TMH

I am not sure how to present this without everyone ridiculing, but here goes. I think the entire concept of the casino right in the center of downtown is very European. Unlike every other casino in the Midwest, this is not a big box buildt in the middle of nowhere. This is not part of a race track. It is in an historic building with all of the real table games. It has the potential to be an exceptional gaming place. I am a statistician and therfore, not a gambler, but I can appreciate the mistique. I can see the next James Bond movie being filmed there.

Why is Pickwick and Frolic always left out of these articles. I love that place. They were on that street before the others arrived.

Straphanger, metered parking has always been free after 6:00pm and on weekends in Cleveland.

Almost 120,000 people work downtown. If we want free parking, we will need to accommodate them also because they will fill those spots. Don't forget the 12,000 people living downtown. As a downtown resident, I pay $120 a month to park my car - should that also be free? Personally, if suburbanites want to stay in the suburbs, I am OK. Even if we provided free parking, there would suddenly be another reason for them to not come downtown - "it feels unsafe", "there are too many people and I feel unsafe (riding RTA)", "the streets are empty and it feels unsafe", "there is nothing to do", etc. I am tired of trying to make an urban environment based on a suburban mindset.

The exposition appears to have been a great time for Cleveland. My question is - why was it so short lived and what can we learn from that experience in planning our future?

Is there any way we can limit the width and size of the photos posted on OhioUrban.com? In this thread, the text either scrolls to the right forever, or it is so small, it is almost impossible to read.

I have always been a little dismayed at the size of the Nashville project. Our Medical Mart is 5 floors. Their mart was planned to be 11 times larger. That would be a 55 floor version of our mart! We are looking at a building similar to Key Tower in size. When Nashville was discussing a Medical Mart, were they planning for a similar concept as Cleveland, or were they using a different model?

I would reccomend: 1) Bowling at the Corner Alley, 2) A movie at Tower City Cinemas, 3) Visit the Mather Ship at the Science Center and go to the IMAX, 4) Explore the Antiquities Section on the third floor of the old library building, and 5) The Money Museum in the Federal Reserve building. These are some of my favorite place to take out of town visitors.

Since the "filling in Euclid Ave." thread is locked I am posting here. Can anyone comment on the work being done in one of the buildings on the south side of Euclid Ave. between East 9th and East 12th?

I am not crazy about this video. I think the creator was trying to praise Cleveland, but to me it does not work. Cleveland is not a steel town anymore. Cleveland's signiture dish is not a polish boy. That is not the Cleveland of today. This video would appear to an outsider as pathetic. We are so much better then that.

Downtown pre 1980s?! I grew up in Cleveland and during the late 60s and 70s downtown shut down after 5:00pm. Playhouse square was closed and nearing demolition. The Fats was nothing. The Warehouse District was nothing but vacant buildings. The most popular saying was "Last one out, turn out the lights." No comparison to today.

I disagree with the first paragraph. I have been tracking the unemployment figures throughout this recession, and in several monthly reports, the Cleveland area as had a lower unemployment rate than Columbus.

I grew up in Cleveland and I remember that in the 60s Reserve Square apartments were built and it was a big deal because there were finally apartments for people downtown. Unlike NYC, Chicago, Philadelphia, etc., Cleveland did not have a major downtown population. Cleveland is a city of neighborhoods. People would work downtown and then go home to their neighborhood. When we moved back to Cleveland about 13 years ago from Chicago, there were very few options for downtown living. Today we live downtown (and love it!) and there are so many people and neighbors here, that I know it is a great improvement.

Reading these comments I had to remind myself that this was not the comment section of Cleveland.com. The building will not even be completed for 2 years!

Have there been any updates regarding the Nashville Medical Mart? Is this still a viable project or has it gone the way of the New York Medical Mart?

My grandchildren (ages 3 and 4) love being downtown. They love riding the Trolley to Tower City, then getting ice cream or french fries and then going to the Dollar Store for a small toy or the Tower City Cinemas for a movie. They love going to the Library reading garden and playing with the fountain and the little figurines. Next we go to the old library building and the kids room on the 4th floor. There is a special story telling time, but I am not sure of the day and time. My grandchildren love walking to the science center and exploring the Mather or watching an IMAX movie. They love to walk around Voinavich park to see the water. Sometimes we walk the other way to the river and watch the seagulls and ships. I could go on and on, but suffice to say my grandchildren love being downtown.

Why do we always assume that people before us were stupid? I have posted several times the fact that we have a northern shoreline. This is not trivial. We own a cottage right on Lake Erie (30 ft from the water). Most people visit the lake on beautiful summer days. They see the lake as an ocean. I understand that, but they do not understand what the weather is like on the lake, not only in the winter, but also in the summer! We had some friends come to our cottage in June for a day on the lake with a barbeque. It was a beautiful day until out of no where a tremendous wind came and we had to take down all of the deck furniture and move the whole thing inside. This was June!! I can tell similar stories when visiting the Rock Hall or attending a Browns game. I love going to the cottage in the winter, it is spectacular but not for the "weak of heart". It is extremely difficult to create a workable business model for a restaurant or most other businesses on our NORTHERN shoreline of Lake Erie. To be honest, I do not think that most people could handle living on the Lake even if the housing was more affordable. It is different from what people think.

I see a different slant to this list. I think it shows how the USPS has become irrelevant to modern business. If I understand the locations of the proposed offices, there are at least 3 in downtown Cleveland and a couple in the University Circle area. These are two of the most promising areas for both business and population.

I think there is a pool at CSU. The Osborne Apts. have a rooftop pool, and Key Club at the Marriott has a pool for members. I would guess that the YMCA near the Wolstein Center has a pool and I think there is a pool at Lincoln Park in Tremont.

"It's just a targeted technical assistance program aimed at helping municipalities [not MSAs] with economic challenges increase their capacity to undertake economic development programs." Thanks, that was the additional info I was looking for.

StrapHanger, I do not want to sound argumentative (which apparently I always do) but, if "low regional unemployment hardly means Cleveland doesn't face "economic need" , then what figures are you looking at relative to the nation? I agree with 8Titles. There is little serious money here, and I am tired being linked to Detroit when talking about economic development. Obama has come here praising our economic development, our Cleveland Clinic, and yet we are selected for some program designed to "spark economic growth in local communities". That is why I asked in my original post - Are there additional objectives for this program that will benefit Cleveland?

Using the May unemployment rates for MSA, I am not sure of the relationship between the cities selected and the health of their economies as shown by employment. Are there additional program goals beyond making the cities more economically viable? Chester, PA (Philadelphia) 8.4% Cleveland, OH 7.7% Detroit, MI 11.6% Fresno, CA 16.0% Memphis, TN 10.1% New Orleans, LA 8.0%

It is my understanding that based on the last census and how you define "Downtown". Cleveland has close to 12,000 people living downtown. This includes the following districts: Warehouse, Gateway, Theater, West bank of the Flats, CSU, The Avenue, the apartments on East 12th, the apartments on St. Clair and 30th, etc. Basically inside the loop. Is this correct?

I saw this article in USAToday. It is one of the most positive articles about Cleveland's changing job market. Wouldn't it be nice if the PD would print something like this once and a while? http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/manufacturing/2011-06-06-hubs-for-manufacturing-jobs_n.htm

Response to Clueless Ohio - In my initial post in this discussion I stated that the destruction of buildings just to produce surface parking lots is a disaster. I even mentioned the Warehouse District as an example. The difference here is that something is going to be built . I live in the Grand Arcade! The Grand Arcade has over 90 units. The buildings we are talking about are not being considered for any development because at best they would produce only 15 to 25 apartments. In a city with a downtown population of over 12000, they are not profitable for conversion. The casino project in its entirety stands to total close to 1 BILLION DOLLARS!!