I'm interested how space is used in cities, especially our downtowns. Parking is also included in this because it's a visible piece that affect people's perception of downtown and influences their visits and interactions there.

 

So, I made a map highlighting parking lots that are available to the public. This does NOT include parking areas that is exclusively for a company's employees or residents of a particular apartment building. In the future, I may add that in there.

 

http://skorasaurus.github.io/dtparking

 

should be current with all parking lots that are available to the public.

 

It doesn't have lot ownership, but I'd like to add that one day... With some simple math, could also guess on the sq. footage of the map as well with it.

 

Lastly, the source for making the map is at http://www.github.com/skorasaurus/dtparking

 

 

Read more: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,29504.350.html#ixzz3MjbbJy6n

 

Great idea for a thread (as was mentioned in the other thread)

Doing a little investigation, there's at least one of them that owe back taxes for several years:

101-07-008

(southeast corner of frankfort and west 3rd, across from the justice center; owes 957k, dating back since 2006.

 

101-07-004

(st. clair, north of psquare, owes > 1million; office building.

 

103-01-302 and 103-01-301

owned by 1901 e 13th LLC

Middough Bldg; seeing this building on here answers the question of why this hasn't been sold or renovated yet.

(behind cowell and hubbard)

 

 

1299 WEST 6TH PARKING LLC owes 3 parcels - 101-09-035

101-09-058

101-09-036

owing > $75k in property taxes (these lots are the ones next to Barley House)

 

 

 

You can find out more at the auditor's site, http://fiscalofficer.cuyahogacounty.us/AuditorApps/real-property/REPI/default.asp

and entering the parcel #.

 

 

Doing a little investigation, there's at least one of them that owe back taxes for several years:

101-07-008

(southeast corner of frankfort and west 3rd, across from the justice center; owes 957k, dating back since 2006.

 

101-07-004

(st. clair, north of psquare, owes > 1million; office building.

 

You can find out more at the auditor's site, http://fiscalofficer.cuyahogacounty.us/AuditorApps/real-property/REPI/default.asp

and entering the parcel #.

 

finding a couple other properties downtown owing $$$; editing this right now.

 

Isn't the lot you're referring to at Frankfort and West 3rd owned by the Jacobs? Ie, the one we keep falling ourselves speculating about a skyscraper?

Doing a little investigation, there's at least one of them that owe back taxes for several years:

101-07-008

(southeast corner of frankfort and west 3rd, across from the justice center; owes 957k, dating back since 2006.

 

101-07-004

(st. clair, north of psquare, owes > 1million; office building.

 

You can find out more at the auditor's site, http://fiscalofficer.cuyahogacounty.us/AuditorApps/real-property/REPI/default.asp

and entering the parcel #.

 

finding a couple other properties downtown owing $$$; editing this right now.

 

Isn't the lot you're referring to at Frankfort and West 3rd owned by the Jacobs? Ie, the one we keep falling ourselves speculating about a skyscraper?

 

Jacobs' name didn't appear; if i remember correctly, it was just a generic company name,

 

Here's a crude map right now - https://gist.github.com/skorasaurus/72550756c5079f3dd868 - getting aerial imagery in the background shortly.

Some of these parking lots that are way behind on taxes could be subject to seizing by the county, since they are a creditor. I've seen a number of these troubled, tax-delinquent properties go to sheriff sales over the years. But now the practice is to do development RFPs on them. And this is how these parking lots could become more attractive, productive properties that contribute more to the livability of downtown. If I ran the county, I'd establish a policy for encouraging redevelopment of all financially troubled parking lots downtown. This includes initiating proceedings to seize the properties, issue an RFP to redevelop the properties, sell the property at a discounted amount to subsidize its development (to break ground by a certain date or it reverts back to the county), and distribute the sale proceeds to the property's creditors.

Doing a little investigation, there's at least one of them that owe back taxes for several years:

101-07-008

(southeast corner of frankfort and west 3rd, across from the justice center; owes 957k, dating back since 2006.

 

Yes, that's the Jacobs lot. They have been making regular tax payments, so it's not a delinquent property.

 

The other building you noted is 55 Public Square, owned by OPTIMA 55 PUBLIC SQUARE LLC.

I recall Jacobs stopped paying the taxes during a dispute over the county appraisal, or something like that.

 

The Huntington Park Garage next to the county courthouse is listed on the map as surface parking.

 

 

I recall Jacobs stopped paying the taxes during a dispute over the county appraisal, or something like that.

 

The Huntington Park Garage next to the county courthouse is listed on the map as surface parking.

 

Thanks for correction, it is indeed is and have an update soon.

I found this shocking... Some screenshots of the Gateway area before Gateway (and Key Tower) from around 1989/90. I know we have a parking lot problem now but WOW this was horrendous!!!

 

 

 

God, how could a city allow that to happen?

Hopefully people 30 years from now are equally horrified at those old Warehouse District parking lots and thankful for the 10-15 story residential buildings with first floor retail that were built there in 2020.

I hate to quote wikipedia but I can't find a better source in ten seconds of Googling  :|

 

Those pictures show the after-effect of significant demolitions which began when the domed stadium was initially planned in the mid/late 1980's.  Prior to that, the Central Market and many buildings existed on those lots.  It's a bit unfair to say the city "allowed that to happen" when in fact they planned it to happen to create room for the stadium complex.

 

 

"Still, Cleveland Mayor George Voinovich and Governor Celeste pushed forward to create the Greater Cleveland Dome Stadium Corporation, borrowing $22 million from banks and the state of Ohio.[7] Cleveland Tomorrow, a group of top executives from Cleveland's biggest firms, launched a development fund to further the project, and acquisition of property began in December 1985.[8] By 1989, the site of the former Central Market, a fruit and vegetable market that dated back to 1856,[9] and other adjacent buildings were razed and made into parking lots. However, there were funding gaps and big disagreements as to who would pay to build the project, along with a change in leadership."

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Sports_and_Entertainment_Complex

 

cf. http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=CM

Just an observation, look at how full those lots were.  Obviously we had lots of jobs in downtown at this time.

Whenever I didn't take the Rapid, I used to park in those lots in 1990-92 while attending Myers College which was in the Columbia Building (also demolished for parking -- the casino deck). I remember hearing some of the cries from a few people (thankfully it was only a few), wondering where they were going to park after those lots were lost to the Gateway complex. After Gateway was built, I remember seeing an aerial photo looking from the general direction above the Inner Belt toward downtown. Seeing those vast parking lots gone for something better was a feeling of immense pride. My partying in the Flats in the late 80s/early 90s rekindled my interest in urbansim, but it was the elimination of those parking lots for Gateway that turned my urban interests more serious.

Whenever I didn't take the Rapid, I used to park in those lots in 1990-92 while attending Myers College which was in the Columbia Building (also demolished for parking -- the casino deck). I remember hearing some of the cries from a few people (thankfully it was only a few), wondering where they were going to park after those lots were lost to the Gateway complex. After Gateway was built, I remember seeing an aerial photo looking from the general direction above the Inner Belt toward downtown. Seeing those vast parking lots gone for something better was a feeling of immense pride. My partying in the Flats in the late 80s/early 90s rekindled my interest in urbansim, but it was the elimination of those parking lots for Gateway that turned my urban interests more serious.

 

Ironically, the space count is still going to be up there because of the number of parking garages in that vicinity (due to Gateway).

 

As has been mentioned, this was always going to be temporary.

Is Soho in the '70s just a two-hour flight away? 9 artists on why they live in Detroit: http://t.co/V1GB7WtIw9 http://t.co/AZdzGnqeD7

Buffalo has removed minimum parking requirements citywide! http://www.sustainablecitynetwork.com/topic_channels/policy/article_4b54eade-b822-11e2-a6b0-001a4bcf6878.html

Buffalo has removed minimum parking requirements citywide! http://www.sustainablecitynetwork.com/topic_channels/policy/article_4b54eade-b822-11e2-a6b0-001a4bcf6878.html

 

Insanity! Where will people park?

 

Lol.

Buffalo has removed minimum parking requirements citywide! http://www.sustainablecitynetwork.com/topic_channels/policy/article_4b54eade-b822-11e2-a6b0-001a4bcf6878.html

 

Insanity! Where will people park?

 

Lol.

 

Meanwhile, they are also returning cars to Main St to share the route with the light rail system in the above ground section.  Many businesses in the area cited the rail-only policy as a reason Main St failed.    I'm sure there are other factors as well, but when a large portion of your clientele is from the suburbs, they probably had a point.

Buffalo has removed minimum parking requirements citywide! http://www.sustainablecitynetwork.com/topic_channels/policy/article_4b54eade-b822-11e2-a6b0-001a4bcf6878.html

 

Edit: I meant to quote your Detroit links  :oops:

 

This made me think of a piece I read last month during a layover in Detroit.  I was reading The Metropolitan's (Detroit) December issue when I came across a story about a New Englander who had lived in Manhattan trying to find "his New York", but finding it in Detroit.  It was a good read IMO.  All I could think about was how underrated these places (especially Cleveland) are, and that the grass really isn't always greener.

 

Starts out at page 4 and continues on 11 (you can bring font to actual size): 

 

"Found Manhattan in Detroit"

http://www.themetdet.com/dec14/dec14.html