MidwestChamp

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I couldn't agree more. Sorry I wasn't clear. When I said rail connection I meant if a RTA bus transit center were built on the Public Square lot there should be an underground PEDESTRIAN link to tower city and ultimately the train station. Meaning people riding the bus could transfer to the train all indoors. I'm in no way suggesting building a new train station right next to Tower City, that would be duplicative and crazy. I still think RTA can partner with a developer to incorporate what was to be the West Side Transit Center just off public square, and connect that center to tower city. I don't think this is pie in the sky at all. RTA already did planning for the West Side Transit Center, and developers are looking at building new mixed use centers (such as Stark). I think this is do-able and helps make the Public Square redo that much better by removing buses and offering transit riders indoor waiting areas.

Does anyone know the difference in construction time between concrete and steel construction methods for a project like this? Just wondering because by these pictures it seems like in a short time the steel has caught up and surpassed the concrete work.

^Is this massively expensive, yes. But we're dreaming big as a city now and moving things forward at a great pace. We have momentum on our side so while we have it why settle? The Stark development to me shows developers are now willing to bet big downtown. Can RTA partner with one to create a mixed use facility that moves this all forward? If there's any time to get some big items checked off the Cleveland development list (lakefront development (check), riverfront development (check), convention center (check), public square and malls makeover (check), transit improvements (check?? ...aww). Let's dream big and seize on the momentum we have now. I'd love the bus transit hub built just off the square with a tower, as well as the multimodal center on the lakefront. KJP just posted how voters downed the subway 100 years ago. Different idea but 100 years later we now have the chance to get things right this time for the city we are in the 21st century. I'm less inclined to settle for a square filled with transit because that's how it's been. There's available land just to the west that could create an even better transit solution for buss and train connections while removing most buses from the square. If there's any time to dream big and get it done it's now while the city is hot.

The next best thing: A 45 story mixed-use tower with a transit center on the ground floor in the current surface parking lot just off the west quadrant. It kills several birds with one massive stone. Even better, a combination of both of those ideas. A 52 story mixed use tower and complex with underground transit center connecting the east and west sides of Cleveland. Oh Wait.... we already have that True but while Tower City is great for train riders, there's no covered connection for bus riders. That forces all of the bus layovers to happen around Tower City, including on the square. That's why I think an adjacent solution for buses on the vacant PS lot, topped by a tower of course as Cleburger suggests, linked underground to Tower City and the rail station, would be a great solution. Better for the square and I'm sure bus riders would appreciate an indoor facility on rainy mornings like today or on cold snowy winter days.

Great pics KJP. It's easy to forget how many people wait for transit here at peak times but that second pic really highlights how much of a transit hub PS is. I was in Charlotte earlier this year an across from the arena there there's a transit hub that serves light rail and covered waiting for busses that can pull into several lanes, not unlike the Tubb-Jones center but bigger and with a food court. That facility plus this picture really makes me wish RTA could make an integrated transit center work downtown, either adjacent to Public Square as part of a development of the surface lot or part of the intermodal transit hub north of the malls. Great for riders who can wait indoors during the winter and would also leave the new Public Square to solely serve park visitors.

As great as the Williamson building would have been as apartments, I would not trade it for the BP building. You can't imagine the Cleveland skyline without it, and as cdawg says it's a great skyscraper, one of the few in town to break 500 feet, and lines up with the axis of the mall well. IMO we have numerous older buildings that can still be converted into housing, and losing the warehouse district buildings to just parking was a much greater loss than the Williamson.

Is it odd for a university to not just own a home for the President and maintain it, rather than buying a new home for each incoming administrator? I think my school just had one residence that any incoming president was expected to reside in (a very nice residence in a historic neighborhood). Also, as a PD poster noted, why not renovate Mather Mansion as the president's home? I think hotel plans fell through and it's on campus and owned by the university.

I was thinking this as well. If it can be built between the Rock Hall and the Science Center it can be connected to the Rock Hall and allow for additional exhibit space. The additional memorabilia from the Hard Rock would create an even bigger music mecca. I also could see the Hard Rock Cafe moving from Tower City to the hotel and offering another food option down there to the other outlets planned.

Your previous post states this video is from 2011. Meaning they were probably filming as early as 2010, prior to Huntington's move into the building, so yes the data in that video is out of date. I remember watching the Making Sense of Place video series, and I feel that the city has moved in the right direction since the short time that this was produced. Yes many of the issues outlined still exists, they will take decades to fully eradicate, but the progress made since even 2010 in Cleveland cannot be overlooked. And unlike previous "comebacks," momentum does not seem to be stopping but rather gathering steam.

Thank you KJP for that fascinating insight into the power structure of the Red Line. When you say "expensive" to update / replace the power system all at once, are we talking tens of millions, like the equivalent of a new rail station's cost, or talking hundreds of millions like the cost of the Healthline? Also, would it be cost effective to plan to replace the power system in conjunction with purchasing new rail cars for the system and could this save money? Since the cars have just been refreshed I'm sure replacement is 10-20 years away, but that too will be massively expensive and financial planning for this should begin now and i dunno, maybe there's cost savings to be had replacing both at once.

I think Mendo makes an interesting comparison in corporate philosophies with regards to their space/site needs. PNC is investing in downtown Pittsburgh and creating a more commanding presence. Key seems to be doing the opposite regarding downtown Cleveland. My sister worked at PNC for 6 years and I totally agree with this. It's not about changing office needs but a civic minded choice. As office needs have changed PNC has chosen to move their employees downtown. The PNC Firstside center houses a lot of back office functions (where my sister worked), essentially the offices Key chose to put in Brooklyn, and it has the more modern style collaborative workspaces. So does the PNC tower constructed mid 2000's and the new one being built now. Heck PNC now has 4 skyscrapers in Downtown Pittsburgh and the firstside center. We're just stating the Key, and to be fair many other large Cleveland area businesses, have not chosen to invest downtown to this same level as PNC has done for Pittsburgh. Just imagine if Key announced that to meet today's office needs it would partner with a developer to create new offices above retail and a transit center on the public square lot, along with housing. That would make a statement about their commitment to the city and move along a key transit concern and redevelop an important space.

That looks amazing! Very happy for this section of Hough!

I concur, this is not only ridiculous, it's dangerous -- if you (or any passenger) was hit by a car or any other vehicle while making this "transfer", RTA most assuredly would be liable. If the regular HL buses can't be operated, then RTA should shut down the platforms completely and post boarding signs at curbside until all the regular HL buses are fixed. This mixing and matching incompatible buses to the BRT corridor is clearly not the answer. This sounds confusing and dangerous for regular RTA riders, so I can only imagine the confusion it would cause visitors using the system, and the poor experience it would create.

Why is it that RTA has not activated this system? And how are the new articulated buses that do not have doors on both sides operating on the Healthline? Driving home I noticed one of those buses at Euclid and E107 and it clearly said healthline. Just curious how that works with the downtown platforms.

Man don't get caught in the crossfire! :-o

^I agree and look forward to the remake. Furthermore I think more information needs to be known about RTA's post public square plan before we pass judgement. While some buses idle on the square presently during layovers that does not mean this will be the case in the future. Will they move this to behind TC or somewhere else, or will this still happen on the square? My guess is they will move this elsewhere. Also, will all of the current routes flow through or around the square, or will some be relocated? I am fine with some buses moving through the square to provide access and transit connections. The question is how many and if they idle there or move through efficiently. This will determine if RTA will be an enhancement to the area or detriment, all depends on the treatment.

^Agreed. I lived in Pittsburgh for 7 years. The golden triangle is livelier during the day but not so much at night outside of the Cultural District, HOWEVER all the energy you could want is just across the river in the South Side, starting at Station Square downtown and going along Carson street for 2-3 miles, day and night. Same goes for the strip district to the east. Very close very compact and very much energized.

Since the Ritz is now over 20 years old, what about converting it into luxury apartments rather than refurbish the hotel, and constructing a new, larger luxury hotel as part of phase 2 casino, maybe a Caesar's Palace, keeping with the Caesar's Entertainment partnership with Rock Gaming. Just a thought, but it will be interesting to see what the new owners do with TC.

Just a dream here, but since the Ritz is now over 20 years old, convert it into luxury apartments rather than refurbish the hotel, and construct a new, larger luxury hotel as part of phase 2 casino, maybe a Caesar's Palace, keeping with the Caesar's Entertainment partnership with Rock Gaming.

Cleveland's first upcycle parts shop opens in St. Clair Superior area Print Laura DeMarco, The Plain Dealer By Laura DeMarco, The Plain Dealer Email the author | Follow on Twitter on July 14, 2014 at 1:26 PM, updated July 14, 2014 at 3:45 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio - Cleveland's first creative reuse center opens for regular hours this week, after a special weekend launch. Fittingly, the Upcycle Parts Shop is in one of Cleveland's most exciting neighborhoods in transition. "I have been a reuse artist for a couple years and have gotten connected with a broader community of upcyclers," says director Nicole McGee. "It's about caring about the environment and wanting to be creative. "I was trying to come up ways to bring this to Cleveland, and that's when (Executive Director of St. Clair Superior Development Corporation) Michael Fleming and I talked about doing this in St. Clair Superior." At Upcycle, you'll find: a selection of upcycled parts for low cost to transform into art; workshops, open studios and craft parties. Business are encouraged to donate their unwanted scraps and waste materials in the cause of art. "This is really exciting," says McGee. "The dream is coming true." The Upcycle Parts Shop is a part of St. Clair Superior Community Development Organization's Upcycle St. Clair project. Upcycle St. Clair was funded in June 2013 by the ArtPlace America funding collaboration Hours: Noon – 6 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, noon – 8 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday. The Upcycle Parts Shop is at 6419 St. Clair Ave., and online at upcyclepartsshpo.org. http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/07/clevelands_first_upcycle_parts.html

St. Clair Superior's been in the news a lot recently with more cool projects, so I'm going to post articles that haven't made it to the forum. Enjoy! Put Cleveland bicycle expressway where streetcars once rolled down wide streets, planners say Alison Grant, The Plain Dealer Print Alison Grant, The Plain Dealer By Alison Grant, The Plain Dealer Email the author | Follow on Twitter on August 07, 2014 at 8:00 AM, updated August 07, 2014 at 8:23 AM CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A big, bold way to connect Cleveland neighborhoods, pump up businesses and add tree-lined bikeways to miles and miles of city streets is hiding in plain sight. The paved-over tracks of Cleveland's once-extensive streetcar network left some of its main avenues far broader than needed for the traffic they're handling. Bike and community advocates say that buried transit system can be transformed into "the Midway" -- a center-of-the-road, two-way bike lane protected on either side with boulevards, with a lane of traffic and a parking row on either side of that. Members of Bike Cleveland, St. Clair Superior Development Corporation and Bialosky + Partners Architects have been working for two years on plans to reimagine some of the wide, low-traffic streets that branch to all corners of Cleveland and to the Emerald Necklace fringing the city. As a start, the Midway team proposes a one-mile stretch of boulevard-buffered bikeway along St. Clair Avenue between East 55th Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard. http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/08/cleveland_bicycle_expressway_c.html Click the link for cool renderings of what the bike midway down the center of the street along old trolley track lines would look like.

I think the key for bringing value back to the double is exactly what we're talking about...getting homeowners to buy them again and make them their home, and rent out the other living unit as additional income. The perception problem for the double is that many of them are owned in large numbers by individuals or companies that view them as income properties and treat them as such, not as homes. They would be cared for way more, and viewed as assets more often, if more doubles were owner occupied. This seems to be working well in Shaker Square.

Yo...I brought a double in Shaker Square 4 years ago and LOVE IT!! I have no mortgage and make a modest income monthly. There is the usual expense associated with owning an older home, and def try to get quiet tenants as wood floors carry sound, but I've enjoyed my home these past few years. It's changed my thinking on doubles and makes me want to save more of them...great way to enter home ownership! Many of your questions depend on where you choose to buy (how much to invest in upgrades, taxes, etc.) but we can chat more about details offline, just pm me.

That's awesome. I was just asking a cowork and she suggested advertising at Case as well so this link is timely. Thanks!