Typically driving jobs like truck or bus drivers are able to attract a lot of people with lesser education.  The scary thing is that many of these in the next 5-10 years could be going away to automation. 

As for Amazon jobs, these should be good first jobs for people coming out of school. My first IT job was as a tape jockey at a data center. That is essentially what they will be doing.

  To me the issue is people in Collinwood being able to get to jobs in another part of Cleveland without a car.  So a better map would be a heat map of jobs of Cleveland by pay vs the locations of where the population lives that are in poverty.

But with only 10 percent of available jobs within a 60-minute transit ride in NE Ohio, how many of these jobs are accessible? A recent PD article about the loss of transit funding reported that there are thousands of unfilled jobs in Solon that aren't being filled. That's just one suburb. This number will only increase when RTA has to cut to 10 percent of its service to align with the loss of the MCO sales tax funding.

So a better map would be a heat map of jobs of Cleveland by pay vs the locations of where the population lives that are in poverty.

 

This is a transit propensity map of Cuyahoga County from about 2012. In addition to showing where the jobs are concentrated, it also shows where the residents are concentrated. The transit system needs to better link these "hotspots".

 

Propensity-map by Ken Prendergast, on Flickr

^That's a shame. All of the inner ring neighborhoods should at least be yellow

Good news for those who live in Cleveland (at least in Collinwood and Glenville) without a car; the St. Clair bus line stops at Babbit Rd. / St. Clair in Euclid, making the Amazon jobs accessible. 

 

We need greater transit; however, there needs to be some type of push to locate growing businesses back to areas which are accessible by transit.

^There is a conversation going that will hopefully extend that line - perhaps others - into the Fulfillment Center campus

I'm hoping we get a red line or healthline extension

I'm hoping we get a red line or healthline extension

 

There's no money for it. RTA is going to be cut an additional $20 million starting next year. They've already cut a lot of the flesh away from the system and now they will have to cut into the bones. Unless the business Community Gets behind a massive transit state-of-good-repair and expansion effort, all of these proposals are just dreams.

^There is a conversation going that will hopefully extend that line - perhaps others - into the Fulfillment Center campus

 

Not in this political climate, sadly.  Ohio has got to be one of the most transit unfriendly state; if you don't have a car and need a parking lot space, they don't really care about you.  Even getting a protected bike lane seems like a long shot!

It may be something as simple as moving a stop near the employee entrance or creating a layover location within the parking lot. Nothing fancy or expensive

So there's that...

 

OPINION: "Burke is Cleveland's best shot at landing the Amazon headquarters, and it's about time we stopped wasting half of the downtown lakefront on a little-used airport serving a tiny population."

Do you agree?

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/09/note_to_cleveland_team_seeking.html

^Yes. But the tiny population that use Burke Lakefront tend to have disproportionate influence in Cleveland

With limited direct service to the west coast and Europe, Amazon may want to use Burke for charters.  Which in my mind, means offer up the best of both worlds.  There are quite a few acres available between the Muni lots and the Burke lots, not to mention land surrounding the field. 

So there's that...

 

OPINION: "Burke is Cleveland's best shot at landing the Amazon headquarters, and it's about time we stopped wasting half of the downtown lakefront on a little-used airport serving a tiny population."

Do you agree?

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/09/note_to_cleveland_team_seeking.html

 

I couldn't agree more with this.  I would dump Burke in a New York minute for something like this (as well as, of course, multi-unit residential development).

 

Interesting the PD, of all people, cite as a (excuse the expression) trump cards "... with public transportation running nearly to the doorstep." Without actually saying its name, you know what they're talking about.  Funny how that supposedly waste of money, piece of crap transit branch -- the Waterfront Line -- rears its ugly head as, dare I say, a plus in matters of development and transportation common sense, in the case of the NCTC.... So the WFL naysayers are actually touting WFL as a feather in the city's cap to lure something as important as Amazon's HQ... someone should cry 'foul.'

 

 

There were more cliches in that post than should be allowed by forum rules...

^ There is a huge gap in policy ideas in Cleveland City Council even though they are all Democrats.  Would anyone really consider Polensek to be a liberal?

 

They are Democrats because they have to be to get reelected.  Even Zack Reed seems to have said some liberal things basically just to get reelected.

 

Correct. If you talk to Reed privately, he's basically a Republicrat

 

So was Jeff Johnson, years ago.  Note that the three mentioned here tend to form the core of the opposition to Jackson.  I was wondering why they ran against each other, but it may have been to see which approach (left or right) drew more votes.

Good news for those who live in Cleveland (at least in Collinwood and Glenville) without a car; the St. Clair bus line stops at Babbit Rd. / St. Clair in Euclid, making the Amazon jobs accessible. 

 

We need greater transit; however, there needs to be some type of push to locate growing businesses back to areas which are accessible by transit.

 

Not likely to happen, mainly because of CERCLA.

 

If the jobs are there the transit will be too, if RTA plans things properly.

Adding RTA service in one area means taking it from somewhere else -- and then some. Look for a 10% service cut and/or mix of additional fare increases on what is already one of the expensive-to-ride transit systems in the USA, and that has cut more bus service (measured in vehicle-revenue-service-miles) in the 21st century.

Adding RTA service in one area means taking it from somewhere else -- and then some. Look for a 10% service cut and/or mix of additional fare increases on what is already one of the expensive-to-ride transit systems in the USA, and that has cut more bus service (measured in vehicle-revenue-service-miles) in the 21st century.

 

Or private providers picking up the slack like in SF.  Remember, mass transit need not be public transit.

Or private providers picking up the slack like in SF.  Remember, mass transit need not be public transit.

 

That would be wonderful to see. Too bad so many companies plop a facility down well beyond the reach of the transit system and then feel entitled to have public transit service to their front door. Absent a major funding increase from somewhere yet to be seen, the private sector paying 100% is the only way expanded service will happen now.

Absent a major funding increase from somewhere yet to be seen, the private sector paying 100% is the only way expanded service will happen now.

 

Not even then.  Remember, Ohio City, Inc. was interested in building a streetcar line down Detroit Avenue, but RTA wasn't willing to operate it.

Absent a major funding increase from somewhere yet to be seen, the private sector paying 100% is the only way expanded service will happen now.

 

Not even then.  Remember, Ohio City, Inc. was interested in building a streetcar line down Detroit Avenue, but RTA wasn't willing to operate it.

 

RTA hates the very idea of competition.  Or even giving anyone else a say in how well they run things.

RTA is afraid of the already declining resources for transit being used for something that it considers to be an extremely expensive and unnecessary project. Of course, the resources for a Detroit Avenue Streetcar wouldn't come from anything that RTA is currently using. But since RTA doesn't understand how streetcars are typically funded they wouldn't know anyway.

Absent a major funding increase from somewhere yet to be seen, the private sector paying 100% is the only way expanded service will happen now.

 

Not even then.  Remember, Ohio City, Inc. was interested in building a streetcar line down Detroit Avenue, but RTA wasn't willing to operate it.

 

RTA hates the very idea of competition.  Or even giving anyone else a say in how well they run things.

 

I'm not a transit expert but couldn't they just do it anyway and pay another transit authority to operate it like Laketran or something? Or is that illegal?

To keep this discussion on topic, I've responded to the above post at:

 

https://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,30302.msg876825.html#msg876825

According to Anderson Economic Group, Cleveland ranks 2nd best in the Midwest (behind Chicago) for Amazon's #HQ2  https://t.co/hNuir7LZIv

Their analysis leans towards mega-cities.  New York #1, Chicago #2, LA #3.

Their analysis leans towards mega-cities.  New York #1, Chicago #2, LA #3.

 

I don't see Bezos going anywhere they won't instantly be one of the top two or three presences in town.

Hmmmm.....

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-new-corporate-recruitment-pool-workers-in-dead-end-jobs-1505080840?mod=e2tw

 

Seems like people aren't interested in moving anymore.    S-word, once again I thought I was different but I was just ahead of time. 

It certainly isn't that people aren't interested in moving. The difference in standard of living or more appropriate higher cost of living is more a reason to reconsider moving. 

  One could be recruited to take a $120,000 position in NJ or LA but if you can get a $75,000 in Ohio that should likely be the equivalent since nearly everything is twice as expensive. 

  A company tried to get me to go to Nashville with them several years ago.  The incentives weren't that great. I think maybe it was an additional $5k in salary and some minor moving expenses. Had it been someplace i was actually interested in moving to like Denver i may have said yes. 

  Homes now are pretty expensive in all the hot markets. A comparable $150k house in Ohio will cost $350k in Denver.  Its not as easy getting mortgages as in the past and not everyone is ok with moving to apartments. So its easier to stay put with low unemployment all around.

http://www.theplacemaster.com/2017/09/11/why-cleveland-should-become-amazon-city/

http://www.theplacemaster.com/2017/09/11/why-cleveland-should-become-amazon-city/

 

"One of the most sufficient reasons, according to the Times, that Amazon wants to move is to find less expensive housing for its workforce. "

 

I did not realize that. Maybe we have a better shot than I thought.

^^ The main argument, the millions of square feet of empty office space, might have been true based on the 2010 reports cited, but I don't think that's an accurate figure today. 

^ The Union Trust (925 Euclid), May Company, and Post Office Plaza combined are nearly 3 million square feet of space.

The Catch 22 being... as soon as Amazon announces the city... there will no longer be as much "affordable housing" lol.

 

Hypothetically here, if Amazon were to move to Cleveland, I'd say a $175,000 home on Bridge and West 30th would become a $300,000 home almost overnight.

I think the spike in prices would be temporary.  Home builders would likely increase the housing supply based on the new demand.

The Catch 22 being... as soon as Amazon announces the city... there will no longer be as much "affordable housing" lol.

 

Hypothetically here, if Amazon were to move to Cleveland, I'd say a $175,000 home on Bridge and West 30th would become a $300,000 home almost overnight.

 

Let me know when you find a house at Bridge and W 30th for $175,000... I'll take it in a heartbeat

 

The Catch 22 being... as soon as Amazon announces the city... there will no longer be as much "affordable housing" lol.

 

Hypothetically here, if Amazon were to move to Cleveland, I'd say a $175,000 home on Bridge and West 30th would become a $300,000 home almost overnight.

 

Let me know when you find a house at Bridge and W 30th for $175,000... I'll take it in a heartbeat

 

 

Haha, yeah that would be amazing!

I think the spike in prices would be temporary.  Home builders would likely increase the housing supply based on the new demand.

 

We would need overhauls of the zoning codes in order for that to happen on a large enough and dense enough scale.

http://www.cleveland.com/north-olmsted/index.ssf/2017/09/regional_airline_adding_new_he.html

 

CommutAir, an express carrier for United, is moving its headquarters to North Olmsted, where the airline's operations center and some other functions are already located.  This is interesting in that they no longer fly to CLE since the dehubbing. Now they operate out of Newark and Dulles airports. This may mean they will take over ExpressJet's 50-seat flying at CLE and maybe their maintenance hangar as well.

 

Their reliability fell dramatically when they moved their maintenance from CLE to Albany after the dehubbing. It would be great to see them correct that mistake.

Industrial (manufacturing, assembly, warehousing, etc) jobs continue to grow where they're least accessible to NE Ohio's most concentrated labor pool. And the industrial market is growing the slowest in the core city where they're most accessible. This has got to change....

 

http://www.ngkf.com/Uploads/FileManager/Market%20Reports/3Q17-Cleveland-Industrial-Market.pdf

I'm confused. If downtown rents are too cheap to justify unsubsidized multi-family residential projects, then why are these projects drawing these out-of-town lenders here?

 

October 10, 2017 12:20 pm      UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO

Pennsylvania's NexTier Bank expands into Ohio with Cleveland market loan office

By JEREMY NOBILE   

 

Another western Pennsylvania bank is dipping its toe into the crowded Northeast Ohio market.

 

NexTier Bank, a roughly $1.2 billion-asset bank based in Kittanning, Pa. whose roots date back to 1897, has announced the opening of a new commercial loan production office in Cleveland.

 

The new office, being led by senior vice president John Osberg, NexTier's recently named Cleveland market manager, marks the bank's first expansion into Ohio. The bank has 27 branches clustered along the western Pennsylvania border.

 

..."There is a robust multi-family market in downtown Cleveland that will jump start our foray into this market," said Osberg on his approach to launching a lending platform here. "With a landscape of diverse industries, we can start by developing our commercial real estate portfolio and then add in business banking and C&I business. Not only can we look at direct deals, but we can also focus on larger participation deals with partner banks."

 

MORE:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20171010/news/138311/pennsylvanias-nextier-bank-expands-ohio-cleveland-market-loan-office

^Without looking it up to confirm, I'd bet most or all of the conversions using historic credits have private debt financing.

I'm confused. If downtown rents are too cheap to justify unsubsidized multi-family residential projects, then why are these projects drawing these out-of-town lenders here?

 

October 10, 2017 12:20 pm      UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO

Pennsylvania's NexTier Bank expands into Ohio with Cleveland market loan office

By JEREMY NOBILE   

 

Another western Pennsylvania bank is dipping its toe into the crowded Northeast Ohio market.

 

NexTier Bank, a roughly $1.2 billion-asset bank based in Kittanning, Pa. whose roots date back to 1897, has announced the opening of a new commercial loan production office in Cleveland.

 

The new office, being led by senior vice president John Osberg, NexTier's recently named Cleveland market manager, marks the bank's first expansion into Ohio. The bank has 27 branches clustered along the western Pennsylvania border.

 

..."There is a robust multi-family market in downtown Cleveland that will jump start our foray into this market," said Osberg on his approach to launching a lending platform here. "With a landscape of diverse industries, we can start by developing our commercial real estate portfolio and then add in business banking and C&I business. Not only can we look at direct deals, but we can also focus on larger participation deals with partner banks."

 

MORE:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20171010/news/138311/pennsylvanias-nextier-bank-expands-ohio-cleveland-market-loan-office

 

I doubt the residential construction is what's drawing a bank of this size. They're going to be too small to be a player in larger projects like that, even as a participant in a club financing deal. They're going to be focused on refinancing existing office / industrial primarily, and maybe some construction on owner occupied stuff in the suburbs. I can't say for certain, but typically a community bank is going to limit exposure to under $10MM per project, focusing on the small business market / manufacturing.

Re: Amazon HQ2 Search

 

Please check out: http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/amazon%e2%80%99s-next-move-these-cities-are-top-contenders-for-its-new-hq-%e2%80%94-and-50000-jobs/ss-AAsTzV2?ocid=spartandhp

 

Detroit is listed.  Cleveland is not.

 

^That's not Amazon's list. Its Brookings' list.

Not at all surprising.  Detroit has a few more of the positives on Amazon's list, and the market is much larger.

Charlotte wasn't in that list either, so its not a comprehensive list.

 

I hope Cleveland's proposal includes a vision from (former) Forest City / Ratner family members on how the area around the Opportunity Corridor Blvd can be made into an Amazon HQ and Amazon village.  With the proximity to University Circle, and the Red line, and presumably lots of upgrades to the O.C. it could make a compelling choice.

Charlotte wasn't in that list either, so its not a comprehensive list.

 

I hope Cleveland's proposal includes a vision from (former) Forest City / Ratner family members on how the area around the Opportunity Corridor Blvd can be made into an Amazon HQ and Amazon village.  With the proximity to University Circle, and the Red line, and presumably lots of upgrades to the O.C. it could make a compelling choice.

 

Bezos Boulevard

Cleveland-based Athersys stock was up on an announcement that they will contract with Nikon Cell to manufacture their principal product "Multistem".

 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/athersys-nikon-cell-innovation-collaborate-100000338.html

 

Athersys does science well; but they don't show me much as a company. My bet: they will end up a small branch lab of somebody else who knows how to run a business.