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Fun little piece from Crain's....

 

September 13, 2017 9:42 am

Scoping out a Cleveland case for Amazon's HQ2

STAN BULLARD

 

...That said, the Seattle e-commerce company disclosed the size of the field by announcing it will accept offers from metropolitan statistical areas in North America with populations over a million. So by the numbers Cleveland can be a prospect, though not the smaller Akron area.

 

Along with its specs, Amazon even revealed the project name that economic development types use to cloak identities of their target firms: Project Golden.

 

So let's imagine how a memo emailed among the people who gather resources for regional economic development recruiting drives might look:

 

MORE:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20170913/blogs14/135366/scoping-out-cleveland-case-amazons-hq2

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

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  • LlamaLawyer
    LlamaLawyer

    Y’know, the county as a whole isn’t growing either (at least not till recently). Downtown Cleveland and University Circle are growing as fast or faster than ANYWHERE else in the county. Cleveland co

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So, what impact will this have on the CLE in general, or the move of the HQ to Key tower? Time will tell.

 

Forest City to weigh sale, merger to 'enhance shareholder value'

 

Forest City Realty Trust Inc., parent of Forest City Washington, will explore a potential merger or sale, among other options to "enhance stockholder value," the company announced Monday......

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/09/12/forest-city-to-weigh-sale-merger-to-enhance.html

Amazon's Alexa now features an all-in-one smart light: New relationship with GE involves technology in Cleveland (video)

Updated on September 18, 2017 at 10:53 AM

By Marcia Pledger, The Plain Dealer

 

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio - An innovative table lamp called Sol, created in part by technology and product leaders in Cleveland, is being launched today as the world's first lighting product with Amazon Alexa inside.   

 

Sol can be used to order your dinner, listen to the latest headlines, play music or respond to a host of other Alexa voice commands. But unlike the regular Alexa product, the LED lamp with microphones and a speaker, can control all Alexa compatible products in homes, from connected light bulbs to thermostats to home appliances. It can also access more than 20,000 Alexa skills.

 

The industry's first Amazon Alexa-integrated lighting product - C by GE Sol - is now available at Amazon.com and CbyGE.com. At a time when GE Lighting's future is uncertain at its East Cleveland campus and headquarters, the company continues to create new products. The table lamp was created in part by technology and product leaders in greater Cleveland. In June, General Electric announced plans to put its iconic lighting business up for sale.

 

MORE:

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2017/09/amazons_alexa_now_features_an.html#incart_2box_business

 

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

^ All the more reason to bring HQ2 to Cleveland.  :-D

If you think about it, Cleveland has the amenities Amazon wants, which is water... we have the technology... we also have the advanced healthcare...

If you think about it, Cleveland has the amenities Amazon wants, which is water... we have the technology... we also have the advanced healthcare...

 

You forgot pierogis.

 

If you think about it, Cleveland has the amenities Amazon wants, which is water... we have the technology... we also have the advanced healthcare...

 

 

You forgot pierogis.

 

 

And the world's largest pierogi!

 

 

Tri-C Makes World’s Largest Pierogi

 

 

You just killed all the hope ;).

"You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers

Meanwhile, down at the farm:

 

 

 

Meeting last night with the Architectural Review Board: schematic approval given

 

 

 

 

 

 

Euclid fulfillment center project - possibly Amazon - on dead mall site gets design approval

 

 

The massive industrial project slated to replace Euclid Square Mall won design approval late Tuesday. And though the developer wouldn't identify the tenant, several clues - the size, layout, function and color scheme - point to Amazon.

 

 

Euclid's Architectural Review Board approved schematic plans for a huge fulfillment center that will supplant the dead mall, which closed last year. The building will occupy a 650,000-square-foot footprint and, with two levels of robotic storage tucked above the main floor, contain 1.7 million square feet of floor space.

 

 

Plans also call for 53 truck docks and parking for 200 trailers and nearly 1,800 cars.

 

 

Executives with Seefried Industrial Properties, the developer, won't say who needs that much space. And during an hour-long design discussion, review board members didn't ask about the building's intended occupant.

 

 

But Seefried, based in Atlanta, is the same developer behind an Amazon fulfillment center being constructed on the former site of Randall Park Mall, a 20-mile drive from Euclid. And documents submitted to Euclid's planning department show a tan-and-brown building with orangey-gold accents - an orangey-gold that looks a lot like one of Amazon's signature colors.

 

 

A spokeswoman for the Seattle-based e-commerce giant wouldn't confirm anything Wednesday morning. "Amazon has a practice of not commenting on speculation," she said.

 

 

Seefried has a deal to buy the 68-acre Euclid site, which includes the shuttered mall and freestanding buildings on its fringes. The purchases, from multiple owners, could take place within 30 days, said David Riefe, the developer's senior vice president for the Midwest.

 

 

 

 

MORE:

http://realestate.cleveland.com/realestate-news/2017/09/euclid_fulfillment_center_proj.html#incart_river_home

If you think about it, Cleveland has the amenities Amazon wants, which is water... we have the technology... we also have the advanced healthcare...

 

You forgot pierogis.

 

It's coming to Parma, not Cleveland, then! ;D

^Nah... you do it  8)

Nah you do it! :o

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

If you think about it, Cleveland has the amenities Amazon wants, which is water... we have the technology... we also have the advanced healthcare...

 

 

 

You forgot pierogis.

 

It's coming to Parma, not Cleveland, then! ;D

 

I'll take it anywhere in NE Ohio

If amazon randomly went to Parma, I'd be scared. HAH, what do you think they'd do with all the income/ property taxes? Obv not fix the pothole roads we desperately need fixed to drive on. And no fireworks for the 4th for the current 10th year in a row? Being from the Parma area, I didn't even know where our money went other than the mayor's fat wallet...

If amazon randomly went to Parma, I'd be scared. HAH, what do you think they'd do with all the income/ property taxes? Obv not fix the pothole roads we desperately need fixed to drive on. And no fireworks for the 4th for the current 10th year in a row? Being from the Parma area, I didn't even know where our money went other than the mayor's fat wallet...

 

I always say that Parma could experience a transformation like Lakewood if they would just end the crony politics.

^ Parma is dense, has some intact & walkable commercial corridors, and very easy to get downtown. They could build BRT-lite that alternates between Ridge-Pearl and State-Pearl before heading up 25th and into downtown.

If amazon randomly went to Parma, I'd be scared. HAH, what do you think they'd do with all the income/ property taxes? Obv not fix the pothole roads we desperately need fixed to drive on. And no fireworks for the 4th for the current 10th year in a row? Being from the Parma area, I didn't even know where our money went other than the mayor's fat wallet...

 

I always say that Parma could experience a transformation like Lakewood if they would just end the crony politics.

 

The northern part of Parma has more walakble interesting neighborhoods.  I think one of the drawbacks is the housing in Parma is mainly post war bungalows.  Although mid-century modern may be having a moment.

^ Perhaps discussed in another thread. But, see a growing city like Portland and Denver... THOSE are the type of homes in demand and being renovated.

 

Parma's cronyism is among the worst in the county... They still cannot settle on a city charter, one of only two cities in the state without one. Until the fat is cut in the bureaucracy, political self-preservation will always outweigh progress in Parma.

 

Parma Heights and Seven Hills are both nice little cities, though. 

We should father a Parma topic...  Too many issues to mix between Cleveland's business even though there are correlations. So far I see the lackluster in Parma debates and development. Parma has a population far greater than and canton, so I believe it deserves its own thread.

Existing Parma thread options.....

 

A one-post Parma thread:

https://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,29077.0.html

 

Parma construction:

https://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,15832.0.html

 

Living in Parma (as in relocating there):

https://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,27887.0.html

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

 

 

Northeast Ohio will launch a community effort similar to the one that won Republican National Convention last year, the statement said.

 

 

"Northeast Ohio" can and does include Akron.  Including both MSAs, which makes sense because they effectively overlap brings the population to 3.5 million.

 

Amazon has already said they are not locked into a downtown.  Somewhere in the borderlands would give the HQ access to not only one major city, but a major and a mid-major.  With three other large cities within about 150 miles.

^Absolutely disagree. If anywhere in "Northeast Ohio" it should be in Downtown Cleveland or at least Midtown. There is nothing but loss to be gained by comprising to the middle of nowhere to include Akron which vigorously fights to keep "Cleveland" a 2M city instead of a 3M city.

I doubt Amazon will locate in exurbia.

Read the Amazon HQ2 RFP regarding their site selection criteria. Very few suburban sites anywhere in the USA would meet their Phase 1 standards which includes 500,000-1 million square feet available soon enough for them to have it operational by 2019.

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

The only place in Akron they could move to would be the innerbelt site. Plenty of space there. But i don't see that being terribly optimal as transit isn't as efficient.

Read the Amazon HQ2 RFP regarding their site selection criteria. Very few suburban sites anywhere in the USA would meet their Phase 1 standards which includes 500,000-1 million square feet available soon enough for them to have it operational by 2019.

 

Also, they want to be near  mass  transit.  That ain't hapennin' in the far south burbs.

Missed this one. Based on this data, Greater Cleveland is doing barely a little more than replacing manufacturing jobs...

 

All Eyes on Core in Cleveland

The city's market is growing slowly, particularly in submarkets outside the urban core that still face difficulties stemming from the last downturn.

by Laura Calugar | Sep 08, 2017

https://www.multihousingnews.com/post/all-eyes-on-core-in-cleveland-2/

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck

I think Midtiwn really may be the best option. With the tech focus, a basically empty canvas to do what they want, land that can be built upon for homes for the workers , connection to the healthline. Throw in not being too far from downtown and a highway it's a great location. It may not be adjacent to an airport but maybe that can be remedied by RTA, does anyone remember the time they had some health line buses take riders to the UC station instead of Windermere? The same can be done for the 55th station. They can build a connector (streetcar maybe) from by the rail yard on 55th and create a midtown loop that travels down Chester (Euclid is clogged) through midtown and loops back to the 55th station. This could spur further development and also allow the workers to catch the train either to Hopkins or take it downtown to Burke and vice versa.

Healthline to Tower City would work just as well - maybe a few improvements to the HL like signal priority, and they'd probably need to run more buses since they're already crowded.

Healthline to Tower City would work just as well - maybe a few improvements to the HL like signal priority, and they'd probably need to run more buses since they're already crowded.

I brought up that plan because if they do build closer to 55th it would be faster to get to that station instead of TC. While that idea works and is a good option, I feel that an area that would receive 50,000 residents quickly needs something designed to meet that sudden demand, and also specifically serve an area where a good amount of the potential employees would live. It allows quicker access to work, play as well as to the heavy rail. Building it on Chester would allow for that mini highway to be streetscape and made less wide and allow it to boom right along with Euclid Ave. If I had my way I would love for the dual hub subway plan to happen, that would definitely allow for fast access to the airports or wherever the new employee base has to go. Unfortunately if a streetcar is a pipe dream, the subway is definitely far fetched. Who knows though a sudden influx of workers and money like that could change a lot of tunes.

That's been the pattern here for a while now hasn't it? Cleveland lags behind in the booms and leads in the busts? That was certainly the case in the run-up to the last recession, and before that the dot-com era.

I've said that in the past, you can't uplift a small portion of the city and promote growth there while basically flat out ignoring the majority, the east side specifically. It doesn't work.

I've said that in the past, you can't uplift a small portion of the city and promote growth there while basically flat out ignoring the majority, the east side specifically. It doesn't work.

 

But the current real estate booms in certain Cleveland neighborhoods has nothing to do with the fact that North East Ohio hasn't had a meaningful  economic expansion since the 90s.

 

Investors are just capitalizing where it makes sense I stead of everywhere.

The overall condition of the city could be why expansion isn't happening.

It is the lack of an explicit strategy for economic growth that is the problem. THAT is the key. Once you attract more jobs at a large scale, people, money, everything will follow.

I'm not trying to put on the rose-colored glasses, but I don't think looking at distressed zip codes is the best way for determining a regions economic health. I think what this tells us is that our jobs are too far spread out, and the concentrated poverty on the east side and some areas of the west side are killing us as a city. However, the jobs reports for the past year or so has showed us beginning to transition as a Region. What this says though is that we need to start spreading the redevelopment out from OHC, Tremont, and UC. It needs to start hitting the Asiatowns, Glenvilles, and Clark Fultons

^I agree that we have been seeing the beginnings of the growth of our diverse industries, moving away from the heavy manufacturing focus of the past.

 

I disagree that the distressed areas, mostly on the east side are what's holding us back. Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, DC, even Columbus all have impoverished and distressed areas, but have grown over the last forty years.

I could see an immediate influx to Cleveland and Lorain from Puerto Rico of 10-15,000+ people that have family here. Certainly there are 50,000-100,000+ people that do not want to or can not deal with no electricity for 6 months. I know I would thinking about moving out to wait for the grid to get back up before I come back to my house.  Many people don't have a house to come back to. This could be a way the region helps and quickly increases the population.

Unfortunately distressed and impoverished swaths of a city are pretty much par for the course in the USA. I personally think regional fragmentation is up there in the list of things that hurt Cleveland and perhaps made our decline worse than other cities. Too many suburbs, too many wards. No at large districts for anything. Today they just try to undercut each other rather than work for true growth.

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The City / Region has to have a better plan to both attract and help grow and retain businesses which are already here.  When the jobs come, the people will follow.  However that's only part of the problem.  We can take our pick at the problems affecting the harder-hit neighborhoods; Joblessness, lack of low-skill jobs with a living wage, job training, imprisonment (collateral sanctions barring previous offenders from employment in various fields for the rest of their lives for people with felonies), drugs, etc.

Unfortunately distressed and impoverished swaths of a city are pretty much par for the course in the USA. I personally think regional fragmentation is up there in the list of things that hurt Cleveland and perhaps made our decline worse than other cities. Too many suburbs, too many wards. No at large districts for anything. Today they just try to undercut each other rather than work for true growth.

 

Unfortunately, I think to do much about it now would have more people leaving the region. 

Unfortunately distressed and impoverished swaths of a city are pretty much par for the course in the USA. I personally think regional fragmentation is up there in the list of things that hurt Cleveland and perhaps made our decline worse than other cities. Too many suburbs, too many wards. No at large districts for anything. Today they just try to undercut each other rather than work for true growth.

Agree, and as long as the region remains uber infested with Democrats it will never change, probably get worse.  Bigger and more levels of government the better.

Yes, Republican controlled Mississippi is a utopia.

^Nobody talks back and the farm animals are scared.

50+ municipalities in Cuyahoga is too much. I would love to see some mergers.

50+ municipalities in Cuyahoga is too much. I would love to see some mergers.

 

It has to start with Cleveland absorbing a few of the inner-ring though. I don't think Cuyahoga County would benefit from two cities with 150,000+. Imagine a Parma, Parma Heights, Seven Hills, Brooklyn consolidation - as they have already begun to share some dispatch services. That would be a city of approximately 135,000.

 

If we could see Cleveland pick up some cities like EC or Brooklyn, that would put the population back over 400,000 and help with funding - though I do realize it is slightly more complicated than that.

Suburbs that share a school district should be first to merge.

^^^^This is a pointless argument...

 

Dems can point to Boston, San Fran, LA, Seattle, NYC.

 

GOP can point to Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Charlotte, Salt Lake City, Nashville

 

If you believe one party's politics are the sole cause of the problem, you're the problem.

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