Hi, I've just joined this forum although I've been reading it frequently for several months.  Decided to finally sign-up...

 

What used to be where the large parking lot is now (between E 4th and E 6th)?

 

Welcome.  The Central Market occupied some of that space.

 

Welcome.  The Central Market occupied some of that space.

 

No it didn't. That was farther south. It was originally the south headhouse of the once-much larger Sheriff Street Market which occupied the block between Huron, East 4th, Bolivar and East 6th...

 

http://csudigitalhumanities.org/exhibits/archive/files/downtown-map-1942_6860f1a644.jpg

 

The above 1942 map shows it as the Sheriff Street Market because the original Central Market was in the middle of a traffic island at the confluence of Ontario, Eagle, East 4th and Bolivar.

 

Welcome pgn711. Here's some pictures to orient you and others (especially MTS!!  :whip:) about the various buildings that are, and aren't in the area you're interested in:

 

First, the aren'ts. Here's the "new" Central Market (occupying the south headhouse of the Sheriff Street Market), looking at the southwest corner of the building and the northeast corner of Bolivar and East 4th in the early 1980s....

 

 

 

This is the Sheriff Street Market before it burned in about 1930 that left only the south headhouse intact. This view looks north up East 4th Street. The north end of the market is at Huron Road....

 

 

 

Looking down from Terminal Tower in 1929 at the intersection of Prospect and Ontario. The area of interest is at the top of the photo....

 

 

 

View from the tower again in 1929. The shadow of Terminal Tower almost pointing down Prospect. The area of interest is to the right....

 

 

 

And here is the best angle of the area of interest, except that it's in the middle of a snowy January day in 1929 so it lacks the resolution of a sunny day. Just to the left of the Sheriff's Street Market is the area where the huge parking lot is today....

 

GREAT PICTURES! Thank you KJP, can you find me pictures of the area where the terminal tower is today?

Actually, you can find extensive photos in the Cleveland Memory database. You will have no problems finding hundreds if not thousands of pictures of what the area looked like before demolition and construction of the Terminal Tower complex.

Oh, by the way..... I love me some then-and-now photos:

 

Firenze98 photo:

 

United Airlines to locate Great Lakes sales office at Greater Cleveland Partnership HQ

 

"The Greater Cleveland Partnership said United Airlines plans to locate its Great Lakes regional sales office in GCP's new PlayhouseSquare office building at 1240 Huron Road in downtown Cleveland."This agreement underscores the strong partnership between the Greater Cleveland Partnership and United," GCP president and CEO Joe Roman said in a statement. “United Airlines and the Cleveland hub are critical to this region's business attraction, expansion and retention efforts."

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111108/FREE/111109865

United Airlines to locate Great Lakes sales office at Greater Cleveland Partnership HQ

 

"The Greater Cleveland Partnership said United Airlines plans to locate its Great Lakes regional sales office in GCP's new PlayhouseSquare office building at 1240 Huron Road in downtown Cleveland."This agreement underscores the strong partnership between the Greater Cleveland Partnership and United," GCP president and CEO Joe Roman said in a statement. “United Airlines and the Cleveland hub are critical to this region's business attraction, expansion and retention efforts."

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111108/FREE/111109865

 

Awesome!  Anyone know where there offices were before?

Ted Forstmann, who's firm Forstmann Little purchased IMG a few years back, passed away from brain cancer. As the article outlines, he was acting as Chairman of IMG. I doubt this will change anything with regard to IMG's operations, but I thought it was worth noting.

 

Theodore Forstmann, Private Equity Pioneer, Is Dead at 71

 

Theodore J. Forstmann, a colorful financier and philanthropist who helped pioneer leveraged buyouts, died on Sunday at the age of 71.

 

The cause was brain cancer, his spokesman said. Mr. Forstmann, who lived in Manhattan had been diagnosed with a malignant glioma earlier this year.

 

Mr. Forstmann was among the very first executives to use debt to acquire companies, fix them and then sell them for millions –  and sometimes billions  –  of dollars in profits.

 

Beginning in the late 1970s, he pooled money from wealthy investors and large pension funds to back his acquisitions, while taking 20 percent of the profits, creating a business model that today is known as the private equity industry....

 

...Over the past seven years, he worked steadily on his last big investment: IMG, the sports, fashion and media agency that represented the likes of Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. He bought the company in 2004 for $750 million and became its chairman.

 

It encompassed everything he loved: deal-making and sports.

 

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/theodore-forstmann-private-equity-pioneer-is-dead-at-71/?nl=business&emc=dlbka8

 

 

As a follow to the earlier auction......

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,15104.msg576645.html#msg576645

 

 

Historic Arcade in downtown Cleveland sold at sheriff's auction for $7.7 million

Published: Monday, December 05, 2011, 10:30 AM    Updated: Monday, December 05, 2011, 11:15 AM

  By Michelle Jarboe McFee, The Plain Dealer

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Canadian hotel and resort company has purchased the historic Arcade in downtown Cleveland for just under $7.7 million - the minimum bid required at a foreclosure auction this morning.

 

Skyline International Development Inc. was the sole bidder for the landmark property, which runs between Euclid and Superior avenues near East Fourth Street.

 

Based in Ontario, Canada, the private company owns more than 2 million square feet of real estate and is focused on master-planned communities, hotels and resort properties in Canada.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/12/historic_arcade_in_downtown_cl_2.html

F-Yea!

 

AmTrust Financial Services, a New York insurer, could bring 1,000 jobs to downtown Cleveland

Published: Monday, December 05, 2011, 1:25 PM    Updated: Monday, December 05, 2011, 1:37 PM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A publicly traded insurance company could bring 1,000 jobs to downtown Cleveland - most of them new jobs created in Northeast Ohio.

 

A state tax board is scheduled to vote this afternoon on incentives for AmTrust Financial Services Inc., a holding company that provides workers' compensation insurance and other insurance services to small and mid-sized businesses.

 

 

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/12/amtrust_3.html

*Dammit Clefan98 with your fast fingers!

 

While there were hints of this already, this could be way bigger than initially anticipated and would bne an amazing shot in the arm...

 

AmTrust Financial Services, a New York insurer, could bring 1,000 jobs to downtown Cleveland

Published: Monday, December 05, 2011, 1:25 PM    Updated: Monday, December 05, 2011, 1:37 PM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A publicly traded insurance company could bring 1,000 jobs to downtown Cleveland - most of them new jobs created in Northeast Ohio.

 

AmTrust would create up to 800 new jobs in the city over three years. And the company would move most of its suburban employees - 245 people in Seven Hills - to the former KeyBank Center office building at 800 Superior Ave.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/12/amtrust_3.html

 

Fantastic and a no brainer in my opinion for Am Trust....I would imagine, given the nature of the business, that a large percentage of their work force is young and they don't relish being stuck out in Seven Hills.

Good lord, that would be something else.

WOW!!!!!  Asolutley Awesome!!!!!!

Clefan98, I hope you don't mind but news that good demands a much more impressively posted headline than regular-font text! So I modified your message just a tad.

 

This also should be cross-posted in the downtown office news thread, which I will do right now.

The last paragraph was not reported in the PD piece.....

 

AmTrust Financial Services to bring hundreds of jobs to downtown Cleveland

2:14 pm, December 5, 2011

 

AmTrust Financial Services Inc. (Nasdaq: AFSI), a property and casualty insurer based in New York that already has an operation in Seven Hills with 245 employees, is planning to establish a big office in downtown Cleveland that eventually could house as many as 1,000 workers.

 

Subject to various approvals, AmTrust intends to set up offices inside the building at 800 Superior Ave. that once housed the former McDonald Investments brokerage firm. An affiliate of AmTrust bought the largely vacant 23-story building earlier this year for $7.5 million at an online auction and has committed to spending at least $20 million to upgrade the property, which includes a parking garage.

 

....According to an announcement by AmTrust, the cities of Cleveland and Seven Hills previously had entered into a tax-sharing agreement under which one-half of the payroll tax from those AmTrust employees in Seven Hills who relocate to the Cleveland office will be rebated to the city of Seven Hills for a five-year period.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20111205/FREE/111209937

I'd call the bold text below a "leading economic indicator" despite the state-imposed budget cuts.......

 

Cleveland mayor recalls 25 laid off police officers today, and another 20 in January

Published: Monday, December 05, 2011, 10:00 PM    Updated: Monday, December 05, 2011, 10:42 PM

  By Pat Galbincea, The Plain Dealer

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Mayor Frank Jackson had some pleasant surprises for the city Monday morning after swearing in 25 laid-off police officers.

 

Jackson announced he was also bringing back 20 more officers in January without waiting for attrition to create openings.

 

He didn't stop there. He also announced that all recreation centers will be reopened on Saturdays, and that next summer pools will reopen on Mondays and Tuesdays when the temperature is 85 degrees or higher.

 

The additional 20 officers will be paid from the increase in income tax revenue to be collected from construction workers and other hires involved in the casino, medical mart and Inner Belt construction, said Andrea Taylor, a spokeswoman for the mayor. The casino opening in late March and a high occupancy rate in downtown apartments also will provide additional taxes, Taylor said.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/12/cleveland_mayor_recalls_25_lai.html

 

Good news, and a good move by Jackson.

Other side of the story!

 

Seven Hills to lose 245 jobs to Cleveland when AmTrust moves

Published: Tuesday, December 06, 2011, 4:39 PM    Updated: Tuesday, December 06, 2011, 4:41 PM

Ken Baka, Sun News By Ken Baka, Sun News

 

SEVEN HILLS The expected loss of about 245 jobs to downtown will hurt the city by about $110,000 over five years, the mayor said.

 

The sum — incurred by the reported move of AmTrust North America Inc., an insurance company located at 5800 Lombardo Centre here — is “going to be a blow to us,” Mayor Michael Barth said.

 

But the loss to the city would be about $220,000 were it not for the city having agreed in 2008 to what is called an anti-poaching agreement with Cleveland.

 

The agreement requires Cleveland to split revenues from income taxes with a suburb from which jobs are moving to Cleveland.

 

Barth said a representative of Greater Cleveland Partnership told him about AmTrust’s plans the afternoon of Dec. 2.

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/parmasunpost/2011/12/seven_hills_to_lose_245_jobs_t.html

Big deal.  Thats a loss of $22,000 a year...... 

 

After the first year I would think they would more than make up for that with a new tenant.  Throw in the remainder of the payrole tax share and they should be coming out well ahead of where they would have otherwise. 

I'd call the bold text below a "leading economic indicator" despite the state-imposed budget cuts.......

 

Cleveland mayor recalls 25 laid off police officers today, and another 20 in January

Published: Monday, December 05, 2011, 10:00 PM    Updated: Monday, December 05, 2011, 10:42 PM

  By Pat Galbincea, The Plain Dealer

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Mayor Frank Jackson had some pleasant surprises for the city Monday morning after swearing in 25 laid-off police officers.

 

Jackson announced he was also bringing back 20 more officers in January without waiting for attrition to create openings.

 

He didn't stop there. He also announced that all recreation centers will be reopened on Saturdays, and that next summer pools will reopen on Mondays and Tuesdays when the temperature is 85 degrees or higher.

 

The additional 20 officers will be paid from the increase in income tax revenue to be collected from construction workers and other hires involved in the casino, medical mart and Inner Belt construction, said Andrea Taylor, a spokeswoman for the mayor. The casino opening in late March and a high occupancy rate in downtown apartments also will provide additional taxes, Taylor said.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/12/cleveland_mayor_recalls_25_lai.html

 

 

Fantastic!  No one comes here let alone move here if crime isn't controlled.

^^ Seven Hills shouldn't exist.  Problem solved. 

Business owners aim to make Cleveland a destination city

 

Posted: Thursday, December 15, 2011 10:54 am | Updated: 10:59 am, Thu Dec 15, 2011.

 

Five speakers and more than 120 attendees gathered at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland building last month for a presentation on transforming the Greater Cleveland area through community economic development.

 

Baiju Shah, president and CEO of BioEnterprise, mediated the discussion. Erica Dyson, strategic development director at Bridge to the Future, Ari Maron, partner at MRN limited partnership, Larry Miller, president of Global Cleveland, and Joel Ratner, CEO of Neighborhood Progress, Inc. rounded out the rest of the panel.

 

http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/news/local/article_620d635c-2735-11e1-aaa8-0019bb2963f4.html

^Too bad the Jewish Federation is not interested in making Cleveland "its" destination.

^Too bad the Jewish Federation is not interested in making Cleveland "its" destination.

 

WELL SAID. Instead, they said....

I'm not sure Clevelanders generally gave a rats a$$ about the Federation until it left anyway. I mean, how many Jews even live in Cleveland proper? A few here and there on the west side? Surely virtually none on the east side;  can't imagine where unless there are some old-timers in Glenville and Hough sticking it out. Doubtful though.

 

The Federation wanted to be in a place where the vast, and I meane VAST, majority of Cleveland metro Jews lived 5-10 minutes from. I can't begrudge them for leaving, especially with so many older Jews in the east suburbs unable to easily access downtown.

 

And considering how many Eastern Europeans the Jewish Federation (in conjunction with the JCC and some other groups) has brought to Cleveland since '90, I figure they've done enough for the area and shouldn't be criticized for a logical move.

Crain's says the total number of new jobs is 200. But since that article requires a subscription to read, I'm posting the PD article instead! So there! And besides, Michelle Jarboe McFee is awesome (she was even more awesome before she added McFee to her name ;-))....

 

Philips Healthcare to add 100 jobs in Highland Heights; Steris Corp. plans growth in Mentor

Published: Monday, December 19, 2011, 7:00 PM    Updated: Tuesday, December 20, 2011, 12:57 PM

  By Michelle Jarboe McFee, The Plain Dealer

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Two healthcare heavyweights will bring jobs to Northeast Ohio, building up the region's medical core with help from state incentives.

 

Philips Healthcare plans to move 100 jobs to Highland Heights from San Jose, Calif.

 

And Steris Corp., which makes medical-instrument sterilizers and other products, is plotting "a significant investment involving a number of jobs" at its Mentor headquarters, according to a spokesman.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/12/philips_healthcare_to_add_100.html

Heres the Crains version that is free.  As indicated and previously announced, Philips will be bringing 100 positions and Steris will be bringing another 100, many new to the area. 

 

Steris Corp., Philips Healthcare to move total of 200 jobs to Northeast Ohio

By CHUCK SODER

3:01 pm, December 20, 2011

 

Two of Northeast Ohio's biggest medical technology companies plan to move a total of 200 jobs to the region, with some help from state and local incentives.

 

Steris Corp. this morning announced it is adding 100 positions in Mentor. A few hours later, Philips Healthcare announced plans to create another 100 jobs by moving a research-and-development operation to Highland Heights from San Jose, Calif.

http://www.crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20111220/FREE/111229972

 

 

 

Cleveland's unemployment rate for November stood at 6.9%... http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.oh_cleveland_msa.htm

 

That's compared to the "greener pasture" cities of:

 

Atlanta- 9.9% http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.ga_atlanta_msa.htm

 

Charlotte- 10.2% http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.nc_charlotte_msa.htm

 

Miami- 10% http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.fl_miami_msa.htm

 

Las Vegas- 13.1% http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.nv_lasvegas_msa.htm

 

Compared to the other two C's (not trying to start anything here... everybody calm down :) )

 

Columbus- 7.6% http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.oh_columbus_msa.htm

 

Cincinnati- 8.6% http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.oh_cincinnati_msa.htm

 

And who's doing better than us...

 

Pittsburgh- 6.4% http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.pa_pittsburgh_msa.htm

 

Boston- 6.2% http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.ma_boston_mn.htm

 

Minneapolis/ St Paul- 5.4% http://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.mn_minneapolis_msa.htm

 

Our local economy's over-reliance on manufacturing hurt us in the past, but is what's leading people back to work today. 

 

The unemployment rates for those other cities are the October rates, so they should be compared to Cleveland's October rate of 7.1%.  Not sure how or why they've released Cleveland's November data before those other places.

 

It's notable that 6.9% is the lowest unemployment the Cleveland MSA has seen since November 2008, and our labor force is only 2,500 people smaller now than it was then.

From OJFS,

 

Civilian Labor Force Estimates

For: Nov-2011

Area Name         Labor Force Employment Unemployment Unemployment Rate

Akron MSA 380,300 352,800   27,500       7.2

Canton MSA 197,400 181,200   16,200       8.2

Cincinnati MSA 1,108,100 1,021,900   86,200       7.8

Cleveland MSA 1,086,100 1,011,100   75,000       6.9

Columbus MSA 950,800 887,600   63,200       6.6

Dayton MSA 403,200 369,600   33,600       8.3

Toledo MSA 322,500 295,300   27,200       8.4

Steubenville MSA 55,100 49,800   5,400       9.7

Youngstown MSA 268,500 246,500   22,000       8.2

 

http://ohiolmi.com/asp/laus/LAUS.asp

I still want to know how many 'discouraged workers' are in each of the MSAs.

 

But hopefully some of them get back to work as things continue to improve.

Article from the PD about "LaunchHouse" which is an incubator for new businesses in the tech sector mostly (http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/01/launchhouse_duo_hopes_to_nurtu.html). They're in Shaker Hts and the article says:

 

"The former Zalud Oldsmobile dealership was 23,000 square feet of emptiness on busy Lee Road, near Chagrin Boulevard, when Goldstein pitched his idea to Shaker Heights Mayor Earl Leiken in 2010.....Leiken envisioned young professionals with lunch budgets, foot traffic in a major retail district, an infusion of cool. His city spent $500,000 renovating the dealership and handed the keys to Goldstein and Caldwell rent-free for four years. In exchange, Shaker gains a small equity stake in LaunchHouse companies. And something more."

 

Bold for emphasis. Municipalities owning private firms (or parts of it)---is there a precedent for this? is this a conflict of interest or fully legal?

Article from the PD about "LaunchHouse" which is an incubator for new businesses in the tech sector mostly (http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/01/launchhouse_duo_hopes_to_nurtu.html). They're in Shaker Hts and the article says:

 

"The former Zalud Oldsmobile dealership was 23,000 square feet of emptiness on busy Lee Road, near Chagrin Boulevard, when Goldstein pitched his idea to Shaker Heights Mayor Earl Leiken in 2010.....Leiken envisioned young professionals with lunch budgets, foot traffic in a major retail district, an infusion of cool. His city spent $500,000 renovating the dealership and handed the keys to Goldstein and Caldwell rent-free for four years. In exchange, Shaker gains a small equity stake in LaunchHouse companies. And something more."

 

Bold for emphasis. Municipalities owning private firms (or parts of it)---is there a precedent for this? is this a conflict of interest or fully legal?

 

Well the feds owned GM for awhile, so.....

Governments can certainly hold stakes in private interests.  The Feds did hold a majority stake (60%) in GM following the auto bailout, but that was only very temporary until a public offering was made and the govt's stake dropped to about 1/3.  Governments quite often own patents.  When a government holds stake in a private interest, it usually does change the way and manner in which that business can operate so it is obviously not a popular move.

The federal government acquired the passenger rail assets of U.S. railroads starting in 1971. The feds then acquired all of the transportation-related assets of six large, bankrupt Northeastern freight railroads in 1976 and combined them into the Consolidated Rail Corp. (Conrail). After Conrail became profitable in the early 1980s, the feds then sold Conrail stock in the largest public offering in U.S. history in 1986. Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation then jointly acquired Conrail in 1999 and split its assets roughly evenly between them.

 

I also seem to recall the feds buying stock in Lockheed Corp. and Chrysler, too.

 

But I've never heard of a municipality buying into a private company. Interesting!

Feds also owned the airlines

Feds also owned the airlines

 

Not yet, but might someday since the industry has earned a net loss over its 100-year history.

 

But let's try to get this back on topic. :)

ArcelorMittal to reopen portion of Flats steel mill, hire 150 new workers

Published: Wednesday, January 11, 2012, 1:21 PM   

Robert Schoenberger, The Plain Dealer

 

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- ArcelorMittal will reopen a portion of its steel mill in the Flats, bringing 150 new jobs to the area.

 

"Despite the restart of Cleveland's west side, ArcelorMittal USA continues to operate below pre-crisis levels," the company said in a written statement. It added that it still has unused capacity at the mill and could add more work and more jobs in the near future if market demand for steel remains high.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/01/arcelormittal_to_reopen_portio.html

Schweeeet!

More Cleveland companies expanding:

parkbase debuts new loyalty program product, leads to 30 to 50 new hires

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Writer: Karin Connelly

 

SparkBase, a leading loyalty program and gift card processor, launched a new way for merchants to reach their customers through smart phones. Paycloud allows customers to sign up for loyalty programs on their phones, eliminating the need for plastic cards and key tags to take advantage of special offers.

 

The launch of Paycloud only adds to SpakBase’s rapid growth. “We’re going to be hiring like gangbusters in the next six weeks,” says Hardman. SparkBase currently has 36 employees and is interviewing for 30 to 50 open sales reps positions.

 

http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/innovationnews/paycloud011912.aspx

 

 

Cleveland company GrafTech looks to hire more veterans

Posted: 01/18/2012

Last Updated: 8 hours and 12 minutes ago

By: Cristin Severance, The Ohio News Network

 

CLEVELAND - A Cleveland-area company wants to put servicemen and women back from war, back to work.

 

The manufacturer, GrafTech, is looking to hire veterans for dozens of open positions.

 

GrafTech already has 42 veterans working there and it is looking to hire up to 45 more in northeast Ohio.

 

Sen. Sherrod Brown was at GrafTech Wednesday highlighting the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, a new law that provides tax credits to companies that hire unemployed veterans.

 

http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/cleveland_metro/cleveland-company-graftech-looks-to-hire-more-veterans#ixzz1jtEDJFAr

 

Steris Corp gets a mention in a national article:

 

Rising Factory Output Gives Economy a Lift

By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER and DANIEL WAGNER AP Economics Writers

WASHINGTON January 18, 2012 (AP)

 

----------------------------------------------------

 

Among the manufacturers faring better is Steris Corp., which makes sterilization equipment and other medical supplies. Hospitals and drug companies are buying more of the company's products.

 

Steris, based near Cleveland, says it has added 250 employees in the past 18 months and is still hiring. It has more than 5,000 employees globally, about half of them in the United States.

 

Steve Norton, a spokesman, said Steris has benefited from being part of a regional cluster of biomedical firms and research facilities. Some manufacturers in the region that once focused on auto parts are now also making components for medical devices, he noted.

 

"The Midwest continues to be a manufacturing leader," Norton said.

 

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/factory-output-soared-december-lifting-economy-15385869#.TxfiA_lNuSo

ArcelorMittal to reopen portion of Flats steel mill, hire 150 new workers

Published: Wednesday, January 11, 2012, 1:21 PM   

Robert Schoenberger, The Plain Dealer

 

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- ArcelorMittal will reopen a portion of its steel mill in the Flats, bringing 150 new jobs to the area.

 

"Despite the restart of Cleveland's west side, ArcelorMittal USA continues to operate below pre-crisis levels," the company said in a written statement. It added that it still has unused capacity at the mill and could add more work and more jobs in the near future if market demand for steel remains high.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/01/arcelormittal_to_reopen_portio.html

 

Some of the cleveland.com comments reminded me of a proposal early in the Clinton Administation.  Some of them wanted to press civil rights charges against companies which pollute in disproportionately minority neighborhoods, calling it "environmental racism".

 

The idea was dropped when it caused a number of big city mayors to give birth to porcupines.  Breech presentation.

I thought the AM union rejected the proposed contract and the plan for the Flats was in jeopardy?

Your thinking of Timken in Canton

^I recall that just happen to Timken in Canton.  Did that happen here as well.

Ah, yes.  I got them mixed up.

A 16% increase?? Wow!

 

Northeast Ohio home sales climb 16% in December vs. year earlier

By SCOTT SUTTELL

10:41 am, January 20, 2012

 

Northeast Ohio's housing market was, in most respects, stronger than the market statewide for December and all of 2011, according to data released today by the Ohio Association of Realtors.

 

The Realtors group reported there were 7,779 homes sold statewide last month, up 5.9% from 7,344 in December 2010. The average sale price, though, fell 5.9% to $122,649 last month from $130,293 in the like month a year ago. The total dollar volume from sales statewide in December was $954.1 million, down 0.3% from $956.9 million in December 2010.

 

The market was quite a bit stronger in Northeast Ohio. The Realtors group combines sales from 17 Northeast Ohio counties into one category known as the Northeast Ohio Real Estate Exchange, or NEOHREX.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.crainscleveland.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120120/FREE/120129982

This is perhaps his most interesting blog posting in a long time. Many people, especially those at the Federal Reserve Bank and at the Plain Dealer, have been forecasting horrors and doom for school districts, especially Cleveland's, when Cuyahoga County property revaluations take place this year. But that might not necessarily be so. In fact, the exact opposite may be the case in Cleveland and other inner-ring suburbs....

 

MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012

CoyneReport Reveals Trends/Changes in Value Across Cuyahoga County Communities

 

Since the Cuyahoga County Assessor’s Office has last updated property values, almost 1,000 commercial sales have taken place. Utilizing the search power of the CoyneReport.com, we have compiled a list of all these transactions. Since the Assessor and the Board of Revision use sales comps to determine property values, we thought we’d take a look to see whether local communities can expect their commercial property values to increase or decrease in the 2012 reassessment. Commercial property values provide a significant portion of many cities’ property tax revenues, so this data is relevant to school boards, town halls, and concerned citizens alike. Our study revealed some surprising results.

 

The City of Cleveland has had the largest positive difference in property values, with buyers paying more than $26 million over the assessed values. Other cities that saw large increases were Berea ($9,734,301), Richmond Heights ($7,891,800) and Bedford ($4,740,971). Woodmere, Parma, Beachwood, Lakewood and North Royalton also saw significant gains.

 

 

Not every city saw gains, however. Where 21 cities recorded gains, 27 saw property values slip. The good news is that the county as a whole recorded $11,040,693 in gains. Shaker Heights (-$5,766,980), Solon (-$5,691,720) and Strongsville (-$5,559,400) recorded the biggest losses. Westlake, Brooklyn and Euclid all recorded negative differences between assessed values and sales prices as well. 

 

 

READ MORE AT:

http://terrycoyne.blogspot.com/2012/01/coynereport-reveals-trendschanges-in.html

Hmmm, was that Bedford gain impacted by the acquisition of property by the (now idled) Ben Venue Laboratories?