rockside. Reverse rush-hour runs are every 15 minutes, and travel from downtown to Independence in about 13-20 minutes. Buses run until 11 p.m. weeknights, but only to 8 p.m. weekends. Here's the schedule/map: http://www.riderta.com/pdf/77.pdf There's also a new, limited-schedule bus service designed just for reverse commutes from downtown to the I-77/Rockside area, which helps cut down on the walking from the Route 21/Rockside intersection. Its schedule/map is available at: http://www.riderta.com/pdf/17.pdf I hopes this helps you in deciding on a place to live.

And kudos to working in a few more acronyms! :-)

Here I was all excited that an office tower would be built. How does six stories constitute an "office tower?" Geez, I don't think folks in Coshocton, Canfield or Conneaut would consider six stories a tower.

I see this item in my Crain's Top Stories e-mail, but what's it all about? ________________________ Another piece added to VA puzzle Doan Pyramid Electric LLC is taking on the financing and construction of a $120 million office tower and parking garage that will support the planned hospital expansion of the Louis Stokes Veterans Affairs Medical Center at University Circle.