June 3, 200916 yr <a href=http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20090603/FREE/906039961>Regional Prosperity Initiative lays out plan for collaboration</a> By JAY MILLER 2:00 pm, June 3, 2009 A group trying to get Northeast Ohio communities to work more collaboratively expects to have a plan for regional revenue sharing and regional land planning in place by next January. <a href=http://www.neo-rpi.org/site.cfm/home.cfm>The Regional Prosperity Initiative</a>, jointly financed by the Northeast Ohio Mayors and City Managers Association, the Fund for Our Economic Future and other philanthropic groups, laid out its plan Wednesday morning at Corporate College East in the first of a round of meetings with civic and business leaders. More at crainscleveland.com http://www.crainscleveland.com
June 12, 200916 yr <a href=http://futurefundneo.org/newsarticle.cfm?articleid=10009388&PTSidebarOptID=10000406&returnTo=page10000040.cfm&returntoname=NEWSROOM&SiteID=257&pageid=10000040&sidepageid=10000040&thetitle=%0A%20%20%20%0A%20%20%20The%20Fund%20Makes%20Plans%20to%20Continue%20Regional%20Economic%20Competitiveness%20Work%20to%202013&banner1img=banner_1.JPG&banner2img=banner_2.JPG&bannerbg=bannerbg_custom.jpg>The Fund Makes Plans to Continue Regional Economic Competitiveness Work to 2013</a> 06.09.2009 - PHILANTHROPIC COLLABORATION MAKES PLANS TO CONTINUE REGIONAL ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS WORK TO 2013 Fund for Our Economic Future approves strategy for phase three KIRTLAND, OHIO (June 9, 2009) – The Fund for Our Economic Future today voted to continue its collaboration to support regional economic competitiveness into a third phase to start in February 2010 and end in February 2013. Members of the Fund unanimously approved its phase three strategy at the quarterly Funders Committee meeting held on the Lakeland Community College campus. Formed in 2004, the Fund for Our Economic Future is a charitable collaboration of organizations and individuals that uses grantmaking, research and civic engagement to strengthen the 16-county region’s economic competitiveness. In its third phase, the Fund intends to continue working with its partners in the public and private sectors to implement Advance Northeast Ohio, the region’s economic action plan focused on four priorities: ■ Business growth and attraction ■ Talent development ■ Racial and economic inclusion ■ Government collaboration and efficiency In phase three, as in the previous phases, voting members will contribute $100,000 or more to the collaboration and jointly decide how to allocate its grantmaking dollars. In its first two phases, the Fund has raised more than $55 million. Fund members will make financial commitments to phase three over the next several months. “The members’ unanimous support for continuing our collaboration reflects both the tremendous progress we have made in helping strengthen the region’s economy, as well as an appreciation that much work needs to be done to ensure a vibrant economic future for Northeast Ohio,” said Fund Chairman David Abbott, who is also executive director of The George Gund Foundation. “In these challenging economic times, it is more important than ever that philanthropy and others within the region unite to address the priorities that influence Northeast Ohio’s ability to compete in the global economy.” Abbott acknowledged that because of the global financial crisis, the Fund anticipates having fewer resources in the next three years than were available during each of its first two phases. “Each member organization will have to decide how much it can commit to the collaboration,” he said. “I am confident that the Fund will continue to accelerate progress in building growing industries, preparing our region’s residents for the jobs of the present and the future, improving the efficiency of local government and ensuring that all of our region’s residents have greater access to economic opportunities.” One of the key objectives of the third phase will be to enhance partnerships with government officials, the region’s business community and other civic leaders. “These strengthened partnerships will help Northeast Ohio sustain important economic competitiveness work over the long term,” Abbott said. Also, the Funders Committee approved a $250,000 grant to explore ways to expand the agricultural industry in Northeast Ohio. The study will be conducted by the Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center (OARDC), one of the nation’s leading food and agricultural research centers. The OARDC, which is based in Wooster, will work with agricultural interests from across Northeast Ohio to identify opportunities to grow the region’s $8.2 billion agricultural industry. Home to more than 2,200 farms, about 40 percent of the region’s land is used for agriculture. However, much of the region’s agricultural output is limited to commodity products, and every year more agricultural land is lost to residential and commercial development. Expanding the region’s specialty agriculture production – ranging from locally grown foods to renewable energy crops – would result in higher incomes and job growth, and would also preserve the region’s natural assets. “Agriculture is a critically important industry to the economic future of our region, and this research will identify options to accelerate its growth,” said Peter Meisel of the Meisel Family Foundation and co-chair of the Fund committee that recommended the grant. The OARDC anticipates completing its work within one year and the Fund would then consider proposals to support recommendations that emerge from the work. Additionally, the Fund approved a $20,000 contribution to a study that will identify opportunities to tighten economic connections between Northeast Ohio and the Pittsburgh Region. Partners in the “Tech Belt Initiative” intend to spend a total of $100,000 on the research to be conducted by GSP Consulting Corp. of Pittsburgh. Other contributors to the study include the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber, the Greater Cleveland Partnership and the Allegheny Conference on Economic Development. GSP will work with a steering committee to identify at least five initiatives that could accelerate economic growth for the “mega region” of Pittsburgh-Northeast Ohio. The work will include a variety of activities, including conducting national/international benchmarking, assessing the shared assets of the two regions, facilitating interactions between potential partners, identifying federal funding sources and creating a network of interested partners. “Our two regions have tremendous assets that can be leveraged to create increased economic growth on both sides of the states’ border,” said Joel Ratner, president of The Raymond John Wean Foundation of Warren. Ratner is leading the Fund’s participation in the Tech Belt Initiative.
August 8, 200915 yr North Ridgeville fire department wins efficient government contest Friday, August 7, 2009 By MEGAN ROZSA [email protected] NORTH RIDGEVILLE — The Westshore Regional Fire District project, of which the North Ridgeville Fire Department is a member, was a winner in the EfficientGovNow program. The three winners of the competition will receive a share of $300,000... Post edited 9-4-09 to comply with terms of use ...To read the Westshore Regional Fire District's proposal, visit www.efficientgovnow.org and click on "Proposals." URL: http://www.morningjournal.com/articles/2009/08/07/news/mj1438540.prt © 2009 morningjournal.com, a Journal Register Property
August 24, 200915 yr It's passed 10 am...Anyone hear anything yet? Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson to announce new downtown tenant at 10 a.m. news conference by Henry J. Gomez/Plain Dealer Reporter Monday August 24, 2009, 9:11 AM Mayor Frank JacksonAs his re-election opponents second-guess his economic development record, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson this morning will announce a new downtown tenant. A media advisory from City Hall says Jackson and his economic development director, Tracey Nichols, will announce the relocation of a company's regional offices at a 10 a.m. news conference. The advisory indicates the company specializes in finance. More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ssf/2009/08/cleveland_mayor_frank_jackson_2.html
August 24, 200915 yr Got a press release from Mayor Jackson's office this morning stating that a company will locate its regional offices to downtown Cleveland. But it doesn't say anything more. The announcement was to be made at 10 a.m. today. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 24, 200915 yr There was an article posted in the downtown office news thread about the press conference but made no mention of the company relocating here.
August 24, 200915 yr Public accounting firm Crowe Horwath to leave Mayfield Heights for downtown Cleveland by Henry J. Gomez/Plain Dealer Reporter Monday August 24, 2009, 10:32 AM Crowe Horwath LLP, a national public accounting and consulting firm, will relocate its regional base from Mayfield Heights to downtown Cleveland, Mayor Frank Jackson announced today. About 45 employees will make the move to the Fifth Third Building in December 2009. More at cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ssf/2009/08/public_accounting_firm_crowe_h.html
August 24, 200915 yr Public accounting firm Crowe Horwath to leave Mayfield Heights for downtown Cleveland by Henry J. Gomez/Plain Dealer Reporter Monday August 24, 2009, 10:32 AM http://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ssf/2009/08/public_accounting_firm_crowe_h.html About 45 employees will make the move to the Fifth Third Building in December 2009. GREAT NEWS!!!! :clap: :clap: :clap: Looks like my building is going to get a little bit busier come December :wave:
August 24, 200915 yr Local businesses playing musical chairs with locations does not really add much to Greater Cleveland. Now if Crowe moved because they were expanding and needed the additional office space that their Mayfield Hts branch couldn't provide, then I'd sing a different tune.
August 24, 200915 yr Bingo! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 24, 200915 yr Local businesses playing musical chairs with locations does not really add much to Greater Cleveland. Now if Crowe moved because they were expanding and needed the additional office space that their Mayfield Hts branch couldn't provide, then I'd sing a different tune. I disagree... If this were a company moving from Mayfield to Beachwood, I would agree with you. But any company that moves to downtown helps create a more active and vibrant downtown. It is imperative for the entire region that downtown prosper. Therefore I think that this does 'help' greater cleveland, even if it's in baby steps.
August 24, 200915 yr True. The countryside needs to be surrounding the city, not in the center of the city. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 25, 200915 yr Local businesses playing musical chairs with locations does not really add much to Greater Cleveland. Now if Crowe moved because they were expanding and needed the additional office space that their Mayfield Hts branch couldn't provide, then I'd sing a different tune. I disagree... If this were a company moving from Mayfield to Beachwood, I would agree with you. But any company that moves to downtown helps create a more active and vibrant downtown. It is imperative for the entire region that downtown prosper. Therefore I think that this does 'help' greater cleveland, even if it's in baby steps. I don't think I really see how. Taking jobs out of one pocket and putting them into another doesn't add any net jobs or wealth to the greater Cleveland area. It may turn out that this is a good move if it enables Crowe Horwath to grow more than it would have in Mayfield Heights, but we won't know that for years (and we won't know it beyond doubt even then because we won't be completely certain of what would have happened had they stayed put). I certainly wish the firm all the best, and I hope that they do find business is better downtown and expand. That would be real growth. I'm not counting chickens before they hatch, however.
August 25, 200915 yr ^ The idea is to create a critical mass downtown. The more office workers that are downtown the more likely I am to open my store downtown. The more stores and jobs that are downtown, the more demand there is for downtown housing. The more demand for downtown housing, the more likely it is for a developer to renovate a building (or build a new building) into apartments or condos. The more people that live downtown, the more likely that more stores and bars and restaurants will open and downtown becomes more lively. Once downtown is more lively (and is perceived so) the more likely the college kid graduating from OU or Miami will decide to move to Cleveland instead of Chicago. Etc, etc, etc. See, its just that easy!
August 25, 200915 yr I think it's important to understand that Cleveland doesn't need 2,000,000 in the city proper to be a vibrant city. Of course that'd be nice but if we're more efficient with what we already have, that concentration of energy should spur growth, right? I'd rather have an amazing French chocolate truffle than a box of Hershey's from Sam's Club! Save that stuff for Phoenix and Charlotte! We deserve a real patisserie!
August 25, 200915 yr ^ The idea is to create a critical mass downtown. The more office workers that are downtown the more likely I am to open my store downtown. The more stores and jobs that are downtown, the more demand there is for downtown housing. The more demand for downtown housing, the more likely it is for a developer to renovate a building (or build a new building) into apartments or condos. The more people that live downtown, the more likely that more stores and bars and restaurants will open and downtown becomes more lively. Once downtown is more lively (and is perceived so) the more likely the college kid graduating from OU or Miami will decide to move to Cleveland instead of Chicago. All fine and dandy as long as you implicitly exclude Mayfield Heights from being part of "Cleveland." The perception of coolness isn't going to lure kids from OU or Miami to Cleveland without a job waiting for them in the area--whether it's downtown or in Mayfield Heights.
August 25, 200915 yr Want to create critical mass downtown? Induce Eaton to stay and expand. If Jackson and Strickland are really doing all they can to retain businesses they could at least convince me of that. If what they did is what they have disclosed to date then that was an inadequate effort. I also think the effort (at least public display of effort) was inadequate with respect to the loss of BP (couldn't we have at least kept the research facility in Warrensville Hts?), Diamond Shamrock, East Ohio Gas, First Energy, Addressograph Multigraph (Harris), etc. Can you imagine what downtown Cleveland would look like today if we had retained just two of these companies, all of them? It would be a miniature New York. The Mayoral culture for the past 30 years has been abysmal (other than Vonovich and maybe Mike White) towards big business. Corporations were evil and poor people were saints. I think we voted for poverty first mayors and poverty we got. Yea, yea I know about macro economic forces and look at other industrial cities suffering the similar fates but I just don't believe that a city with Cleveland's strenghts/assets is/was totally at the mercy of economic circumstances. We did nothing to make our luck and instead catered to the poor. There, I said it.
August 25, 200915 yr ^ The idea is to create a critical mass downtown. The more office workers that are downtown the more likely I am to open my store downtown. The more stores and jobs that are downtown, the more demand there is for downtown housing. The more demand for downtown housing, the more likely it is for a developer to renovate a building (or build a new building) into apartments or condos. The more people that live downtown, the more likely that more stores and bars and restaurants will open and downtown becomes more lively. Once downtown is more lively (and is perceived so) the more likely the college kid graduating from OU or Miami will decide to move to Cleveland instead of Chicago. All fine and dandy as long as you implicitly exclude Mayfield Heights from being part of "Cleveland." The perception of coolness isn't going to lure kids from OU or Miami to Cleveland without a job waiting for them in the area--whether it's downtown or in Mayfield Heights. I don't think anyone said that. Where did someone say that?
August 25, 200915 yr Want to create critical mass downtown? Induce Eaton to stay and expand. If Jackson and Strickland are really doing all they can to retain businesses they could at least convince me of that. If what they did is what they have disclosed to date then that was an inadequate effort. I also think the effort (at least public display of effort) was inadequate with respect to the loss of BP (couldn't we have at least kept the research facility in Warrensville Hts?), Diamond Shamrock, East Ohio Gas, First Energy, Addressograph Multigraph (Harris), etc. Can you imagine what downtown Cleveland would look like today if we had retained just two of these companies, all of them? It would be a miniature New York. The Mayoral culture for the past 30 years has been abysmal (other than Vonovich and maybe Mike White) towards big business. Corporations were evil and poor people were saints. I think we voted for poverty first mayors and poverty we got. Yea, yea I know about macro economic forces and look at other industrial cities suffering the similar fates but I just don't believe that a city with Cleveland's strenghts/assets is/was totally at the mercy of economic circumstances. We did nothing to make our luck and instead catered to the poor. There, I said it. Did you read what mccleveland said about Eaton??? They dont want to be in Cleveland, it has nothing to do with the leadership of mayor jackson. Eaton doesn't want to be downtown. So let tell the ENTIRE STORY and move on. In regard to BP, no it could not be kept in Warrensville. There were a lot of things that went down that are out of control of the Mayor. I was one of the last BP America employees and a part of the "transition" team. Also comparing NYC to CLE or any other US business center is comparing apples to oranges. It's irrelevant and goes to show how "perception" overshadows reality and how our cities ego and insecurity overrules common sense at times.
August 25, 200915 yr ^ The idea is to create a critical mass downtown. The more office workers that are downtown the more likely I am to open my store downtown. The more stores and jobs that are downtown, the more demand there is for downtown housing. The more demand for downtown housing, the more likely it is for a developer to renovate a building (or build a new building) into apartments or condos. The more people that live downtown, the more likely that more stores and bars and restaurants will open and downtown becomes more lively. Once downtown is more lively (and is perceived so) the more likely the college kid graduating from OU or Miami will decide to move to Cleveland instead of Chicago. All fine and dandy as long as you implicitly exclude Mayfield Heights from being part of "Cleveland." The perception of coolness isn't going to lure kids from OU or Miami to Cleveland without a job waiting for them in the area--whether it's downtown or in Mayfield Heights. I don't think anyone said that. Where did someone say that? Count the number of times MorningTheft used the word "downtown." That's implicitly exclusionary against Mayfield Heights, because otherwise, the same exact paragraph could be written putting in "Mayfield Heights" instead of "downtown," and still end with the contention that it would attract college graduates to "Cleveland" instead of Chicago (they would just come to Mayfield Heights instead of downtown, but if both of the above really were "Cleveland," that wouldn't matter). Therefore, the implied premise of the statement was that "downtown" is "Cleveland," whereas "Mayfield Heights" is not Cleveland. At least, that's the implied premise unless you also assume that people would move to Greater Cleveland with no jobs awaiting, just because it was "cool."
August 25, 200915 yr if you don't see the importance of having a strong downtown (and the effects it has in turn on the entire region, perception and otherwise), I don't know what to tell you... yes I 100% believe it is more important to have 45 jobs downtown than it is to have those same 45 jobs in mayfield heights. For countless reasons.
August 25, 200915 yr Gramarye, What would happen if Key moved to an office campus in Westlake. Then, Sherwin Williams move to Strongsville. Next, Forest City moved to Solon, Huntington moved to Brecksville, PNC moved to Mayfield. If this all happened, would you think that the sum change would be even for the region or would it have a detrimental effect on the region?
August 25, 200915 yr I agree with your first paragraph, not with your second. It's important to have a strong downtown, yes. If that downtown gets strong by pillaging its suburbs, however, then it violates one of the main reasons for wanting a strong downtown: to be an engine of regional growth. As I said, if the downtown location enables Crowe Horwath to expand more than it could have in Mayfield Heights, then the region will be able to say that it's actually gained from the move. Otherwise, it's just playing musical chairs, as another poster already said. I look to see downtowns grow by growing existing businesses (small businesses to mid-size ones, mid-size ones to big MNCs), forming new ones, and bringing in businesses from outside the region (preferably outside the country). That said, Crowe Horwath obviously thought it was worth the move, and it's a partnership, so all the principal employees are also the principal decisionmakers, so they obviously thought it was worth their while to make this move, and I respect that.
August 25, 200915 yr I agree with your first paragraph, not with your second. It's important to have a strong downtown, yes. If that downtown gets strong by pillaging its suburbs, however, then it violates one of the main reasons for wanting a strong downtown: to be an engine of regional growth. As I said, if the downtown location enables Crowe Horwath to expand more than it could have in Mayfield Heights, then the region will be able to say that it's actually gained from the move. Otherwise, it's just playing musical chairs, as another poster already said. I look to see downtowns grow by growing existing businesses (small businesses to mid-size ones, mid-size ones to big MNCs), forming new ones, and bringing in businesses from outside the region (preferably outside the country). That said, Crowe Horwath obviously thought it was worth the move, and it's a partnership, so all the principal employees are also the principal decisionmakers, so they obviously thought it was worth their while to make this move, and I respect that. Its a reversal of fortune. Lets use Eaton as an example ( i know I said leave it alone) but didn't Beachwood pillage? Why did they negotiate instead of saying, "in our regions best interest, Eaton should stay downtown?" If Beachwood didn't want Eaton, they would have found another 'burb to move to. It's a horrible business decision that they want a "campus" and to move to a place with a tacky horrible suburban bland design. However, like most of those company's their employees are going to find limited locations that they can entertain their clients and it's going to make it more difficult to do business as clients, especially out of town clients that are trying to maximize meetings and need to stay over night. Those people will then have to rent a car and pay for a hotel. I honestly think this move will haunt and hurt Eaton for years to come. Moving that company from downtown to the beachwood corridor, give the impression that the city & county government along with other business leaders couldn't work to keep Eaton DT and creates the perception that businesses are leaving Cleveland when in fact with the loss of some major company's it's still one of the top 10 CBDs in the country. When young employees want to come to a company, they want to come to the city center, not the bland 'burbs which could be emulated in any market. The fact that a small company, is moving downtown today, will possibly change peer company's perception and business practices. In addition it will put more money back into our local economy. As the person may ride the bus, shop downtown, dine downtown and entertain clients downtown, something they most likely could not do efficiently or economically in the 'burbs.
August 25, 200915 yr MyTwoSense: I don't know about Eaton or its history, other than what I've just recently started reading on these boards. However, from what I've read, yes, Beachwood did pillage, and I don't think there was anything constructive about that, either. I'm not defending the suburbs. I'm attacking the concept of pillaging, whereas I get the impression that some people here are like "well, it's fine as long as we (~downtowners) are the ones doing it, just not when it gets done to us."
August 25, 200915 yr because it makes more sense for the entire region when business are located downtown, and not spread out amongst "greater cleveland"
August 25, 200915 yr MyTwoSense: I don't know about Eaton or its history, other than what I've just recently started reading on these boards. However, from what I've read, yes, Beachwood did pillage, and I don't think there was anything constructive about that, either. I'm not defending the suburbs. I'm attacking the concept of pillaging, whereas I get the impression that some people here are like "well, it's fine as long as we (~downtowners) are the ones doing it, just not when it gets done to us." We're not saying it's "fine" but we are saying is it's better to have a company relocate from somewhere within NEO to Downtown. This type of move is better and healthier for the entire region. It's for the Greater good of the entire area. A strong Cleveland, a strong cuyahoga county and a stronger NEO. If downtown goes down in flames so does all of NE Ohio. It helps to change the "perception" that nothing is happening (business or entertainment or recreation) downtown. As well all know some people make perception their reality.
August 25, 200915 yr Gramarye, What would happen if Key moved to an office campus in Westlake. Then, Sherwin Williams move to Strongsville. Next, Forest City moved to Solon, Huntington moved to Brecksville, PNC moved to Mayfield. If this all happened, would you think that the sum change would be even for the region or would it have a detrimental effect on the region? I don't think it can be presented any better than this...
August 25, 200915 yr because it makes more sense for the entire region when business are located downtown, and not spread out amongst "greater cleveland" Mayfield Heights might disagree at the moment. Gramarye, What would happen if Key moved to an office campus in Westlake. Then, Sherwin Williams move to Strongsville. Next, Forest City moved to Solon, Huntington moved to Brecksville, PNC moved to Mayfield. If this all happened, would you think that the sum change would be even for the region or would it have a detrimental effect on the region? I don't think it can be presented any better than this... Huntington has already moved a large chunk of their operations to the outskirts of Columbus; Chase is out on the north side, and the office sector around Polaris has shown solid growth over the years. The Limited and Cardinal Health both run out of suburbs of Columbus, not downtown. To put it mildly, no, I don't think this has hurt Greater Columbus at all, and I really don't even think it's hurt Columbus proper.
August 25, 200915 yr I find it to be more than a coincidence that when Cleveland proper was successful, the region was successful. Gramarye, I doubt there is a single person on this board, or even more than a few people concerned any further than property values in their current suburb that would ever give a damn about Mayfield Village. If Mayfield Village, Solon, or any other number of exurbs just disappeared this world would be no worse off.
August 25, 200915 yr I find it to be more than a coincidence that when Cleveland proper was successful, the region was successful. Gramarye, I doubt there is a single person on this board, or even more than a few people concerned any further than property values in their current suburb that would ever give a damn about Mayfield Village. If Mayfield Village, Solon, or any other number of exurbs just disappeared this world would be no worse off. And this is because these suburbs grew out of Cleveland. Thus, without Cleveland being at full capacity, there is no rational reason for these places to have businesses. It just spreads the employment centers out, causing people to have longer dirves to work and makes public transportation that much more difficult to implement effectively.
August 25, 200915 yr ^^ Columbus had a deficit of something like $100 million dollars this year, so I doubt people in Columbus proper woulld agree that sprawl hasn't hurt the city.
August 25, 200915 yr I don't think it can be presented any better than this... Huntington has already moved a large chunk of their operations to the outskirts of Columbus; Chase is out on the north side, and the office sector around Polaris has shown solid growth over the years. The Limited and Cardinal Health both run out of suburbs of Columbus, not downtown. To put it mildly, no, I don't think this has hurt Greater Columbus at all, and I really don't even think it's hurt Columbus proper. Look how that has severely hurt Columbus as sprawl has increased. This is very similar to cities like Ft. Lauderdale, Phoenix, Atlanta. They've damn near abandoned their true downtowns for suburban sprawl.
August 25, 200915 yr There are a number of reasons why we're better of having these jobs Downtown than in Mayfield: 1. access to these jobs is improved for people who are transit dependent 2. putting jobs in a dense central core means that on average more people are likely to live closer to their jobs than if they are in the middle of a less dense peripheral area, meaning less energy used in commuting. They can also walk to lunch, clients, post office etc., using less energy 3. takes advantage of the greater level of infrastructure investment already in Downtown, much of it with extra capacity, and therefore is less likely to contribute to the need for road widenings and other infrastructure upgrades in a peripheral area 4. puts several highly paid professional in a position where they will be more likely to want to live closer to the Downtown, to be closer to their jobs' new location, leading to investment in our inner neighborhoods and further reducing sprawl
August 25, 200915 yr I don't think it can be presented any better than this... Huntington has already moved a large chunk of their operations to the outskirts of Columbus; Chase is out on the north side, and the office sector around Polaris has shown solid growth over the years. The Limited and Cardinal Health both run out of suburbs of Columbus, not downtown. To put it mildly, no, I don't think this has hurt Greater Columbus at all, and I really don't even think it's hurt Columbus proper. Look how that has severely hurt Columbus as sprawl has increased. This is very similar to cities like Ft. Lauderdale, Phoenix, Atlanta. They've damn near abandoned their true downtowns for suburban sprawl. I'll say it again: I really don't think Columbus has been hurt all that much by having a large portion of its economy, including two of the largest corporations in America, located in its suburbs. It has a thriving downtown, too, including a large number of upwardly mobile metro neighborhoods. And yes, Columbus has done some poaching, too. I don't see that that adds much, in most circumstances: my first thought when I read that a large Gahanna corporation had been enticed to move downtown was that all the people who bought houses in Gahanna to live near work suddenly had to deal with a much longer commute--more traffic, more gas, more pollution, and hardly a net gain for Greater Columbus. IIRC, Columbus and eight of its suburbs now have a no-poaching pledge, and to the extent that it is honored, I consider it one of Greater Columbus' greater political achievements.
August 25, 200915 yr There are a number of reasons why we're better of having these jobs Downtown than in Mayfield: 1. access to these jobs is improved for people who are transit dependent 2. putting jobs in a dense central core means that on average more people are likely to live closer to their jobs than if they are in the middle of a less dense peripheral area, meaning less energy used in commuting. They can also walk to lunch, clients, post office etc., using less energy 3. takes advantage of the greater level of infrastructure investment already in Downtown, much of it with extra capacity, and therefore is less likely to contribute to the need for road widenings and other infrastructure upgrades in a peripheral area 4. puts several highly paid professional in a position where they will be more likely to want to live closer to the Downtown, to be closer to their jobs' new location, leading to investment in our inner neighborhoods and further reducing sprawl 100% agree. I would think it's safe to say so would the majority of folks on this board.
August 25, 200915 yr There are a number of reasons why we're better of having these jobs Downtown than in Mayfield: 1. access to these jobs is improved for people who are transit dependent 2. putting jobs in a dense central core means that on average more people are likely to live closer to their jobs than if they are in the middle of a less dense peripheral area, meaning less energy used in commuting. They can also walk to lunch, clients, post office etc., using less energy 3. takes advantage of the greater level of infrastructure investment already in Downtown, much of it with extra capacity, and therefore is less likely to contribute to the need for road widenings and other infrastructure upgrades in a peripheral area 4. puts several highly paid professional in a position where they will be more likely to want to live closer to the Downtown, to be closer to their jobs' new location, leading to investment in our inner neighborhoods and further reducing sprawl I'll concede #4. You should think about the first three, since they're all related (under the rubric of "ease of getting to work"): Did these jobs just become easier to reach for the majority of the workers there? If the workers live in Rocky River, then yes; however, if the workers live in Mayfield Heights, the opposite is true. Sure, the educated professionals, particularly those without kids, can move downtown to follow the relocation; it's not as easily for families with limited means. I'll wager the total hours of commuting time for the office just went up, not down.
August 25, 200915 yr ^ The idea is to create a critical mass downtown. The more office workers that are downtown the more likely I am to open my store downtown. The more stores and jobs that are downtown, the more demand there is for downtown housing. The more demand for downtown housing, the more likely it is for a developer to renovate a building (or build a new building) into apartments or condos. The more people that live downtown, the more likely that more stores and bars and restaurants will open and downtown becomes more lively. Once downtown is more lively (and is perceived so) the more likely the college kid graduating from OU or Miami will decide to move to Cleveland instead of Chicago. All fine and dandy as long as you implicitly exclude Mayfield Heights from being part of "Cleveland." The perception of coolness isn't going to lure kids from OU or Miami to Cleveland without a job waiting for them in the area--whether it's downtown or in Mayfield Heights. I don't think anyone said that. Where did someone say that? Count the number of times MorningTheft used the word "downtown." That's implicitly exclusionary against Mayfield Heights, because otherwise, the same exact paragraph could be written putting in "Mayfield Heights" instead of "downtown," and still end with the contention that it would attract college graduates to "Cleveland" instead of Chicago (they would just come to Mayfield Heights instead of downtown, but if both of the above really were "Cleveland," that wouldn't matter). Therefore, the implied premise of the statement was that "downtown" is "Cleveland," whereas "Mayfield Heights" is not Cleveland. At least, that's the implied premise unless you also assume that people would move to Greater Cleveland with no jobs awaiting, just because it was "cool." No, I said "downtown" because I know alot of grads who have job offers in Chicago and Cleveland and decide to move to Chicago because they want to live in a bustling URBAN environment. That means downtown and not a suburb. Downtown Cleveland needs more people to live and work in its boundaries in order to increase the number of restaurants, bars, clubs, stores, galleries, etc that make "cool" cities cool. Having things spread out throughout the region is not as good as having them concentrated. If a cool bar opens in Mayfield and a hip restaurant opens in Westlake and Pinkberry opens in Medina, what fncking good is it to someone that wants to frequent all three? They'll go to Chicago where all 3 are on one street.
August 25, 200915 yr If the workers live in Rocky River, then yes; however, if the workers live in Mayfield Heights, the opposite is true. Sure, the educated professionals, particularly those without kids, can move downtown to follow the relocation; it's not as easily for families with limited means. I'll wager the total hours of commuting time for the office just went up, not down. This is the idea of centralization. If you weight where the people in the region live, the "middle point" would be near downtown Cleveland. Beyond this, downtown has more options for getting to work (car/train/bus). Thus, all things considered, some people's commutes will no doubt be shortened and some lengthened by the move downtown, but there will be more options for getting to work and the optimal location for all involved is a central location. Anything other than that is just being selfish and wishing the company stayed one mile from your house and everyone else had to drive a half hour to get to work. Of course, you also may see people deciding to move back towards the city when it comes time to choose a new place to live (when the suburban cardboard box reaches its 15 year life span), and total commute time for the entire office will drop dramatically.
August 25, 200915 yr Folks, we all have circles of friends outside of this board, we don't need to call each other trolls, and no one outside of the admins or mods has the right or authority to dole out warnings or suspensions. I'm chopping all posts that imply otherwise. This has been a heated, but mostly civil debate till the last few posts. Let's return to that.
August 25, 200915 yr There are a number of reasons why we're better of having these jobs Downtown than in Mayfield: 1. access to these jobs is improved for people who are transit dependent 2. putting jobs in a dense central core means that on average more people are likely to live closer to their jobs than if they are in the middle of a less dense peripheral area, meaning less energy used in commuting. They can also walk to lunch, clients, post office etc., using less energy 3. takes advantage of the greater level of infrastructure investment already in Downtown, much of it with extra capacity, and therefore is less likely to contribute to the need for road widenings and other infrastructure upgrades in a peripheral area 4. puts several highly paid professional in a position where they will be more likely to want to live closer to the Downtown, to be closer to their jobs' new location, leading to investment in our inner neighborhoods and further reducing sprawl I'll concede #4. You should think about the first three, since they're all related (under the rubric of "ease of getting to work"): Did these jobs just become easier to reach for the majority of the workers there? If the workers live in Rocky River, then yes; however, if the workers live in Mayfield Heights, the opposite is true. Sure, the educated professionals, particularly those without kids, can move downtown to follow the relocation; it's not as easily for families with limited means. I'll wager the total hours of commuting time for the office just went up, not down. Even if total hours of commuting time did go up, it will only be short term, as jam40jeff indicated above. Also, to expand on the first point X listed, not only will this allow those dependant on transit to consider these jobs, but it will also allow those who would like to have the option of using transit to do so. Being downtown should help the company attract more talent long-term as well, as there is a much larger population within commuting distance of downtown compared to Mayfield Heights. I know when I took my current job, I rejected offers with a slightly higher salary in the suburbs because this one was easy to get to using RTA, even though I did have the option of driving. Many (particularly young) people want to live an urban lifestyle where they are not completely dependant on a car, and having a job far from downtown can make that very difficult. The more jobs there are for people looking for this type of lifestyle, the more people will choose to move here instead of someplace else.
August 25, 200915 yr If the workers live in Rocky River, then yes; however, if the workers live in Mayfield Heights, the opposite is true. Sure, the educated professionals, particularly those without kids, can move downtown to follow the relocation; it's not as easily for families with limited means. I'll wager the total hours of commuting time for the office just went up, not down. This is the idea of centralization. If you weight where the people in the region live, the "middle point" would be near downtown Cleveland. Beyond this, downtown has more options for getting to work (car/train/bus). Thus, all things considered, some people's commutes will no doubt be shortened and some lengthened by the move downtown, but there will be more options for getting to work and the optimal location for all involved is a central location. Anything other than that is just being selfish and wishing the company stayed one mile from your house and everyone else had to drive a half hour to get to work. Of course, you also may see people deciding to move back towards the city when it comes time to choose a new place to live (when the suburban cardboard box reaches its 15 year life span), and total commute time for the entire office will drop dramatically. But I'd wager solid odds that that wasn't the way that the commutes were spread out. It's unlikely that anyone in that office lived in Rocky River. Most of them probably lived in eastern neighborhoods and suburbs. That's why I said I'd bet money that the total commute time in the office just increased. Most people move once they get a new job, especially if it's a long way from where they currently live. When each of those Mayfield Heights workers got their job offer, they probably assumed that the company was going to be staying in Mayfield Heights and bought in the area. Therefore, "centralization" actually occurred around the Mayfield Heights office, not around downtown Cleveland. The ones who moved in east of Mayfield Heights are in the worst position of all now.
August 25, 200915 yr "It'sunlikely that anyone in that office lived in Rocky River. " Patently untrue. I lived in Lakewood for years and when I did, worked in Beachwood, Cleveland Heights, etc. My Mom lives in Lakewood and worked at Case for 20 years. Mr. rockandroller works in Mayfield and we live on the SW side. We are not exceptions by any means. LOTS of people make the cross town commute every day for work. You go where the work is.
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