shs96

Thanks! I think it was called Brazilian Cherry...dark like the cabinets. We are having it installed in the entire unit, other than the master bedroom where we opted for carpet (who wants cold feet in the morning? :)). I can't wait for them to install the flooring...then it will really start to come together. I'm excited that I'll be able to check out a few units while under construction...always intersted to see what other people picked out.

LOL. You obviously haven't spent much time in Solon.

Yeah, no major construction projects going on downtown right now...great investigative reporting.

Wow - thanks! I'll definately give each of those a try, at least once, to see how it goes. Really, nothing is better than using public transportation. Driving is kind of an extention of work - when you leave your house, you're starting your work day. Hop on public transport, and it's like bonus time of entertainment before you actually do anything - reading, listening to music/talk show, people watching - anything but road rage!

To get to where I am about to live (Stonebridge) to where I work (Highland Hills) any current method of using entirely public transport would take nearly an hour (according to the RTA timetables). I don't want to take 480/77. I'll probably end up driving through Shaker Square, down Van Aken...I just see easy improvements that could made by an experienced traffic engineer. And I see lots of room for improvements on other major routes as well. Luckily, I'll be on foot all weekend and after work. If the rapid were to expand, I would definately take that...took the bus to school for a whole year in Europe, and saw most of the Continent without ever setting foot in a car...loved it.

OK, many good points here, and in other posts. My goal is to quickly move cars (not even cars, PEOPLE) across the region, but certainly not at the expense of others. It all originates from my belief that in order for regionalism to work, people in outer ring suburbs need to be able to more easily get to downtown and inner-ring suburbs to see the benefits from regionalism (and help progress it in other ways than financial consolidation). Chagrin Falls isn't going to suddenly be a better place due to regionalism, at least not from the perspective of someone living there. The surrounding area will become a better place, but if the Chagrin Falls resident can't see/experience that, they aren't going to care. Less negative articles in the paper or stories on the evening news aren't going to cut it. Maybe not the way it should be, but that's the way it is. I guess I'm just looking at it from the perspective of someone who grew up in the suburbs and has slowly seen the bad parts of town expand (talk to my dad, who grew up in Bedford, and whose parents grew up in Bedford). People in the outer ring have zero confidence in the leaders of this city to do anything other than screw things up (and, IMO, for good reason). People aren't going to suddenly move from out to in (even though I did) but one way to get their influence on the struggling parts of town is by giving them a reason to go there - and a method of getting there that is practical. And right now, i don't see that to be the case.

Yeah, just waking around the building on the floors that are actively on the market, it looks about 50% sold, including the penthouse level. Zero 12 units left, I know that. Those were the best corner units by far. It will interesting to see how the other corner units do. 1's are against the viaduct so the balcony isn't as private; 5 & 8 are nice, but I prefer the more open floorplan.

PS. I added some photos from when I posted the link, lobby, outside of building, etc. http://www.flickr.com/photos/teets43456/sets/72157600369132518/

"Again, congrats! what type of unit did you buy, if you don't mind me asking." I'm in 807, two bedroom, two bath. The stonebridge website has floor plans. each unit is the same on every floor, except 6 and 7 (and the 12th floor, which are 2 story penthouses). They are basically the same units, just flipped. But the balconies flip as you go up. So I have the 7 unit guest bedroom location, with the 6 unit balcony location (if that makes any sense). And I walk in the building all the time by myself. The construction workers don't say anything...just act like you are supposed to be there. your chance to do that probably won't last long since people are projected to move in within a month or so.

OK...lots of digs on upper class suburbs, not only in this thread, but on the whole forum (why would anyone wnat to go to Twinsburg?). Essentially what I am reading is we hate the antiseptic suburbs, we don't care if they utilize (or is convienent to utilize) any of Cleveland Proper's assets, but we want their money to help support the region and make the region as a whole better - it's in their best interest". Those are great selling points. And you wonder why they want nothing to do with Cleveland. Anyway...I lived in Dallas for 6 years. It was easier to drive around that town than it is to drive around Cleveland, plain and simple - and the population is 4 times what it is here. I'm not suggesting that a highway is built through the Heights to make it easier to get between Changrin Falls and downtown, I'm saying the "major roadways" that currently exist need to not have portions that trim down to one lane. If I want to go from Highland Hills to downtown and not get on 480 or 77, I want a little better road infastructure than going Rt 8/VanAken/Shaker/Buckeye/Woodland. I want those roads to remain the same, but I want more turning lanes, to maintain two lanes the entire way through and not have to worry about cars parked on the street. I don't want more highways, I want better highways. You don't want cars? I don't either. I love going to NYC. Outside of a cab from LGA, I don't use a car the whole time. I love being in Europe. I can walk off a plane and get anywhere on the Continent in a vastly more dense population area A LOT easier than I can here in Cleveland. I'd love it if it was that way. But what is more realistic? Building an extensive subway/light rail system throughout NE Ohio or fixing up the existing transit infastructure? And where are you driving that you think we don't have traffic? 480 was a parking lot this morning. 271 south can get crammed. That dead man's curve place? Awesome! 90 westbound from downtown? All of those highways would be better off if there were alternative routes to go.

Good start...they've taken down some larger crime rings lately (that gang/drug ring on the East side earlier this summer). Who knows what the net impact will be, but glad to see strides are being made.

Well, if you want the folks of Chagrin to support regionalism, you're going to have to make them feel like a part of the region. And if it's a big hassle for them to get down to Farhenhite or Cleveland Chop House, they'll keep going to Blake's and Gamekeepers and continue to live their American Dream in the glass bubble that is Chagrin Falls.

I don't mind walking anywhere on a nice day; trekking through the snow or rain for 20 minutes doesn' sound fun. Example: Opening Day of the Indians (remember: heavy snow). Getting to my friend's apt on West 9th was easy. Getting to the stadium was not fun. Light rail across town; make one street deisgnated public transport only - something to improve traffic flow in the city. That was my point.

No, I'm saying as long as the area is divided by inability to travel easily among the region, it will always remain divided. I want the neighborhoods and feel of each town to stay; I want it to be easier to travel between them.

One item I haven't seen discussed much here was the highway/roadway infastructure of the region. If we are really going to move towards regionalism, we're going to need to be able to travel within the region with a lot more simplicity. Some of the Inner-Ring suburbs on the East side are simply land-locked. Trying to get to Cleveland Heights, University Heights, or Shaker Heights from anywhere outside those areas is pretty tough - even Univesity Circle is a challenge. Road Construction projects seem to take FOREVER to complete. How long has the 480/77 Intersection been under construction? And aside from resurfacing it, are they actuall adding lanes or doing anything that will improve traffic flow? What about the Euclid Project? Or Mayfield Road? S-L-O-W. Travelling point to point downtown isn't that easy either. I will be moving downtown shortly, but don't work downtown. My company has an office there, but it really wouldn't be any more practical for me to work downtown as I'm a little too far to walk and jumping on the RTA to go across town would be just about as long as driving 15 miles to my office. I lived in Dallas for 6 years, possibly the dictionary definition of Urban Sprawl. People would live as far as 45 miles from downtown and still commute. Why? Because it wasn't that hard to drive anywhere. All highways were 4 lanes and even your regular streets were all 2 or 3 lanes. Why aren't roads like 82 from Strongsville all the way to Twinsburg 2 lanes the entire way? Or other state routes like 14, 17, 21, 43, 237, etc. It's almost faster to get to Solon from the airport than it is to go to Bay Village, which is about half of the distance. State Road and Ridge Road are traffic nightmares. Why does 480 shrink down to 2 lanes by 71/Airport? There are just a lot of major roads that aren't as effective at funneling traffic as they could be. I think part of the lack of a regional feel falls on this problem. Everyone is so confined to where they can get easily, they aren't able to appreciate the great things various parts of the city (which is all relatively close) have to offer because they are trapped in their own part of town.

I don't know what kind of party they'll throw, but I know I'll be throwing a HUGE party as that would mean the state of Northeast Ohio has greatly improved and my property value just went through the roof!

"I really like what they've done to this area" "Yeah, this is turning out really nice!" Patrons as they were waking into Ponte Vecchio restaurant on the Superior viaduct

ok, pretty overdue...I forgot my camera last time I was there, but here is a link to the pictures I do have http://www.flickr.com/photos/teets43456/sets/72157600369132518/ the first 8 are from May, the more recent shots are from a week or so ago. the interior photos didn't turn out too well, but I was trying to capture the atrium, which is pretty cool.

This is all true and I suppose I didn't take this into consideration when thinking about funding. I guess my main point here is much of the blame is projected on the schools when I think the problem really lies in the underlying culture of some of the neighborhoods in the city...not enough parents taking responsibility for their children. This is where I think good city leaders would come in handy by developing a strong City of Cleveland youth program - something subsidized by tax dollars or business sponsors that would provide kids an opportunity to be a part of something after school, be it sports, arts, whatever...anything to establish community involvement in something other than being a mischievous kid with no parental guidance.

thanks...I do have many pictures...I have yet to get them online...I'll work on it though. I'll be back a few more times this week to monitor some progress; hopefully I can include some of the latest updates. 808 is a river lake and downtown view...it kind of faces East-Northeast.

Hello all....great thread, especially since it started in 2005. I have purchased a unit in phase 5. I've been told there is a list of 8 units they are pushing to get done by the end of the month and have people start moving in after Labor Day, mine being one on the list. I'm tentatively scheduled to close Sept 5. I took a complete tour of the building Friday morning after selecting some of the finishing touches for my unit - sinks, faucets, carpet, hardwood flooring, etc. I have to say, I was very, very impressed and really excited to move in! After touring the Towers building (phase 5 is called the Plaza building, phase 4 is referred to as the Towers building), there were lots of things I loved about the building, mainly the interior of the units and the views. There were some things I didn't like, specifically the feel of the common area interior. It seemed more apartment/hotel like than what I would want out of a condo. Still, after much discussion, I was reassured that they were taking what they learned out of phase 4 and improving on that for phase 5. I took a leap of faith and bought the unit, hoping for the best. It's looking like it was a great decision! In the retail space, they have 3 confirmed tenants: A coffee/bagel shop, a wine bar, and a small convienent store. The cantina building will also house the gym for the condo building. The interior is shaping up to be very nice; they maintained most of the interior Cantina brick when mapping out the space. They were completing the stone pavers on the patio of the wine bar when I was there and it looks like it will be a great place to hang out. The interior of the Plaza building itself is coming along very nicely. There is an open atrium that goes all the way from the 3rd floor (lobby floor) to the roof and provides a great deal of natural light. Each floor is painted in a slightly different tone giving each floor kind of its own feel. The columns for the support beams in the hallways are all finished with granite and the elevator and exterior entry ways are done in stone. They seem to be completing floors from the bottom up; the 4th floor is almost done. The penthouse floor (12) has yet to even be drywalled, but most of those units have all been sold, which I think is great. I wandered around up there for awhile and those units are really amazing - each 2 stories, some with private terraces on the roof. Unfortunately, I am not obnoxiously wealthy yet, otherwise, I'd be all over those :cry: The lobby will have 24 hour security as well as a concierege for visitors/packages. The concierege desk is really cool, finished off in with a small stone front and there will be a water fall as you walk in. They are also creating a dog park under one arch of the viaduct, which as a dog owner, I was really happy about. So it seems like the building will be done in less than 30 days with people moving in shortly there after. They will continue to work on completing the rest of the units over the next few months and the retail space will open in October/November. I imagine I'll be living in somewhat of a construction zone until probably the spring, but based on what I saw, I think I can deal with that. The model unit - 808 - was almost done on Friday. I imagine you can take a tour of it this weekend, or next at the latest.

Interesting thread...obviously my first time posting on this board. Not to bring up older issues, but I have to agree in some sense with that Locust poster. No, I don't agree that the students are "stupid" or "hopeless", but I do agree while most schools could use more funding, there is enough there in Cleveland that if you had motivated parents who were interested in their child's development, the school system would be at least average rather than its current miserable state. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The real issue behind Cleveland schools is the culture of the community. Read the article in the PD today about the 4 teenagers who killed an elderly woman after running her over in a stolen vehicle. The first thing I notice was none of the parents last names matched that of the child. None of these kids are coming from stable homes and regardless of what kind of school system you put them in, the likelyhood of success is low. I went to Solon High School. There were people in my class or in the classes around me who were not good students. The problem with all of them clearly wasn't the school and in most cases it wasn't their aptitude for learning. Instead, it was their home support system. Their parents weren't involved or weren't the type of people who should be having kids. Of course, this was more of a minority in Solon than in Cleveland, but it still is the same principle...bad homes produce bad kids (for the most part). Put a bunch of bad homes all together where there is no peer pressure to help compensate for the lack of home support and you have the disaster that is the Cleveland School System. Change the culture and the schools will come around. Another point I wanted to touch on was the issue of being racist or classist. Obviously, being racist is a bad thing, but I don't think "classist" exists, at least not in the context given. I don't think people look down on each other based on their income. I do think people look down on the other if they have different "manners, discipline, and work ethic" But why is that bad? I expect every member of society to adhere to a certain social code of responsibility, to treat one another with respect, and pull their own weight, at least to the point where they are not a drain on society. And it's not a cultural difference. Japanese manners are very different from American manners, but there is a set of manners either way. Many inner city kids don't display "different manners"; they show no manners at all - that's the problem and I will look down upon that regardless of who you are or where you come from. And again, it goes back to the home culture they come from. Every child born in Cleveland is capable of becoming a responsible member of society. But their parents are putting them at a disadvantage right out of the gate by not being good parents. Put all of these kids in the same place and they have nothing to keep them from heading down the wrong path. The Cleveand School System should really focus on two things - traditional education and social education. There should be a "Health" course taught the same way English and Math are taught - requirement every year to graduate. These kids need to be taught sex ed, the negative effects of drugs, and have all of the conversations most of us had with our parents at school because their parents aren't going to have those conversations with them. Then hopefully, when they become parents, they will understand the need to be involved and the cycle will slowly break. OK, this is getting long...just some thoughts on what I think is the key to making Cleveland a better place...improve the quality of the schools which I believe really requires an overall change of mind set from Cleveland parents.