... the good news for the so-called Forgotten Triangle is the Orlando Bakery and Miceli Dairy Co. are thriving (even expanding) down there. I'm not optimistic about serious residential development there -- if it happens, great, but I'm not holding my breath.  Light, tax-generating industry would seem the most likely use, but concentrate it near the 2 E. 79th Street Rapid stations on the Red and Blue-Green lines.

... the good news for the so-called Forgotten Triangle is the Orlando Bakery and Miceli Dairy Co. are thriving (even expanding) down there. I'm not optimistic about serious residential development there -- if it happens, great, but I'm not holding my breath.  Light, tax-generating industry would seem the most likely use, but concentrate it near the 2 E. 79th Street Rapid stations on the Red and Blue-Green lines.

 

I was actually thinking that the city might try to rezone the areas immediately adjacent to the OC, limiting property owner's ability to sell in the future. Might be a wise move, especially for light industrial. Just hope the owners are offered just compensation.

TBH..there isn't much of a neighborhood there.  It's mostly urban prairie and brownfields.

 

This would be a great opportunity to create a neighborhood "downtown" center near the rapid to spur redevelopment in the area.  Even if a bunch of the lots right on the OC become light-industrial suburban-setback and -density-type development, those people will want to have a place to go to have lunch, do some shopping, take care of some dry-cleaning -- create a PLACE -- like E.4th's renaissance -- where people want to be (and preferably near the rapid) and I think we would see a lot more private development in the surrounding area.

TBH..there isn't much of a neighborhood there.  It's mostly urban prairie and brownfields.

 

This would be a great opportunity to create a neighborhood "downtown" center near the rapid to spur redevelopment in the area.  Even if a bunch of the lots right on the OC become light-industrial suburban-setback and -density-type development, those people will want to have a place to go to have lunch, do some shopping, take care of some dry-cleaning -- create a PLACE -- like E.4th's renaissance -- where people want to be (and preferably near the rapid) and I think we would see a lot more private development in the surrounding area.

 

Maybe! Definitely a worthwhile notion. Perhaps it may be too close in proximity to the residential renaissance uptown is undergoing? That's the only drawback I'd see outside of initial setbacks with crime.

TBH..there isn't much of a neighborhood there.  It's mostly urban prairie and brownfields.

 

This would be a great opportunity to create a neighborhood "downtown" center near the rapid to spur redevelopment in the area.  Even if a bunch of the lots right on the OC become light-industrial suburban-setback and -density-type development, those people will want to have a place to go to have lunch, do some shopping, take care of some dry-cleaning -- create a PLACE -- like E.4th's renaissance -- where people want to be (and preferably near the rapid) and I think we would see a lot more private development in the surrounding area.

 

Better hope the minimum wage increase initiative fails then.  It will be difficult but by no means impossible to bring back light industrial and service jobs, but not with entry level wages mandated so high. 

No way in hell that bill passes and becomes law.

A few example images of what the powers that be envision the Opportunity Corridor could be.  I'm not holding my breath.  It looks about as pleasant as walking along Mayfield Road.

 

In Little Italy? At Coventry? At Lee? At Green? Nice!

No way in hell that bill passes and becomes law.

 

If it's an initiative and enough politicians support it, it could.

No way in hell that bill passes and becomes law.

 

If it's an initiative and enough politicians support it, it could.

 

It wont.  The politicians would lose the support of the business community as well as their biggest donors. 

A few example images of what the powers that be envision the Opportunity Corridor could be.  I'm not holding my breath.  It looks about as pleasant as walking along Mayfield Road.

 

In Little Italy? At Coventry? At Lee? At Green? Nice!

Okay, I'll give you through Little Italy up to Coventry but beyond that is about as pleasant to walk along as walking along the Opportunity Corridor. 

So I hate the design of this road but it's being put in at this point.  And yes there is not much "neighborhood" in the area to speak of despite the presence of two transit lines.  Here's a Google map with the road put in based on maps at the project website, and the rail and bus transit that currently exists in the area:

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YDI_3EzyyrdssybuFw5oq1FuEEE&usp=sharing

 

But if they can actually figure a way to locate jobs in this area.... let's look at the transit available on that map, or from RTA's system map:

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile in Solon....

 

 

 

 

 

I'll post the photos from the link below in the East Side developments thread...

 

City unveils Opportunity Corridor development plans

Updated June 30, 2017

Posted June 28, 2017

 

http://photos.cleveland.com/4501/gallery/city_unveils_opportunity_corri/index.html

http://www.cleveland.com/architecture/index.ssf/2017/07/odot_says_opportunity_corridor.html

Guess the check cashing stores will have to open elsewhere for the time being. $331 million for 3 miles for a 35mph redundant road. I'm still shocked.

It also involves a lot of brownfield cleanup and utility relocation/rebuilding.

A few example images of what the powers that be envision the Opportunity Corridor could be.  I'm not holding my breath.  It looks about as pleasant as walking along Mayfield Road.

 

In Little Italy? At Coventry? At Lee? At Green? Nice!

Okay, I'll give you through Little Italy up to Coventry but beyond that is about as pleasant to walk along as walking along the Opportunity Corridor. 

 

Actually Lee-Mayfield is quite attractive architecturally and walk-wise as is that strip on Mayfield near Warrensville near the old Center-Mayfield theater... But I agree, out from there -- particularly west of Green Rd. to the Eastgate shopping center (strip) at S.O.M., Mayfield is a waste.  It's the classic ugly-American strip/big box/fast food/gas station sprawl.  A long slow slog traffic wise as well in/out from the city -- one of my least favorite drives in all of Greater Cleveland.

The lady's lawsuit against the State, Turnpike Commission for their allegedly illegally using turnpike tolls to fund a non-Turnpike project, in this case the OC, is interesting in that progressives and transit people constantly warn about the illegal use of gas tax to funds for transit in any way and, yet, Amtrak-killer John Kasich didn't think 2 seconds before unilaterally diverting turnpike tolls to fund the OC... Funny how things work.

It's along the lines of Governor Christie (NJ) diverting funds from Hudson River tunnel tolls to repair the Pulaski Skyway and other highway projects that are unrelated to the tunnels. Or West Virginia Turnpike's "new" mission that was to promote tourism and commerce using toll dollars - and having the Tamarack in Beckley built with tolls. Or the Pennsylvania Turnpike funding (still) transit projects that are unrelated to its tolls.

 

It's scraping the barrel for money. They should, instead, raise the gas tax and impose yearly fees for electric cars that don't have to pay the gas tax.

It's along the lines of Governor Christie (NJ) diverting funds from Hudson River tunnel tolls to repair the Pulaski Skyway and other highway projects that are unrelated to the tunnels. Or West Virginia Turnpike's "new" mission that was to promote tourism and commerce using toll dollars - and having the Tamarack in Beckley built with tolls. Or the Pennsylvania Turnpike funding (still) transit projects that are unrelated to its tolls.

 

It's scraping the barrel for money. They should, instead, raise the gas tax and impose yearly fees for electric cars that don't have to pay the gas tax.

 

There should be absolutely no fees for electric cars now. Not until they comprise a larger portion of cars on the road. We should be encouraging electric car buying, not discouraging it.

Then can we prohibit them from using our roadways for free? They are still producing wear and tear.

Then can we prohibit them from using our roadways for free? They are still producing wear and tear.

 

Half of the funding for our roadways comes from non-user taxes, so even bicycles and pedestrians pay for roads.

I'm thinking of along the lines of the Federal Highway Trust Fund which comes only from a federal fuel tax of 18.4 cents/gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents/gallon on diesel and related excise taxes. It has not been solvent since 2008.

 

There are pet projects that can fund related projects that happen all the time and can come from different pots, such as Transportation Enhancement Projects. The majority of road projects are not funded with that, though.

I hate this tax for the roads argument.  I own a house, drive a car, and work.  I pay taxes for roads.  Stop it.

^I think the thing is we tax payers are not paying enough to maintain these roads.

The elaborate artist renderings KJP provided for OC high-density (dare I say, TOD at near the 2 79th and the E. 105 Rapid stations) development is certainly promising eye candy -- to a couple of those photos I said to myself: 'yeah, when pigs fly'.  But at least, they're out there and more credible local neighborhood corps like Burten Bell are behind such development, in BB's case the forlorn Kinsman district -- there's already been significant movement along Kinsman with CMHA's rebuilding the Garden Valley projects into more townhouse style housing -- but the site where the old Garden Valley buildings existed -- which were closer to the Blue/Green E. 79th Rapid stop, is now an empty field.  I just hope, as Steve Litt is NOW saying in his PD articles, that progressives and community groups can keep the OC from being just a shortcut for West Siders to the Clinic and other UC area institutions, and that these pretty pictures, at least in part, will actually materialize.

I'm thinking of along the lines of the Federal Highway Trust Fund which comes only from a federal fuel tax of 18.4 cents/gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents/gallon on diesel and related excise taxes. It has not been solvent since 2008.

 

The Federal Highway Trust Fund has been insolvent for longer than that, and there has been a nearly continuous "replenishment" of the fund with general revenue money since 2008. 

https://www.enotrans.org/wp-content/uploads/HTF-Bailouts-thru-FAST.pdf

 

The trust fund seems to have lost its usefulness.  I don't think we would notice if it was abolished.

Should Cleveland give well-paid doctors a "$331 million dollar driveway built and maintained with public funds"? https://t.co/J3tgO4xZD5

Should Cleveland give well-paid doctors a "$331 million dollar driveway built and maintained with public funds"? https://t.co/J3tgO4xZD5

 

This is good but frustrating... I just wish this debate had serious airing before this project was green-lighted.  As it was, any objection prior to OC funding was dismissed and ignored esp since, as this blog notes, the PD's former publisher Terry Egger chaired the OC project.  Any opposition voices had no serious forum and were given short shrift.  NOW people are having serious questions about the OC and it's purpose... too late!

Ironically it's only the most "well paid" CCF and UH employees who can afford the new housing in that area.  The rest have little choice but to commute, which means this road is being built primarily for University Circle's working class.  It would be great if the entire CCF staff could all move to Fairfax tomorrow, but Fairfax is not up to code right now and that isn't their fault.

 

I would say the secondary market for this road is not doctors but visitors to Cleveland.  How do we get to your museum district?  Well, you go to where the freeway ends and you hang a left at the scrapyard, make sure you're in the correct lane at the 5-way by the big vacant lot because they shift and the last thing you need is a forced turn down Kinsman, so anyway you keep going north a mile or so to the projects and take a right, and then you're on your way.

 

I would say the secondary market for this road is not doctors but visitors to Cleveland.  How do we get to your museum district?  Well, you go to where the freeway ends and you hang a left at the scrapyard, make sure you're in the correct lane at the 5-way by the big vacant lot because they shift and the last thing you need is a forced turn down Kinsman, so anyway you keep going north a mile or so to the projects and take a right, and then you're on your way.

 

Bingo.  Over the years when I lived in other places, I cant tell you how many people I met that had mixed impressions of Cleveland because this is the route that they took to the Clinic, University Circle, CASE etc.  and the way that most map programs give you to get there. 

Mixed because they had the good experiences of the institutions, but they couldn't get that awful drive out of their heads.         

Should Cleveland give well-paid doctors a "$331 million dollar driveway built and maintained with public funds"? https://t.co/J3tgO4xZD5

 

When someone has to overstate their argument like this, it's a pretty good indication that it's bunk.  Why is it that I was never an OC supporter, but any time the OC opponents get rolling, I find myself liking it a little more?

It's also rehashing the old, tired argument that all roads are bad, or that the road is slicing through the hearts of many neighborhoods - which in both of these cases, there is broad business and government support for the road, and that the road isn't really slicing through many populated areas. It's bringing the benefit of one-time brownfield cleanup projects that is remedying many abandoned sites and readying them for immediate reuse.

 

We can have a balance of transit and road usage, but it doesn't have to be such a strong-arm argument. Don't blame transit's ills on SR 10's eastward expansion; blame the state and federal government's long standing policies.

What's sad is that it took a road project for the city and the CDCs to begin planning for transit-supportive developments around transit stations that are being rebuilt or due to be rebuilt.

 

I created an OC redevelopment thread (separate from this road project thread) because we now have actual developers seeking actual site clean-up money to start investing in the hinterlands of the OC Corridor. That's encouraging. I just wish it didn't take a road project to remind people that this area exists. But that's why they call it the Forgotten Triangle.

Well, the lesson to take from that is that TOD planning doesn't exist in a vacuum from the road system, which carries far more people, by a magnitude of order, and who tend to have more money.

Also roads and transit overlap in the form of buses.  This isn't a zero sum game.  Nurse aides living off Clark Avenue don't need to suffer just so doctors from Avon can suffer too.

Well, the lesson to take from that is that TOD planning doesn't exist in a vacuum from the road system, which carries far more people, by a magnitude of order, and who tend to have more money.

 

And the highway department, er transportation department, has more money for roads. So if we can leverage some road dollars to repopulate an urban prairie with jobs and residents in a transit-supportive, pedestrian-friendly way, then I'm all for it. The trick will be in refining and enforcing the good planning concepts I'm seeing.

Also roads and transit overlap in the form of buses.  This isn't a zero sum game.  Nurse aides living off Clark Avenue don't need to suffer just so doctors from Avon can suffer too.

 

Damn if I'm not hearing some deja vu here.  :)

 

The irony to this argument is the docs living in Avon or Concord are already taking 90.  From Hunting Valley and Beachwood, 271 to Cedar.  The OC is going to become the main route for pretty much anyone coming from not only the west, but the south.  Also, once it's finished the other routes can be worked on without creating too much chaos.

Well, the lesson to take from that is that TOD planning doesn't exist in a vacuum from the road system, which carries far more people, by a magnitude of order, and who tend to have more money.

 

And the highway department, er transportation department, has more money for roads. So if we can leverage some road dollars to repopulate an urban prairie with jobs and residents in a transit-supportive, pedestrian-friendly way, then I'm all for it. The trick will be in refining and enforcing the good planning concepts I'm seeing.

 

This was the plan the moment it quit being planned as a limited access highway.  That's why Marie Kittridge got hired.

Innovation Square project to break ground.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2017/07/innovation_square_project_to_b.html#incart_river_home

Opportunity Corridor is back on track for 2021 completion after delay caused by taxpayer lawsuit (photos)

Updated Feb 15; Posted Feb 14

By Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Opportunity Corridor is back on track.

 

A taxpayer's lawsuit halted progress last year toward construction of the biggest section of the 3-mile, $306 million boulevard, which is designed to improve the flow of regional traffic to University Circle and spur growth in neighborhoods that have seen decades of disinvestment.

 

Dismissal of the lawsuit last summer led to approval late last month of $178 million in construction money from the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission, the Ohio Department of Transportation said last week.

 

As a result, ODOT plans to award a $200 million contract in late February or early March to build Section 3 of Opportunity Corridor, said Myron Pakush, the agency's deputy director for District 12, which serves the Cleveland area.

 

MORE:

http://www.cleveland.com/architecture/index.ssf/2018/02/opportunity_corridor_on_track.html

I swear there is something wrong with my brain. I've been reading these articles for years, seen the graphics, and have a vague comprehension of its location -- and still can't figure or conceptualize the project's purpose and what possible value it can produce. It's like a weird mental block.

 

Unfortunately, in Ohio, the way a discarded area regains life is with a road project that facilitates the clear-cutting of hundreds of neglected/abandoned structures and properties. Yes, it started with a road project intended to give Cleveland Clinic/UC-area workers and visitors a faster, more visually pleasant entrance to Ohio's fourth-largest employment district. Recognizing that ODOT was going to build the road, the city decided to use it as broad sword to leverage additional funds and initiatives to cut through all of the individual, problematic properties (pollution, liens, land assembly, etc) to create a large swath of competitive, developable land. Yes, the city could have chosen in decades past to attack these properties individually or with a broader initiative of lifting all neighborhoods. But unfortunately cities (and especially Cleveland) don't do things that way. They often need an organizing catalyst to rally the community to keep local eyes on a bigger prize to overcome petty squabbles. So I give credit to Cleveland for using this road project for more than a road project to re-energize a neighborhood that's been forgotten for nearly 70 years. Of course, this project will be measured in the decades to come.

Many people can't get past the idea that it's another highway and I often hear people poo-poo the project. They are rigid in their standards. But I think the way the city recognized that the road is happening, drove a relatively hard bargain (some say not hard enough, but there will always be some who say that), got major concessions that should help to improve the area, transit (which the area has excellent access to) and bike lanes are being acknowledged. I think it's politically savvy of them the way they are trying to handle it, and I wish it the best. Execution matters of course so we will see what comes of it, but city leadership is saying all the right things about it.

I just hope they don't call it opportunity blvd or something stupid like that. Akron has opportunity parkway and I always thought it was lame and desperate sounding. If you have to name your roads "opportunity," your city probably doesn't have much of it. University Blvd could be nice...

^I agree. We've gotten close to really stupid names like "Festival Pier" instead of E. 9 St. Pier. A mixture of pathetic, desperate, and small town.  "Opportunity Blvd/Ave." would be equally bad. It should be an Avenue as opposed to a blvd as it runs east-west. Obama Ave.  though, there's a lot of state money in this project and if they have any say, with the state being generally conservative and backwards, that would never the name.

It runs more diagonally than east west so Blvd, might be appropriate.

^Avenues can be diagonal. If Euclid and Chester are 'staright' then Superior, st. clair, and woodland all have are different degrees off the straight for a diagonal.  Blvds are generally N-S---e.g., West Blvd, East Blvd, Liberty Blvd (now called MLK DRIVE--not sure why the changed it to "Drive"--very suburban sounding).

this is interesting:

 

https://sites.google.com/site/faqcuyahogactyresearch/cleveland-1906-street-name-changes

 

Section 3. CLASSIFICATION OF THOROUGHFARES. The term "Thoroughfare" means all ways used or opened for public travel, whatever its present designation. All thoroughfares running in a general east and west direction shall be called avenues. All thoroughfares running in a general north and south direction shall be called streets. All diagonal thoroughfares shall be called roads. All short or disconnected thoroughfares running in a general north and south direction shall be called places. All short or disconnected thoroughfares running in a general east and west direction shall be called courts. All curved thoroughfares shall be called drives.

that might be why MLK is a drive because it is curvy.  i guess OC could be a Road or Avenue depending on interpretation of generally East-West.

In the most common use of "boulevard", there's a divided, landscaped median with trees in the center of the road. I'd consider it at least somewhat interchangeable with "parkway", which is what West/East Blvd really is. I think it'll end up being called a boulevard because that's probably the most accurate way to describe it (See Nortwest Blvd in Columbus or Edwin C. Moses Blvd in Dayton).

Albert Porter Avenue  ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D