Oldmanladyluck

It is too bad that the county commissioners are not required to take classes at the College of Urban Affairs... the port site should DEFINITELY not be considered. Cuyahoga County also considering lakefront port site for Medical Mart Saturday, March 22, 2008 Joe Guillen Plain Dealer Reporter Cuyahoga County has added a third site to its short list of potential locations for a new medical mart and convention center, Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones said Friday. The county is looking at lakefront land within Cleveland's port, west of Cleveland Browns Stadium, for the $400 million complex, Jones said in an interview after giving a speech about economic development at the City Club. Although the lakefront land has been mentioned as a possible site, county officials in recent weeks have focused on two front-runners: land near the convention center and behind Tower City. But if either of the two prove expensive or troublesome, the county will consider other locations, Commissioner Tim Hagan has said... more at: http://www.cleveland.com/medicalmart/ The lakefront site is a horrible idea. The city for the first time in 50 years has the opportunity to give the lakefront back to the public; why put a huge box on it, blocking views and other possible uses of our prime lakefront? Why go through the hassle of meeting after meeting, asking city residents what they wanted concerning their lakefront if those plans will just be pushed to the side because of a decision by three county commissioners? Why turn your back on these residents, and also on sound urban planning, for an area with very little opportunities for spinoff development? Learn from other cities, Cleveland. Learn from your own past. Keep the lakefront open to the public.

Time to revive this thread... this news can be looked at from two angles: The first, being that the city is in perpetual decline which can't be stopped. The second, that the region is turning a corner and that we know what we have to do to change things around... Cuyahoga County's population drain now extends to the region Robert L. Smith March 20, 2008 00:09AM Cuyahoga County's long, quiet slide toward becoming something smaller continued last year, and the entire region is now caught in the wake. The U.S. Census Bureau will report today that Cleveland's home county lost another 13,000 people last year, the sharpest population loss of any American county except for one. Only Detroit's Wayne County lost more people in 2007. The exodus from Cuyahoga, now a multiyear trend, is beginning to drag down the eight-county region... http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/03/cuyahoga_countys_population_dr.html Plain Dealer researchers Dave Davis There is a pdf file associated with this article... this computer is acting funny so I can't post it.

More sprawl!! Yay!!!!

I love that mural!! Thanks again!!

Excellent post, and welcome!!!

If the convention center is put on the mall with the medical mart located within Higbees, everybody wins. Forest City gets money that they want, and the city gets a convention center located in the best possible place (IMO). Lets face it- yes, Tower City is a superb mixed-use location. However, how could argue that putting a convention center behinid Tower City is the best use of land that is currently underutilized and has been screaming for years for a better use? I would love to see some type of economic study done of the two sites, weighing the pros and cons. However, we've wasted 3 years of talking, and it's time that something get done. I'm sure that some type of study comparing the two exists somewhere. Based on existing infrastructure already in place, and weighing the fact that the mall is already publicly owned, I have to go with the mall. As was said earlier, the Waterfront Line will be at the Mall's doorstep. Taking the train from the airport to Tower City, then going around the Flats East Bank to the Mall site would be SWEET. That's just my opinion however. We can weigh the given statistics to come to some type of logical conclusion, minus some type of economic study comparing the two sites as to which site would have the most economic impact. Mall- Total Site: 23.2 acres, including Mall B between St. Clair and Lakeside avenues, Strawbridge Plaza (Mall C) north of Lakeside Avenue to the NS Railroad tracks between the access drives for the Huntington Park garage and the Willard Park garage, the area between the NS Railroad tracks and Erieside Avenue from the west side of Strawbridge Plaza (Mall C) to East 9th Street All property is public-owned (100 percent of proposed site) including air rights over the railroad tracks north of Strawbridge Plaza (Mall C) between the east side of the Cuyahoga County Courthouse and the west side of Cleveland City Hall. An encroachment under the entire width of the Lakeside Avenue right-of-way for a length of approximately 600 feet currently exists for the exhibit halls located below the street. This encroachment would continue to be needed for the proposed convention center layout. Tower City- Total Site: 12.1 acres of air rights all privately-owned: including area bounded by Huron Rd., Ontario St., the north side of the Cleveland Thermal Steam Plant, the Cuyahoga River, and the Sherwin Williams research facility. An encroachment over the entire Canal Road public right-of-way between the Sherwin Williams property and the Cleveland Thermal Steam Plant (controlled by the City of Cleveland) is proposed to maintain four lanes of vehicular traffic along the east bank of the Flats and to provide underground utility access. An encroachment 25 feet wide over the south side of Huron Road’s 90-foot wide right-of-way for a length of approximately 1,200 feet between West 3rd and Ontario streets (controlled by the City of Cleveland) would be required to accommodate the exhibit halls and their adjacent loading docks without extending over the edge of the existing Cuyahoga River bulkhead. The proposed structure would be a minimum of 24 feet above Huron Road. A pedestrian bridge approximately 30 feet wide is proposed to span the entire width of the Huron Road right-of-way to provide an interior connection between the second level of the proposed convention center’s registration lobby and a new upper level within the Skylight Concourse of Tower City Center. An encroachment over an existing 20-foot wide public easement (controlled by the City of Cleveland) immediately adjacent to the Cuyahoga River for approximately 500 feet of water’s edge. The exhibit hall loading docks for the proposed Convention Center would extend over the entire width of the easement approximately 126 feet above the Cuyahoga River bulkheading. Existing Hotel Space- Mall- Existing Downtown Hotels: A total of 3,021 rooms currently exist in downtown Cleveland within a 10-minute walk of the proposed main entrance/registration lobby for the new Convention Center on Franz Pastorius Boulevard (West Mall Drive) between St. Clair and Lakeside avenues. Four existing hotel rooms with 1,654 of these rooms are within a five-minute walk of the main entrance/registration lobby facing the Burnham Mall: Marriott Key Center (400 rooms) Crowne Plaza City Centre (470 rooms) Hyatt Regency (293 rooms) Renaissance Cleveland Hotel (491 rooms) Seven existing hotel rooms with 1,367 rooms are within a five- to ten-minute walk of the main entrance/registration lobby: Holiday Inn Lakeshore (381 rooms) Hampton Inn (194 rooms) Ritz Carlton (208 rooms) Holiday Inn Express (141 rooms) Residence Inn (175 rooms) Embassy Suite Reserve Square (268 rooms) Tower City- Existing Downtown Hotels: A total of 1,850 rooms currently exist in downtown Cleveland within a 10-minute walk of the proposed main entrance/registration lobby for the new Convention Center on Huron Road between West 2nd and West 3rd streets. Two existing hotel rooms with 699 rooms are within a five-minute walk of the main entrance/registration lobby and would be directly accessible through the interior concourses of Tower City Center: Renaissance Cleveland Hotel (491 rooms) Ritz Carlton (208 rooms) Five existing hotel rooms with 1,151 rooms are within a five- to ten-minute walk of the main entrance/registration lobby: Marriott Key Center (400 rooms) Hyatt Regency (293 rooms) Holiday Inn Express (141 rooms) Residence Inn (175 rooms) Radisson Hotel (142 rooms) Transportation impacts- Mall- TRANSPORTATION IMPACTS/INFRASTRUCTURE MODIFICATIONS The access ramps to and from Memorial Shoreway (SR-2) on the east side of East 9th Street would be eliminated to allow for construction of the access drive for the main entrance/registration lobby of the proposed Convention Center between the railroad tracks and the Shoreway’s through lanes. The Shoreway’s through lanes would remain in place allowing east-west traffic to continue between the Main Avenue Bridge and I-90. Traffic between downtown Cleveland and the west side currently using the Shoreway ramps at East 9th Street would have to use existing ramps at West 25th Street on the west side of the river providing access to the Veterans Memorial Bridge or the West 6th/Lakeside Avenue ramps on the east side at the north end of the Historic Warehouse District. A new station area, including vehicular and pedestrian access, would have to be integrated with new Convention Center development north of the railroad tracks to maintain cross-country passenger rail service provided by AMTRAK. New elevators and/or escalators at the west end of the North Coast (East 9th Street) station could provide climate-controlled pedestrian access between GCRTA’s Waterfront Line light rail service and the proposed Convention Center’s main entrance/registration lobby. Tower City- A vehicle drop-off loop for cars, taxis and buses is proposed between West 3rd and West 2nd streets at the Huron Road level within the proposed Convention Center air rights. Portions of the exhibit level of the Convention Center would extend over this drop-off area potentially requiring additional mechanical ventilation to exhaust fumes from idling vehicles away from the exhibit halls. Loading docks for the Convention Center are proposed to be located at the exhibit hall level along the river side of the floor plate, 24 feet above Huron Road and 124 feet above the Cuyahoga River. Truck access to the proposed Convention Center loading docks would occur using a two-lane, 900 foot-long access ramp proposed to rise along the west side of Ontario Street between the former Eagle Avenue Viaduct access and Huron Road. A second ramp is proposed to be constructed west of the Convention Center loading dock ramp and slope down to provide access to existing public parking below Huron Road serving Tower City Center and the proposed Convention Center. Both ramps would have to bridge the GCRTA rail tracks that serve the Red, Blue and Green Lines and operate in a trench on the west side of Ontario Street. Roadway, access between both these ramps and the downtown street grid would be at the current intersection of Ontario Street and the closed Eagle Avenue Viaduct. For daily commuters using the parking below Tower City Center and people using this same parking for events at the Tower City Center Amphitheater, the Gateway Sports Complex and the proposed Convention Center, these ramps would shift southward from the existing ramps on Huron Road west of Ontario Street to Eagle Avenue across from Gateway Plaza between Quicken Loans Arena and Jacobs Field and 1,000 feet closer to Carnegie Avenue and the Innerbelt’s Central Interchange providing access between downtown Cleveland and I-71, I-77 and I-90 at Ontario Street. This may require the acquisition of property on the west side of Ontario Street between Carnegie Avenue and Huron Road to additional traffic lanes for queuing of turning traffic into the Tower City Center parking. Access for Tower City Center loading docks and relocated docks of the Landmark Office Building is proposed to use Canal Road. The existing roadway would be widened to four travel lanes maintain access to the Sherwin Williams Research Center, the Stokes Federal Courthouse and the Flats Entertainment District as well as the Tower City Center complex. With the permanent closing of the Eagle Avenue Viaduct in 2003 and its subsequent demolition, the increased traffic on Canal Road generated by the proposed Convention Center and Tower City Center retail expansion may necessitate the construction of the East Bank Connector to provide a direct roadway link to I-77 and I-90 at the Central Interchange. Funding for the engineering and construction of the East Bank Connector has not been identified. The Ohio Department of Transportation currently is engaged in a multi-year process of planning major transportation improvements to Cleveland’s Innerbelt. Included in this planning effort is evaluation of replacing the Central Viaduct that spans the Cuyahoga River Valley and reconfiguring the Central Interchange where I-71, I-77 and I-90 merge and provide access between the interstate highway system and the downtown Cleveland street network that may include modifications to access along Ontario Street. Construction components and phasing currently are being developed and could impact vehicular access during construction and during early years of operation if a Convention Center is built at the River Site. There are many other factors involved, but these are some of the main points that we talk about here.

MyTwoSense, that's the major downside to building on the river... there wouldn't be room to expand unless they actually built the extension on the Scranton Peninsula. We all know how eager Forest City is to do that.

^If it had to be built behind Tower City I would hope that somehow, someway, the current convention center could be transformed into some type of production studio. In my opinion, that would be one of the best uses of the site.

First off... :clap: :clap: :clap: :drunk: IT"S ABOUT TIME!!! Now, I too am going to have to assume that the convention center will be built behind Tower City. However, there are significant costs associated with building it there, including $40 million just for the "air rights" to build behind Tower City. Hagen (as much as I don't like him), has stated months ago that if Forest City wanted that price for the parking lot behind Tower City, they can forget it. That's $40 million of the money that the county will generate over 20 years that will be taken out of the convention center, while if we build and expand what we currently have, the county won't incur this cost upon itself. Makes sense, however, we only need to look at the Breuer Tower situation to know that the county can be clueless...

We'll have to wait and see for the corporate campus... no way we should allow city planning to let something like that pass for our lakefront (since it seems at least SOMETIMES more than others they are missing a spine).

:clap: :clap: :clap:

Lets hope for the best... I'm ready to see more cranes in the air, wherever they are.

The blog is very eye-opening on the whole situation. I also heard before that nothing would be done before Dimora's reelection. WE HAVE TO GET THESE TWO DUMMIES OUT OF OFFICE!!!

This is terrible. My prayers go out to the family and friends and all those affected by this. I hope justice is served.

You guys should see the vultures on cleveland.com already, even when this is a positive for the city. Heck, I'm glad that the busses won't say elk & elk too.

Punch, they only showed the outside of the Wolstien Center from Prospect, and that was it. No panning shots of the skyline (dammit they should have, but oh well). But there were a couple mentions of Cleveland and other cities in Ohio from both the candidates.

That tax return question really got her. She was not sincere with her response, and her body language told on her.

^It would not be a public/private partnership if we had to pay for everything. The county saying "we'll pay for everything, and you can run it and profit from it" is unacceptable in this day (I know... Gateway, Browns Staduim, etc., but I don't think the public in this region is willing to take much more of that). The most we have to gain is the economic stimulus this will bring to the region, and also the further change in perception of the city, of which local residents (in my opinion) need the most.

Anyone here hip to large business negotiations? I don't know if we should be waiting this long, especially when the county is showing that we want the Medical Mart here by enacting the sales tax. Hopefully, within the next week or so, we'll hear good news. I'd rather MM run this idea instead of some other company.

Good article about how the Clinic is changing the city (and to an extent, the perception of the city). Cities and hospitals Mayo with everything Feb 21st 2008 | CLEVELAND From The Economist print edition What happens when a clinic takes over a metropolis? VISIT Rochester, Minnesota on an average winter morning and the frozen streets are virtually empty. But inside the Mayo Clinic's lovely Gonda building, designed by Cesar Pelli, the city throbs with life. The hospital's lobby is filled with patients and visitors. At noon, underground walkways teem with nurses and doctors buying lunch. In the evening fleets of buses take them home. Visitors retreat to nearby hotels and restaurants, built around Mayo especially for its guests. All this is an extreme example of a growing phenomenon. After the 20th-century factory town, such as Flint, Michigan, comes the 21st-century hospital town. Rural hospitals are often the main employers in their communities. Even Flint is trying to re-position itself as a medical hub. But a select few cities have entered the era of the mega-hospital. The most dramatic are Rochester, a medium-sized city where Mayo has long been a star business, and Cleveland, Ohio, a rustbelt city that has seen its hospitals boom and one, the Cleveland Clinic, become a new economic force. Each hospital is a behemoth: Mayo's revenues in 2006 totalled $6.3 billion, Cleveland's $4.4 billion. Their success stems from medical innovations and excellent care. The Cleveland Clinic is America's best heart hospital; Mayo tops the rankings for neurology, digestive disorders and endocrinology. Cleveland and Mayo have also expanded through mergers with other hospitals to form regional health systems. Cleveland's system includes nine community hospitals and three affiliates in Ohio. Mayo's system extends into Wisconsin and Iowa. Ambitious investment has helped them grow, too. When two gleaming new buildings are completed in Cleveland, the clinic will cover about 12m square feet (1.1m square metres), almost twice the size of the Pentagon. Mayo's Rochester campus is bigger still, at 15m square feet. With this growth has come a steady increase in staff. Cleveland's 37,350 employees make it Ohio's second-largest private employer, after Wal-Mart. Mayo is Minnesota's biggest private employer, with a staff of more than 30,000 in Rochester and several thousand more who work for the regional health system. “One thing to note”, says the Cleveland Clinic's chief executive, Delos Cosgrove, “is that health-care jobs are good jobs.” Another thing worth noting is that neither the Cleveland Clinic nor Mayo has been touched by the national push to unionise nurses. The size of the health giants ensures that their reach extends far beyond the examination room. Each, for example, has made its city something of a destination for “health tourists” (people who come for operations or check-ups) and conferees. Rochester received 2.5m visitors in 2007; about 70% of these came to visit Mayo. At the last count, Rochester had the same number of hotel rooms as nearby Minneapolis, which is about four times as large. The Cleveland Clinic has taken on many of the traits of a hospitality group. Its main campus served almost 3m patients in 2006, bending over backwards for them. A posh international centre offers translators, coffee and foreign newspapers. The clinic owns three hotels and lets the InterContinental hotel group manage them. The most expensive hotel, built in 2003, has space for conferences and plush suites, popular among royal patients from the Middle East. In addition to importing visitors, each hospital has turned its city into an exporter of sorts. Each is spinning off technologies and start-ups. Mayo has hospitals in Florida and Arizona. The Cleveland Clinic has begun to offer management expertise, for a fee, to a handful of hospitals around the country. It already has facilities in Florida, a “wellness centre” in Toronto and projects under way in Abu Dhabi and Vienna. Cleveland's manufacturing base may have declined, but its main commodity in future may be cardiac expertise. For all this activity, community relations remain a work in progress. Mayo has dominated Rochester for so long, donating to a host of local programmes, that the mayor—himself a former Mayo employee—calls the clinic “a gorilla, but...a very nice gorilla”. The Cleveland Clinic's relationship with its city is more complex. Cleveland is much larger than Rochester and much more racially diverse; the city has an industrial hangover and the attendant headaches of poverty and urban decay. The clinic itself sits in a poor neighbourhood where few employees live, preferring to drive in from the suburbs. For years the clinic played only a minor role in the area. Under Dr Cosgrove, who became its chief executive in 2004, this has changed. The clinic is working with local groups to support redevelopment and to open community health-centres. Chris Warren, the city's regional development chief, says the clinic's relationship with Cleveland is “more positive than it has ever been”. Mayo and the Cleveland Clinic seem likely to grow, but neither is immune to the challenges that face the rest of America's hospitals, such as low Medicaid reimbursement rates and labour shortages. The latter is a particular problem. Doctors are relatively easy to recruit to such a place. Harder to fill are the thousands of other jobs, from nurses to lab technicians. Much energy is directed towards education, through gifts to local schools and programmes to teach students about careers in health care. The premise is that the hospital cannot succeed without a successful city. “Our future”, Dr Cosgrove has said, “is intimately tied with the future of Cleveland.” And, increasingly, vice versa.

We have to get these two dummies out of office. I agree... that last sentence is scary. "County commissioners had approved $63 million in contracts to build the new building. But officials say only $35.5 million has been spent." Spent on what, exactly? They only wanted to spend $63 on the new building, on what could be considered Cleveland's most important intersection? I know that isn't new, I just forgot that they wanted to put up a piece of crap in the Ameritrust's place. I wonder if K&D will bid again on the project? I guess we'll have to see...

Thanks for the tip; now I have a better reason to go.

I can't wait for construction to start. I believe that this project will further enhance the demand for more riverfront housing, retail and business space along the river. When this project is completed, I would bet that more plans come along for Scranton Peninsula, but that's another story.

^^Much better article KJP :-D

An ok article promoting the Avenue District from the PD... Nearly 16 months into building the Avenue District neighborhood, it appears that Nathan Zaremba's bet that downtown residents want to own homes - and not just rent them - might pay off. The Cleveland developer has sold a dozen townhomes along Superior Avenue, where the first handful of residents moved in late last year. Of the 58 or so lofts rising at St. Clair Avenue and East 12th Street, about 29 are spoken for - including penthouses priced between $835,000 and $1.2 million. More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com