KJP

^ Not to my knowledge they haven't. In fact, some at RTA are noting that, while fuel prices go up each penny, RTA loses another $54,000. None of that cost has been felt by the rail system. And, another thing to note is that while RTA buses average 24 boardings per trip, RTA trains average more than 50 boardings per trip. That results in more productivity per labor hour and, increasingly, per unit of energy. And that's for an underperforming rail system. Imagine how much better those numbers would be if areas around stations were developed with mixed uses and walkable settings to increase rail's utility. The basic numbers are there for making RTA more efficient -- all that's needed is the will to capitalize on them.

It's in the site control stage. Stark wants control of (or at least a stake in) the site for Phase 1 by the end of May. BTW, as an aside, he's told me on Wednesday that one lender he's spoken with found this downtown development more palatable than Crocker Park because the urban-like Crocker Park was "out of place" for its suburban surroundings. The lender said what Stark is now proposing belongs exactly where he is proposing it.

Whoops, here's another RFP...er, RFQ. And this one is a big one! Shaker Heights on April 10 issued a request for qualifications from developers interested in the 60-acre redevelopment zone at the east end of the Blue Line at Van Aken, Warrensville, Northfield and Chagrin. Here's is link to the 11-page RFQ from the city.... http://www.shakeronline.com/Media/PDFs/Uploader/413200694237WvA_RFQEmail.pdf

This sure as hell IS being marketed by Stark as a neighborhood. Who in the world told you it wasn't? Listen carefully to what Stark says about creating an urban wholism, a community, a context. Give him that and then decide what you think this project, and Stark, is or isn't. I can tell you from speaking with him a number of times that his first priority is to look at an urban area as an organic whole, and that restoring downtown Cleveland's viability is an essential piece of restoring health to the region. That restoration comes from making downtown an enjoyable place to live, work, shop, play, dine, socialize, meet, learn and grow as a human being in one dynamic setting. He understands that this is why cities exist. To say that Stark just wants to build some stores downtown is a very unenlightened statement.

...And just as I get frustrated with everyone thinking more mass transit is the only answer (yes, this really is KJP). The greatest factor impacting oil consumption is land use, although transportation and land use go hand in hand. If all of your basic needs are within a 5- to 15-minute walk or bike ride, with other needs/destinations farther away accessible by train, trolley, bus, taxi or flexcar, then I would think our nation's per-capita oil consumption rate would be more similar to that of Europe. If that were the case, U.S. oil consumption would drop by more than half..... Consider this chart: 2006 Est. Oil Consumed Per-Capita Population in 2004 Consumption Germany 82.4 million 2.6mbpd 0.032 France 60.9 million 2.0mbpd 0.033 UK 60.6 million 1.9mbpd 0.031 Italy 58.1 million 1.9mbpd 0.033 Spain 40.4 million 1.6mbpd 0.040 Europe Avg 302.4 million 10.0mbpd 0.033 USA 298.4 million 20.7mbpd 0.069 Also, note that the U.S. is still the world's third-largest oil producer (we were largest as recently as the mid-1990s), as we produce between 8-9 million barrels of oil per day. Imagine being able to once again run your entire nation's transportation system on your own oil! If U.S. cities and transportation systems were designed like those in Europe, the U.S. would consume less than 10 million barrels of oil per day. We would still have to import a little bit (and increasingly again, since U.S. oil production is declining), but where would you rather get your oil -- from Canada and Mexico, or Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Nigeria and Venezuala? Problem is, it would probably take 50 years or so to completely redesign our cities and transportation systems. And we don't have anywhere close to that much time.....

Stark attends the convention every year, as do most national developers who are involved in retail. It's one of those must-attend events for developers who desire to stay in business.

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1146040475219270.xml&coll=2 Gas prices fueling mass-transit use Wednesday, April 26, 2006 John C. Kuehner Plain Dealer Reporter Higher gas prices are driving commuters to park their cars and ride the bus. Mass transit agencies in Greater Cleveland report more riders on their buses and trains, continuing a growth in ridership that spans the past three years. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has enjoyed a 12 percent growth in ridership over the last three years. General Manager Joe Calabrese expects ridership to increase 4 percent this year. .... To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: [email protected], 216-999-5325

From Toronto, about Madrid's massive expansion (yes, in Toronto they are complaining that they don't have it good enough -- everything truly is relative).... _____________ March 28, 2006 Toronto Globe & Mail Dr. Gridlock Need for speed drives Madrid miracle JEFF GRAY The provincial government, about to hand over a $670-million cheque to extend Toronto's subway system deep into the wilds of York Region, proclaimed in its budget last week that the move, along with money for bus ways in Brampton and Mississauga, was the beginning of "a new era" for public transit in the Greater Toronto Area. And perhaps it is. But opening day for the subway extension to Vaughan is, officials estimate, still at least 10 years away, provided Ottawa agrees to pay its share. And waiting another 10 years for eight measly kilometres of subway, after building only about that much in total over the previous 25 years, hardly sounds like a new era. What it sounds like is more of the same. So what would a real new era in public transit look like? Consider Madrid, population 3 million, at the centre of a region with 5.8 million people. While Toronto took eight years to produce the stub-like, 5.5-kilometre Sheppard subway, this Spanish city and public-transit paradise has built more than 120 kilometres of subway in 10 years. And more tracks, along with new light rail lines and buses, are on the way. Madrid's new era arrived in the mid-1990s, explains Carlos Cristobal-Pinto, director of planning for Madrid's regional transportation authority, just as the city's suburban population began to expand with increased immigration from Latin America, Eastern Europe and North Africa. It started slowly, with a 10-kilometre extension of Madrid's circle subway line completed in 1995. But then centre-right politician Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon, now Madrid's mayor, became president of the regional government, after elections in which his party promised to build 28 kilometres of new subways in four years. Officials in Mr. Cristobal-Pinto's agency thought the scheme was ridiculous, he said: "Twelve, 15, 20 kilometres maybe, but 28 is impossible to build in four years." Then the government decided it really wanted 55 kilometres, not 28. And still in four years -- in time for the next election, of course. You can almost see Toronto Transit Commission engineers' heads exploding. But the unthinkable happened. Madrid actually built 56.3 kilometres, 38 new stations, all completed on time in 1999 at the cost of €1.6-billion ($2.25-billion), including vehicles. Now, after building almost an entire TTC subway system (which has 62.6 kilometres of track), Madrid did not sit back and relax. Driven by Mr. Ruiz-Gallardon, Mr. Cristobal-Pinto said, the government promised yet another 55 kilometres, again before elections in four years. And, in 2003, at a cost of €2.8-billion ($3.9-billion), 54.6 kilometres of new subway opened for business, much of it linking suburbs southwest of central Madrid. How can this be? Mr. Cristobal-Pinto said the government's four-year political deadlines were very clear, so his team simply found a way to make it happen. Plus, environmental assessments in Spain take only three or four months. Here in Ontario, that alone can take two years or more. The TTC's website on the Spadina subway extension lays out the rest of Toronto's slow-motion process: After an environmental assessment, the design stage can take two to three years. Construction can take as long as four. One TTC official told me that, on the Sheppard line, designing the Sheppard-Yonge station alone took two years. So perhaps some Spanish-style red-tape cutting over here is in order. There are other things Madrid does differently, too. While this doesn't explain the whole Madrid miracle, the transit agency has been willing to experiment with public-private partnerships. One of the new subway lines is operated by a private firm with a long-term lease, and Madrid is now building several massive underground bus interchanges, with tunnels to whisk buses out of traffic, with private investment. Many bus routes in the region are also run by private firms. And there is also Mr. Cristobal-Pinto's agency, a broad regional transit body with, it seems, much broader powers than the proposed Greater Toronto Transit Authority, which was again promised in the provincial budget. Back in Madrid, now with 220 kilometres of subway, they just can't stop building public transit. A €4.4-billion ($6-billion) plan, set for completion by 2007, will build another 47.4 kilometres of subway and 45 kilometres of light rail in suburban areas. And the national government, responsible for highways, plans to build 200 kilometres of bus-only lanes. "I could keep listening to you all day," said Toronto transit consultant Ed Levy, as Mr. Cristobal-Pinto finished his presentation to a transit conference here. "And crying more copiously as I listen." But Mr. Cristobal-Pinto seemed to have no magic secret to share with his audience. The reason for the public transit miracle seems actually quite simple: Governments in Spain have simply made public transit a priority, and voters have too. Mr. Levy added: "The motto is strike while the iron is hot, and strike hard." ###

Stark has to think big to really make an impressive, UNIQUE place to draw in both suburbanites and other retailers. That big thinking starts with big incomes to draw in unique retailers -- if that's what Stark wants. I suspect he'd be happy with having neighborhood basics like a full grocery store (though Flats East Bank is supposed to have one), banks, video stores, drug store, book store, basic clothing stores (sometimes you just need a pair of socks or a new belt!), home decorating store (ie: Bed Bath & Beyond), office supply (I'll bet lots of the new housing will double as home offices), package delivery stores (Mailboxes Etc...), a postal retail brach (though there's a couple already downtown), computer/electronics store, bakery, and so on. I imagine Stark already has his list of what retail (and retailers) will make that a true downtown neighborhood, and he's probably been talking to retailers about it for some time.

It's the epitome of what's wrong in American politics (and, for that matter, American business). Make decisions or ask others to make decisions based on short-term, unsubstantive goals that aren't necessarily best for the nation, but are for the best of a select few individuals who have the most to gain from those short-sighted decisions. These people are selling political drugs to make people feel good now, without consequence for how they'll feel after the drug wears off. The dealers will have the money in their bank accounts while we're stuck with hangovers and empty pockets. Just for once, I'd love to hear a Congressperson speak out and tell us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear. I'm sure some political wonk will tell me "you say that now, but would you really vote for someone who's going to ask you to sacrifice?" Um, yes I would. Strange, but every major crisis we've faced as a nation and overcome as a nation was due to Americans as a nation making sacrifices. For reference, see the Civil War, Great Depression, WWII and others. But when selfishness prevailed, we usually failed.

That's why we "love" the Lakewood Observer at our office! Always such a unique perspective on things.... BTW, the developer of this project called our Lakewood reporter more than a half-dozen times since late last week, asking if she needed anything, wanting to write the lead for her story, sending her numerous pictures, telling her that the article "MUST" go on the front page of the paper, and etc. and so on ad nauseum! Um, dude, dial it down, OK? It's a nice project, but it's not the crem de la crem of developments. By the end of the week we will have forgotten all about it for yet another "This Week's Development of the Century."

^ I hear people say that a lot, yet remember that many streetcar and interurban lines built in the late 1800s and early 1900s were built as "promotional lines." These were built by real estate/electric utility/transportation syndicates into the totally undeveloped countryside adjacent to existing cities. The moral of the story is that those areas were even less dense than today's suburbs. Yet, the rural areas were built with walkable neighborhoods, just as how our modern sprawling, parking lot-ridden suburbs should be rebuilt. ____________ So is the Heritage transit line still a pending/active plan/project?

As far as I know, Shaia's property is included in the development agreement. I'll check with someone to verify.

Has the near-disappearance of the Penn Central line made a revival of this project impossible? I guess the better question is -- how much of the P-C line has been built upon? BTW, Amtrak stopped serving Dayton in 1979. President Carter cut Amtrak's funding in the midst of the 1970s' second energy crisis. One of the trains cut was the National Limited, which ran daily between New York City and Kansas City via Philly, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, and St. Louis. Nearly all of the rail line is long gone between Dayton and Indy (ripped out in the early 1980s).

Most nations in Europe are paying upwards of $5 per gallon. A large portion of that is tax to pay for things like national health care, transit and so on. Nations in the Middle East and other major oil-exporting nations pay the least amounts (including that 12 cents you mentioned). Of course, one thing left unsaid is that the U.S. is the third-largest oil producing nation in the world -- not only do we use all of that, we import 60 percent of the oil we consume. That factoid right there should tell every American they need to cut back on the "Black Crack."

The pieces legislation were moved to the full council, which approved them earlier this evening.

Which one? Hopkins or BWI?

Welcome Marky-Mark! Glad to have you on board.

Don't forget Stonebridge's long-range plans and a tower atop 515 Euclid. Then, throw in the County Administration building on Euclid, the added DFAS jobs, Quicken Loans (I'm just counting the loan center, not an HQ), UHHS on Euclid, CWRU on Euclid (hoping they get their act together) and, who knows, maybe another major office presence (Bank of America, a local internet start-up or two that's booming) and you've got the makings of something truly remarkable. But, sorry to be a killjoy, there's some things in our nation's economy that cause me grave concern (housing bubble, oil prices, trade deficit, worsening personal debts, etc) and little inclination by our "leaders" to address them (or voter concern about them). Oil prices may make downtown living more attractive, but will also cause construction costs to increase. Too bad a lot of these downtown projects didn't start earlier....

That was the Lake Shore Electric Railway, which stopped operating in 1938. I encourage those of interested in this interurban, the last one of many such interurban lines to serve Greater Cleveland, to read "The Lake Shore Electric Railway Story" by Herbert H. Harwood Jr and Robert S. Korach, published by Indiana University Press in 2000. Lots of great stories, photos, maps and more. Here is one of my favorite photos from the book, with the shot looking east in 1936 in downtown Rocky River, toward the Westlake Hotel (now the pink condo building) and the old Detroit Road bridge (now the site of the "bridge building"). This was where the LSE left city streets in Cleveland and Lakewood and headed out across open country on its right of way, to Lorain, Sandusky, Fremont, Toledo and Detroit (with branch lines to other cities)....

I used to wonder what people even in developed nations (Europe, Far East etc) were saying when they complained about "spoiled, materialistic Americans." My eyes were gradually opened over the last 10 years or so, and the pathetic responses by many to the three-year rise in gas prices has only solidified that belief. Remember that survey question from some months ago I posted, about whether driving was a constitutional right or a privelege? Remember that something like 20 percent thought it was a constitutional right?

http://www.cleveland.com/business/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/business/114578158582040.xml&coll=2 Developer Stark's ideas for downtown get positive reception Sunday, April 23, 2006 For the past year or so, developer Bob Stark has been pitching his plan to anybody locally who will listen: Mayor Frank Jackson, Cleveland City Council members, Cuyahoga County commissioners, downtown property owners, the boards of the port authority and Downtown Cleveland Partnership.

By the way, I don't know if you noticed the graphic on Google in the last few days... It shows a bank of solar panels as well as a wind turbine. Way to go Google! Glad to see some entity out there with means of reaching of the masses is conveying the right message.

So what stores are closing in the region because these are opening? When your metro area isn't growing, something's going to give somewhere.

Keep in mind that Old Brooklyn Neighborhood Service is conducting this study, so that any transit routing would need to serve Old Brooklyn. And the two main traffic generators in the area are the zoo and MetroHealth (both its main campus and its "new" south campus -- AKA Deaconess Hospital). The two traffic congested areas are on Pearl south of I-71 through Brooklyn Centre to "downtown" Old Brooklyn and the other on Ridge south of Pearl. Other than using signal preemption for transit, I don't know how you make transit vehicles move more quickly through the Brooklyn Centre area. But Ridge south of Pearl is a pretty wide right of way. You might be able to offer a dedicated transit right of way here.