KJP

I don't think we're dead in the water. There is a meeting coming up where a task force to pursue Lorain-Cleveland regional rail hopefully will be formed. If I do attend, I will be the one wearing a trench coat and sunglasses. :wink2:

The question of traffic v. capacity across what is now the I-490 bridge (proposed new route for I-90) is an issue of concern. But consider that 85 percent of the traffic on the existing Inner Belt bridge is downtown-bound. Some of that actually is bound for University Circle, which I'm assuming would be redirected across the I-490 bridge to the proposed Opportunity Corridor Boulevard. But most of the existing downtown-bound traffic would continue to cross at/near the existing Inner Belt bridge, on my Downtown Access Boulevard (SR 176). The I-490 bridge is four lanes each way and may require an additional lane across it to handle the traffic. That would have to be determined by a traffic flow analysis. My main concern is for southbound traffic (by compass) on I-90 turning west across the existing I-490 bridge. If that traffic wants to continue heading west on I-90, it would have to cross over the traffic coming from the Opportunity Corridor wanting to go south on I-71 or SR-176. That crossing of traffic would have to be done in a pretty short distance -- a recipe for traffic jams and side-swipe accidents! Thus, I've proposed having the ramp for I-71/SR-176 rise up from the middle of the lanes westbound for I-90, west of the I-490 bridge. To simplify, this is how it could operate: > There could five lanes westbound across the I-490 bridge. > The two left lanes near the median barrier would carry traffic off I-77 north and the Opportunity Corridor to I-90 west. > The three remaining lanes could split into two two-lane roadways. One would rise up and diverge for I-71 and SR-176 (this could even be a three-lane ramp). > West of where the I-71/SR-176 ramps diverge, the farthest north two lanes would join the two lanes next to the median barrier for I-90 west. I'm going to have to do a graphic of this!

AN UPDATED VERSION OF THE PREVIOUS GRAPHICS, WITH A SLIGHTLY CHANGED ALIGNMENT HAS BEEN POSTED AT: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=2438.msg136987#msg136987 AND WHICH REQUIRES FEWER PROPERTY TAKINGS THAN WAS PREVIOUSLY ANTICIPATED. __________________________ This is an informational overview of the visual concepts I posted at http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=3697.msg96145#msg96145 earlier in this string.... Some features of this new Innerbelt concept: > New routing adds only 45 seconds (or an additional 4,000 feet of distance) to the trip of an I-90 motorist passing through downtown. > Assumes the Opportunity Corridor is built and that transit services to the suburbs are enhanced (such as regional rail, express bus, etc.). > Demolished for the new section of highway are several old public housing complexes, Central Cadillac, a park and some additional structures. Each of these would be relocated or put back once construction is complete (public housing would be replaced with scattered-site subsidized units mixed with market-rate housing, such as where the Central Interchange was located). > Access to downtown from the south and west is via an extension of State Route 176, which I've dubbed the "Downtown Access Boulevard" -- a landscaped, at-grade roadway north of the I-90/490 interchange that opens up land for development in Tremont and is less of a physical barrier between Tremont and Ohio City. > The new Cuyahoga Valley Viaduct incorporates the NS tracks, which would become the Lakefront Bypass route for nearly all freight train traffic. The old two-track NS viaduct would be replaced with a three-track bridge and have about 10 feet more clearance than the old span to avoid opening as often for river traffic. In the new bridge, the lower rail deck only could be raised some 20 feet to clear even the largest of lake-borne ships. > Sale of land on which the Central Interchange was located could net ODOT $1 million to $3 million per acre for the 60-acre site. This may win favor with the Federal Highway Administration, as the Federal Highways Trust Fund is faced with bankruptcy by 2009 (see http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/agcnvws/issues/2005-11-04/6.html ). > The Inner Belt trench on the east side of downtown is a mix of ODOT's proposal to remove ramps, and the locals' desire to keep them. It continues ODOT's proposed access roadway south to near Community College Avenue. > Also a new center exit/entrance for downtown-bound I-77 motorists only would be built just north of I-490 for an enhanced thoroughfare providing quick access to downtown. Location proposed is to use Broadway, but could be adjusted one block farther north to Orange. The enhanced thoroughfare would likely be no slower than I-77 is during rush hours, along I-77's last mile entering downtown. > The new highway routing and demolition of the Central Interchange would reunite the Central neighborhood with downtown. Caps over the new highway would create a visually seamless neighborhood streetscape in the affected areas. I'd happy to provide anyone with more information on this concept, or provide you with higher-resolution images if you like. Just contact me at [email protected]

I was wondering if throwing my computer out the window of my fifth-floor condo might help in some way. I've certainly been tempted to try! Vulpster, you're not the first person I've heard make that comparison between Stark and the Van Swerigens. But you are the first person who has said it in writing. I was discussing this topic a few days ago with a friend of mine after Stark got the RFQ to develop at the end of the Blue Line. Back in the 1920s, the Vans developed a graphic showing Greater Cleveland with all these communities linked by rapid transit and had the tag "Rapid transit means rapid growth." But I think one important difference is that the Van Swerigen brothers weren't married and thus had no children to carry on their legacy after the brothers died. Of course, the Great Depression blew down the Vans' house of cards, which was built on one promise of paying a debt on top of another. They didn't own very much which they could liquidate to pay off their debts. Read the book "Invisible Giants" by Herbert H. Harwood Jr. which chronicles the Vans' rise and fall. It gets into the genius of their financial dealings, but also shows how they became vulnerable to the Great Depression. In remembering what the book said, there certainly are some comparisons between the visions of the Vans and Stark for the city. I only hope that we avoid an economic collapse like what halted the Vans' grand vision for Greater Cleveland. My father, who was born the same year as the stock market crash, once said Cleveland didn't start recovering from the Great Depression until the 1980s. I couldn't agree more.

I'm surprised you're finding that duplexes (which also can mean an up-and-down double) are so dominant. I would have thought the rental listings would be evenly divided among duplexes (or tri-plexes and even quadplexes, which are a number of in Lakewood) and units within a large apartment building. I live in an apartment-style condo, with concrete walls (covered with plaster/wallpaper or wood/brick paneling) and floors (covered with tile or carpeting). I can't hear much of anything of my neighbors. It's incredibly quiet. Wood floors would be a different story, but there's something charming about wood floors.

I heard they lost. I can't watch these games as I get too upset. That's one of the reasons why I stay away from sports... especially Cleveland sports. I always get let down over something which I have no control.

A couple of years ago when Campbell did her big budget cuts.

I'm toning down my reactions to this and other articles, as I would rather move forward than look back.

Cornercurve, I had a more detailed response that got lost when my f*cking computer froze (again!), but short answer is I can't account for the reason why CP tripled in price.

I have a graphic of it if you'd like me to post it here. I don't know what's happening with the project but the last I heard the developer was having a hard getting hotels to commit to the site. It's one of the reasons why Calabrese believes (however inaccurately) that TOD is going to be a difficult thing to accomplish in RTA's service area. The office and tourism market isn't moving in Greater Cleveland, but the housing and retail market it. I realize building housing at the Brookpark site is a nonstarter, but it's also a nonstarter to base the validity of TOD in Cleveland on the Brookpark site. Of course, what's proposed for the Brookpark station isn't TOD anyway!

Thanks, but I'd prefer not to be quoted or referred to in any articles about this issue. I came up with a report to satisfy my own curiosity and to motivate others to take the lead (and thus, for them to be quoted). I will gladly talk off the record with the media on this so they can get their facts straight, rather than rely on people like Calabrese or Sutherland who have their reactions, not research, ready to go.

Stay intoxicated. Gehry's Peter B. Lewis Building will thus appear to have straight lines and make complete sense. As a West Side suburbanite, what's a Jew?

A couple of interesting items that were put on city council's agenda.... C A L E N D A R Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting TUESDAY, May 23, 2006 9:30 a.m. MERCEDES COTNER COMMITTEE ROOM 217 CITY HALL Ord. No. 786-06 By Council Members Zone, Pierce Scott, Cimperman, Sweeney (by departmental request) Authorizing the Director of Economic Development to enter into contract with Congeni Investments, LLC, to provide economic development assistance to partially finance the acquisition of real property located at 2034 West 65th Street [just south of Madison Avenue) and all other associated costs necessary to redevelop the property. Estimated Cost: $80,000 Remarks by Director of Economic Development Department: See Legislation. Ord. No. 787-06 By Council Members Pierce Scott, Lewis, Sweeney (by departmental request) Authorizing the Director of Economic Development to enter into a Seventh Amendment to the lease with the Rockwell Company LLP to lease property for the Downtown One-Stop facility at 1701 East 13th Street for a two-month period; authorizing a month-to-month interim extension of the Seventh Amendment with Rockwell Company LLP, until such time as the facility relocates to 1020 Bolivar Road; and authorizing the Director of Economic Development to lease certain property located at 1020 Bolivar Road for USA Parking Systems Inc., for a term of ten years, for the public purpose of operating a comprehensive workforce service center to job seekers and employers. Estimated Cost: $723,511 Remarks by Director of Economic Development Department: See Legislation. C A L E N D A R Finance Committee Meeting MONDAY, May 22, 2006 2:00 p.m. MERCEDES COTNER COMMITTEE ROOM 217 CITY HALL Ord. No. 578-06 By Mayor Jackson Authorizing the Mayor to enter an agreement with the City of Independence for the purpose of sharing the income tax revenue to be paid by players and relocated administrators of the Cleveland Cavaliers as a result of the relocation of the team’s practice facilities to a new complex to be located in Independence, Ohio. Remarks by Director of Finance Department: See Legislation. Remarks by Director of Law Department: There is no legal objection to the passage of this legislation if amended.

Looks like the police helicopters are coming back.... _________________ C A L E N D A R Public Safety Committee Meeting WEDNESDAY, May 24, 2006 10:00 a.m. MERCEDES COTNER COMMITTEE ROOM 217 CITY HALL Ord. No. 737-06 By Council Members Conwell, Sweeney (by departmental request) Authorizing the purchase by one or more requirement contracts of fuel, maintenance and aviation insurance for two helicopters and their equipment, for the Division of Police, Department of Public Safety, for a period of one year with an option to renew for one additional year. Remarks by Director of Public Safety Department: See Legislation.

A thought-provoking piece... _______________ http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2006/05/after-prosthetic-society.html Wednesday, May 17, 2006 After the Prosthetic Society It's often said that generals prepare to fight the last war rather than the next one, and the same thing deserves to be said at least as much of societies in general. In every age, most people believe that the current state of affairs can be counted on to keep on going forever, and they plan for the future on the assumption that it'll be just like the present, only more so. Political, economic, and cultural institutions do the same thing, and too often spiritual traditions -- which exist to point out inconvenient realities -- get swept up in the consensus. Then the future comes along and does something different, and everyone who thought they knew what was coming ends up sitting in the wreckage wondering what happened.

He's still working the political angles to educate downtown stakeholders, as well as elected officials at the city and county levels. But I'd say the next specific toll gate for him is to get his preliminary design and engineering numbers ready for presentation to the city and to investors. Don't expect him to deliver his plans to the City Planning Commission with a couple of major tenants signed by that point. He may have letters of intent in hand, but that's far from a commitment. He's seeking financing for this development almost entirely on market speculation. It's not the first time he's done that.... When I covered for Sun the evolution of Crocker Park from rumor to opening, Stark started out with an engineering cost estimate (which was $150 million at the time -- it became $420 million). He had a chunk of land for which he had an option to buy. And, ultimately some letters of intent from some retailers. That was what he had in pocket when he sought approval from Westlaker voters to rezone the land as a planned-unit development. The fight was absolutely brutal and expensive. Jacobs spent $1 million to defeat his plan, but Stark spent $2 million, and Stark got his rezoning was approved. Only then did he seek leases from tenants and finalize his incredibly extensive design package for the city to approve. I think Stark fears community apathy more than he fears a tough fight. And, for those who think Stark can't handle a tough fight to get a development project approved should read this article in the next message....

Seems this columnist's editor didn't read the whole column before writing the headling and sub-head. It's more about the suburbs/exurbs and how gas prices threaten to erode their viability... _________________ http://observer.guardian.co.uk/columnists/story/0,,1776877,00.html I like driving in my car Americans' obsession with their cars did not come about by accident. Paul Harris charts the rise of General Motors Thursday May 18, 2006 I could not tell if the look on the woman's face was disdain or pity. But either way she did not understand that I wanted to rent a small car, not a big one. 'Are you sure you don't want an upgrade, honey?' she said, eyeing me suspiciously 'The car you've booked is really small.' She offered a bigger car at the same price, perhaps thinking I was angling for a deal. No, I told her, I genuinely don't like driving big cars. I can't see the point and they are hell to park. Give me something small and boxy, please. In the end she let me have my way but I think she was genuinely offended. That was in Texas. But it's happened at rental car counters all over America. The concept that you actually prefer a little car to a tank-like SUV seems difficult to grasp. Invariably I get offered a bigger vehicle for the same price. When I turn down the deal I am usually spoken to in a tone of voice that suggests I must be an escaped village idiot. Or very poor.

^ See the Megabus thread in the transportation section.

I'm surprised there hasn't been a bigger reaction to the Stark/Asher agreement. In the grand scheme of things, this is far more important than what the Cavs are doing. But unlike that happy turn of events, this isn't generating dozens of postings on internet forums. I guess we Clevelanders are a skeptical lot -- but if anything warrants skepticism it is our sports teams! Apparently development projects just don't capture the hearts and souls of the average Clevelander. I guess that's why we're development geeks around here....

Glad to see you posting again, Tevis! Don't be a shy stranger.

For Immediate Release: May 17, 2006 Contact: Colin Peppard - 202-222-0747 (office) / 202-841-4491 (cell) Friends of the Earth's Transportation Blog Without Rail and Transit, Bush Traffic Plan is a Dead End Bush’s six-point plan does little to solve traffic congestion or gas prices Washington D.C. – President Bush failed to consider the most effective ways to combat growing gridlock in the U.S. in his plan to reduce traffic, which was released yesterday. The plan virtually ignores transit and passenger rail, which could significantly help with rising gas prices in addition to traffic congestion. Instead, the plan favors measures that focus on highways and private roadways, as well as technological fixes and fast-track environmental review of projects. “President Bush had the perfect opportunity to address both gridlock and gas prices in this plan, and he decided not to take it,” said Colin Peppard, transportation policy coordinator for Friends of the Earth. “With the price of oil expected to approach $4 per gallon this summer, Americans are hardly clamoring for more roads.” As USA Today reported last month, transit systems across the country are seeing increased ridership, corresponding with the rise in gas prices. However, the Bush administration’s plan ignores such highly successful Department of Transportation transit programs such as “New Starts”, which helps support local investment in rail transit, commuter rail, and bus rapid transit systems. The New Starts program has helped hundreds of cities and communities build or expand transit systems. Many Amtrak corridors have seen double digit ridership increases as well. However, in this year’s budget, President Bush proposed cutting Amtrak funding by 30 percent. Like local and regional transit, Amtrak trains are more fuel efficient than passenger cars. All forms of transit help relieve congestion by allowing travelers to choose not to drive. “It is clear from the numbers that the consumer demand for transit is growing,” said Peppard. “Transportation planners are working to respond to the demand by building out transit and improving rail travel in this country. Yet all the president can offer is more asphalt.” The release of Bush’s narrow minded plan means the responsibility to support local and regional transit now lies with Congress, which is currently considering a transportation funding package for 2007. The Senate appropriations subcommittee that deal with transportaion is tentatively scheduled to take up their portion of the annual bill on May 24. # # #

^ I missed that part of the article! But it makes sense since Asher has that property as well. And now Stark has a piece of it too! Also, Stark shows it on his rendering of the Power Block area (on the lower right-hand side of the image below)...

Correct. Those are the only two parcels in that block that Asher doesn't own or control. I just checked the auditor's records and the ownership hasn't changed. They are small portions of the block, and Stark/Asher can probably proceed without them. Perhaps he might even consider keeping the building at West 3rd and St. Clair. But that parking deck at West 6th and Superior has got to go!

Never assume anything. This is a huge step forward. He wanted it done before he went to the shopping center convention in Las Vegas and he was able to do it. Securing financing (or at least a large portion of it) is his next step. But having Asher as a partner puts more deep pockets into play. I wouldn't be surprised to see a development plan submitted to the Historic Warehouse District's Design Review Committee before year's end, at least for the Power Block between West 6th and 3rd. There is a possibility however that Stark may wait until Cameron's property is in the fold. Then he could submit both blocks at the same time. And, BTW, congrats on the PD scooping me!

Seems that a no-frills bus service linking Chinatowns has now started between Cleveland and New York. So now we have them operating east and west from Cleveland, in addition to Megabus. See the message below... http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=3128.msg98206#msg98206