Oldmanladyluck

^^ big exaggeration- downtown was at around 150k in the 90s; we're at 125k now, which is up 25k from just a few years ago

Best historic renovation in this town in years!

Does anyone know how long the lease is for? Is there a clause in the lease allowing the City to terminate?

Tom Coughlin to Cleveland... maybe that would keep my interest a bit next year. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2603476-tom-coughlin-resigns-as-giants-hc-latest-comments-reaction?utm_source=cnn.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=editorial

^Agreed. Though Jackson isn't the most outgoing mayor, he was pretty much the best person this town could have elected during the Recession. If someone like Reed were to get elected... watch out. And don't think it couldn't happen just because he has three drunk driving convictions. I wouldn't be surprised if Ronayne gives it another go. I believe his contract with UCI is up this year, which would be perfect timing.

I've decided to not pay attention this time around. Don't really care who they bring in at this point. 16 years is long enough.

The BLS has the Cleveland region at 3.7 percent unemployment, which could be considered "full employment" in different times. We have a long way to go, however. Going back to 1990 on forward, the number of employed is at about the level it was in 1995, while the labor force has shrank to about the same number as 1993. The good news is that both numbers are headed in the right direction. Labor Force: Employment: Unemployment:

^I was thinking of that as well- I was under the impression that the city already hit the mark with fundraising. Now the project is $50 mil versus the $32 million which was mentioned earlier this year? Either this is sloppy journalism, or something else is going on.

Looks modern but classic enough to blend in with old-school Cleveland. I likes!

I've been a Browns fan my whole life- my entire adult life (post 1999 team) I've been seeing this happen over and over again. After the 2-8 season, I turned on the game and only watched the first half and a couple of minutes of the third quarter before I turned off the TV figuring I'd read about it in the morning. I am SO glad I fell asleep on the game! I actually laughed pretty hard while shaking my head at the videos I saw posted- and I'm a lifelong fan! I don't see the fan base dealing with this too much longer- 16 years is long enough.

Outstanding!!

^Grass lots... all over the place. On pretty much every commercial corridor on the east-side. Without a population to replace those who have left, we'll be seeing this increasingly.

^I hate that the buildings which occupied the site were torn down. Who would have known that a few years afterwards there would potentially be a market to rehab them?

We're very close to what would be considered "full employment"- the region may almost be at a tipping point, or at least I would hope.

Cleveland's unemployment rate is the lowest it's been since 2006; we still have over 50,000 less who are employed than in 2002. http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.oh_cleveland_msa.htm

^Nope. Cavs in six in the Finals against GSW... If GSW makes it again this year.

Count me in... I've wanted to come for the last few years (!) but haven't been able to. Tuesdays work best for me during the week.

Voted no on 2 and 3, yes on 1 and 8.

^I tend to agree, however I don't know if merging with Cleveland solves all of Maple's problems. A merger with East Cleveland is a potential reality, and will be up to the voters of East Cleveland to decide if they want to lose their independence. Taking on that much of a loss (of E.C.'s 17,000 population that is left, 4,000 are working... that's from East Cleveland's mayor himself) will be no small matter for Cleveland. Taking in Maple, though not as drastic by any means, will not be a walk in the park for Cleveland either. The city will have to spread more city services over a larger geography which may not be producing it's share of tax revenue. Cleveland's tax base is already limited in scope and there may be a realistic limit to the amount of struggling suburbs the city could realistically absorb. We may end up seeing suburbs merge into larger municipalities- in some cases that actually may make sense.

The Land Bank does not allow the buyer to sit on properties without having the money to fix them. There is a timeline (I believe 60 days) which the Land Bank gives to the potential title holdet to bring the property completely up to code. Also, the Land Bank requires that the potential title holder show proof that they have the financial wherewithal to completely rehab the property. If the property isn't completely rehabbed, the Land Bank has the right to not transfer the title. With that being said, I'd still be interested to know where the influence is said to be coming from...

^If that holds true, many of Cleveland's east-side cooridors are lost. Large sections of St. Clair's streetwall in the residential neighborhoods have been demolished. Same with Kinsman, E. 93rd, Quincy, and others.

a way out of that is a massive investment in them something like the old tier program that basically saved abandoned old ny brownstone shells in harlem, bed-sty, etc. -- basically the city came in and claimed the properties, stabilized the structural stuff, redid the wiring and plumbing blocks at a time and sold them off via a lottery system. that took a lot of $, work and coordination and i am not sure if these are worth the expense and efforts, but i would like to hope a few stretches of these structures are. of course it wouldn't have worked out well if the economy didn't improve along with it. there are no easy decisions here, that is for sure. Regarding bank owned properties, many properties owned by banks are FHA insured. In order for the banks to get paid back for the failed mortgage by the FHA, the bank must bring the property into total compliance before the property can be conveyed. Properties in distressed areas are often broken into the day after the bank does the needed repairs. There's a house on Bartlett and E. 138th which has been held by US Bank for over three years- simply because every time the bank does work inside the house, someone comes in and strips it. The problem is that banks don't usually have a break-even point when it comes to installing needed mechanicals. How often will a bank be willing to install a furnace or hot water tank before the cost of those features exceeds the total of the loan? Most times the banks will continue to try to get paid back before even considering tearing the house down, street be damned. Meanwhile, neighbors live next door to a house which is constantly being broken into. It's the bank's responsibility to make sure properties titled to them are clean and secure; but even with billions of dollars in assets, many banks have problems doing so in hard-hit areas of the city.

^FRACK... that employer is a neighborhood anchor. Manitowoc just expanded that space as well maybe two to three years ago. It's no longer in Mike Polensek's ward (Jeff Johnson's now); hopefully Polensek, Johnson, and Conwell can come together to see if anything can be done to save it.

I wanted to start a thread showing a side of Cleveland not seen much on this site but is a reality for many families living in the neighborhoods hardest hit by foreclosure. Most of these pics are from the southeast neighborhoods of the city, with a few from other neighborhoods mixed in. This city's vacant property issue has to be addressed- the city's rejuvenation though occurring is not happening evenly. Some neighborhoods have hope for renewal in the short term- others have a long ways to go. Here's hoping that the city will be able to continue to draw new residents in, and work to keep existing residents from leaving.

Outstanding photos! I have yet to truly explore the Motor City- I'm hoping to do so soon. Detroit has large areas which could be looked at as a blank slate- a chance to re-imagine the city, much like large areas of Cleveland. Great set :-)