How can that drawing be released with the outline of the old municipal stadium. Seriously...

 

Ha! Wow didn't even notice that at first glance. Not to mention, they also got the name of the stadium wrong...

I can't read what's left of the legend---is the hotel still there between the science and rock museums or is taken out by the silly ramp for the pedestrian bridge?

^Did you read Micelle's article posted by Strap?

^i did now, thanks. Happy to hear of a building there (though I wish it was more than two stories). It would extremely wasteful (and pointless) to have just open land and the bridge landing.

So it appears the cul-de-sacs have been eliminated?  Unless that is old too?

^ I sure hope that's true. I hated those cul-de-sacs.

I could be wrong, but I think the only info that plan is meant to convey is the phasing.  I'd be cautious reading anything else into it.

Cuyahoga County Council delays funding for pedestrian bridge to lakefront

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cuyahoga County Council on Tuesday voted to borrow $102 million for capital improvements, including nearly $1 million to make Juvenile Justice Center sprinklers resistant to vandals.

 

Absent from the list of approved items: a measure to borrow $10 million to help build a $25 million pedestrian bridge connecting the Cleveland Convention Center with the lakefront. A council committee last week voted to move the bridge project to a different list that's slated for approval in 2015.

 

Council won't borrow the money until the county and Cleveland agree on ownership and responsibility for the bridge, said Councilman Dale Miller.

 

But Miller, who earlier this month questioned whether Cleveland would follow through with a commitment to contribute $10 million toward the project, told Northeast Ohio Media Group on Tuesday he's confident the project will move forward.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2014/11/cuyahoga_county_council_delays_funding_for_pedestrian_bridge_to_lakefront.html#incart_river

Hello all, I am part of the design team for an under-design project, the new Edgewater Beach House, for the Cleveland Metroparks at Edgewater Beach. Our goal is to create the premier beach of choice, not just in Cleveland Metroparks, but in all of Northeast Ohio. Join the conversation using #edgewaterbeachhouse

 

Website: http://metroparksedgewater.mindmixer.com/

Dick Clough wants to preserve a pristine ribbon of green along Lake Erie: 2015 People to Watch

By Janet H. Cho, The Plain Dealer

on December 26, 2014 at 12:00 PM, updated December 26, 2014 at 12:03 PM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Dick Clough, a Lakewood advertising, marketing and publishing veteran and lifelong Cleveland promoter, says Northeast Ohioans need to stop taking our Great Lake for granted. With developers itching to build hotels and apartments on prime patches of real estate along Lake Erie, he said residents and city officials need to join forces to keep that land green and open to the public.

 

Clough's answer is the Lakefront Ribbon of Green Coalition, which aims to promote parks and public uses such as bike paths and playgrounds for the remaining undeveloped land between Edgewater Park and the Cuyahoga County/Lake County border. Why not do what Chicago and Toronto have done and push the buildings back and away from the water, he asks.

 

Although the odds are decidedly stacked against him, Clough is tenacious about the causes he believes in.

 

MORE:

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2014/12/dick_clough_wants_to_preserve.html?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=t.co

Couldn't agree more with Mr. Clough.  If apartments or condos are built nearly all the way up to the water (except for a small board walk), it will take away from our greatest asset except for those who live there.  I know something like Grant Park is an unreasonable expectation but there needs to be some green space and amenities for all Clevelanders and tourists to enjoy the views, etc.

Nobody has suggested building them all the way up to the water.  They are supposed to be built up to a publicly accessible walkway.  I don't want to see our waterfront turn into a suburban yard.

My concern is the public accessible walkway will be nothing more than a glorified sidewalk.

We are FINALLY at the point where our lakefront is being developed. That is the most important. There will be a boardwalk and other public uses, but development on the lakefront is of the utmost importance

Hello all, I am part of the design team for an under-design project, the new Edgewater Beach House, for the Cleveland Metroparks at Edgewater Beach. Our goal is to create the premier beach of choice, not just in Cleveland Metroparks, but in all of Northeast Ohio. Join the conversation using #edgewaterbeachhouse

 

Website: http://metroparksedgewater.mindmixer.com/

 

 

so glad to see this --- this is the greatest thing ever -- edgewater demands a fantastic new beach house -- beer&wine + roof deck! roof deck!!

Seriously, Lake Erie is hundreds of miles long, and we're talking about developing a very small, tiny section around the Browns stadium.  That's it!  And because of this, we're taking the whole lakefront away from the public.  Sorry, but that was done in the past.  I would hardly call this " developing the lakefront".  It's a development near the lakefront.

The Metroparks seems to be the only organization that is actually putting an emphasis on public opinion and input regarding their lakefront parcels, rather than doing what developers and shareholders tell them. Edgewater, E. 55th Marina, Gordon Park, Euclid Beach/Villa Angela will be the real winners in stirring more public interest in lakefront redevelopment, I think.

^^Agreed.... especially when one considers that it isn't even a natural shoreline.  Whatever "green space" which could go there is going to be worse than a surburban front yard.  Could it even sustain tree roots?  For access to natural beauty from downtown, I would like to see a plan to improve/create a connection to Wendy Island.

Hts121[/member]  http://www.portofcleveland.com/infrastructure-environment/cleveland-lakefront-nature-preserve/

^ Isn't Whiskey Island/Wendy Park mostly a former dredge landfill as well? It didn't exist 100 years ago.

Nearly all of the flat low lying land along the lake is landfill, but Whiskey Island is actually a part of the Cuyahoga river floodplain.  If you look at a map, you can see the old river channel, which ran along the south side of Whiskey Island.  The river mouth shifted to it's current location sometime before white settlers first came.

Nearly all of the flat low lying land along the lake is landfill, but Whiskey Island is actually a part of the Cuyahoga river floodplain.  If you look at a map, you can see the old river channel, which ran along the south side of Whiskey Island.  The river mouth shifted to it's current location sometime before white settlers first came.

 

Just an interesting tidbit- the current mouth of the river is actually man-made.  It was dug in 1827-

 

http://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/68#.VJ9nrP8sLA

The wording in that article is a little vague- while it is true that the mouth of the river was straightened and widened, but that was the location of the mouth of the river already when white settlement began.  This is per "Cleveland: A Concise History 1792-1992" by Carol Poh Miller and Robert A Wheeler.  There is an interesting drawing from 1800 by Capt Allen Gaylord, and the original city plat that show the mouth of the Cuyahoga.  It appears that much of the current channel was silted up, and the Old Channel was cut off from the current river channel by a land bridge.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/01/northeast_ohio_transportation.html

 

Looks like a February start for the pedestrian bridge.

Construction of the $25 million pedestrian bridge that will arch across the railroad tracks near Lake Erie and connect the Shoreway to North Coast Harbor will get a wintry start. Crews will be out in February, with the bridge to be ready by  April 2016.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/01/northeast_ohio_transportation.html

 

Looks like a February start for the pedestrian bridge.

Construction of the $25 million pedestrian bridge that will arch across the railroad tracks near Lake Erie and connect the Shoreway to North Coast Harbor will get a wintry start. Crews will be out in February, with the bridge to be ready by  April 2016.

 

I'd say it's official that we're stuck with the suburban exit ramp. Anyhow, it should be interesting seeing pics of this being constructed.

This is likely not a Geis project, but it is being discussed in the Burke Lakefront Airport thread at:

 

I don't know if this is on the Geis property or not.

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2015/01092015/index.php

 

Cuyahoga County Council approves $10 million for $25 million lakefront bridge

 

By Andrew J. Tobias, Northeast Ohio Media Group

on January 27, 2015 at 6:36 PM, updated January 27, 2015 at 6:37 PM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio --  Construction on a new $25 million pedestrian bridge connecting the Cleveland Convention Center to the lakefront likely will begin within the next two to three months, following a Tuesday vote from Cuyahoga County Council that authorizes spending $10 million on the project.

 

The money will help pay for the 900-foot bridge, which will span the Shoreway and the nearby railroad tracks. Council members that supported the project said it will support downtown development and tourism by making it easier for pedestrians to get from downtown Cleveland to attractions at the lakefront, including the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

 

"We're striving to be a convention center town," said Councilman Pernel Jones, who cited the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the local chamber of commerce, as among the project's supporters. "There's a desire to create a more family-oriented atmosphere in our downtown area."

 

Cleveland has committed another $10 million to the project, while the state has chipped in $5 million. The county legislation is contingent on receiving the money from Cleveland, as well as reaching an agreement over who would own the bridge and who would pay for its upkeep.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/cuyahoga-county/index.ssf/2015/01/cuyahoga_county_council_approves_10_million_for_lakefront_bridge.html#incart_river

I think the image in that article is one of the great examples of why this being rushed will cause it not to be as successful as it could be. This should be wide enough for those people to be sitting on a bench to enjoy the skyline/bridge view.  Also, it needs to be able to be connected easily to a possible transportation center (although that doesn't sound very likely at this point).

^ They couldn't make it any wider without significant cost increases. I do agree that it could be better, though.

While I like the design I do question the long expanse without any seating designed into the bridge.  I would like to see the esplanade seating carried onto the bridge.  I also wish the design could have carried the trees as a shaded path IMHO.  I have include some of the latest design renderings from Nov 14

 

 

Are the chain link fences really the best they could do???

Are the chain link fences really the best they could do???

Consider the animals that live among us,

Are the chain link fences really the best they could do???

 

Agree, it looks like a necessary evil with this design.

 

There are little things they can do to improve aesthetics, such as place historical markers. They do a great job with those on the Towpath Trail.

 

But man, I really hate the northern terminus. It's just so indicative of what's wrong with North Coast Harbor.

The terminus at North Coast Harbor is an odd location. Halfway between The RRHOF and The GLSC  and not exiting on the boardwalk but rather the street  feels as if it turns its back on the lake

 

The terminus at North Coast Harbor is an odd location. Halfway between The RRHOF and The GLSC  and not exiting on the boardwalk but rather the street  feels as if it turns its back on the lake

 

Exactly. It's one thing to suffer from past mistakes. But to continue making these bad choices, it is simply astounding.

The terminus at North Coast Harbor is an odd location. Halfway between The RRHOF and The GLSC  and not exiting on the boardwalk but rather the street  feels as if it turns its back on the lake

 

 

It looks from the plan like it has stairs exiting both on the lake side and the street side.  The ramp curls all the way around, but it would kind of have to, it would be too long to go straight out to the lakefront.

I like the bridge. The ODOT style exit ramp is troubling but it should look better when complete.  No doubt it will look awesome at night. My hope at first was it to be enclosed but I guess 25 mil is not enough to make that happen.  Rosales must be expensive. I also think Rosales missed an opportunity to pay homage to the RHOF by giving it some kind of music designed element, something like what I have done below...but you know, better...

I reworked the terminus of the bridge to feel a little more incorporated to the lakefront amenities.

I like the bridge. The ODOT style exit ramp is troubling but it should look better when complete.  No doubt it will look awesome at night. My hope at first was it to be enclosed but I guess 25 mil is not enough to make that happen.  Rosales must be expensive. I also think Rosales missed an opportunity to pay homage to the RHOF by giving it some kind of music designed element, something like what I have done below...but you know, better...

 

Freethink, This is so cool.  I love it!  It gave me a big smile.  A humorous, imaginative nod to our rock and roll image.  Don't know how "timeless" it would be though.

I reworked the terminus of the bridge to feel a little more incorporated to the lakefront amenities.

[/quote)

 

This is great too.  Very handsome.  You and Freethink should be doing the design work.  Why can't the people hired come up with such good esthetics?

I reworked the terminus of the bridge to feel a little more incorporated to the lakefront amenities.

 

Wow... That is so much better than what is proposed.  Is it possible to get this idea to the design team at least for consideration?

This reminds me of the Liberty Bridge in Greenville, SC.

 

Visited Greenville once and decided to run on the Liberty during an unusally cold winter morning (temp was in the 20's) and was surprised at how pleasant the experience was. Granted, the view of the river under the Liberty is far more attractive than the view of train tracks will be from our bridge. Having said that, I plan on enjoying the lake and architectural views as I run/walk many times on this bridge during my future visits to Cleveland.

 

Link to pic of Liberty Bridge:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Liberty_Bridge_-_Greenville%2C_SC_-_001.jpg

I reworked the terminus of the bridge to feel a little more incorporated to the lakefront amenities.

 

This is absolutely how it should be done.

 

There was a public meeting in November regarding feedback on the bridge designs. I spoke at the meeting and also emailed the team leader at Parsons Brinckerhoff (the planning firm) regarding the termination point. The guy I talked with over email seemed to be very receptive to ideas, and said they were working very hard to make it integrate well with the surrounding area. He said they were also working with Dick Pace, to make sure that the termination point would connect with his lakefront development project. The renderings, however, do not make me optimistic.

I reworked the terminus of the bridge to feel a little more incorporated to the lakefront amenities.

 

This is absolutely how it should be done.

 

There was a public meeting in November regarding feedback on the bridge designs. I spoke at the meeting and also emailed the team leader at Parsons Brinckerhoff (the planning firm) regarding the termination point. The guy I talked with over email seemed to be very receptive to ideas, and said they were working very hard to make it integrate well with the surrounding area. He said they were also working with Dick Pace, to make sure that the termination point would connect with his lakefront development project. The renderings, however, do not make me optimistic.

 

Do you have the team leader's email address at Parsons Brinckerhoff. I sent the plans to The Group Plan Commission but I never hear a word back if they forward anything to the architect or engineer.

^ Yep. It's [email protected] . KJP gave the email a couple pages back. He was quite good at responding to me and seemed really open to suggestions, but seeing the current renderings, I'm not sure if I believe him now. However, your suggestion is much simpler than mine, so let's hope he's receptive!

^ Yep. It's [email protected] . KJP gave the email a couple pages back. He was quite good at responding to me and seemed really open to suggestions, but seeing the current renderings, I'm not sure if I believe him now. However, your suggestion is much simpler than mine, so let's hope he's receptive!

 

Thank you. I sent it to him.

^ Yep. It's [email protected] . KJP gave the email a couple pages back. He was quite good at responding to me and seemed really open to suggestions, but seeing the current renderings, I'm not sure if I believe him now. However, your suggestion is much simpler than mine, so let's hope he's receptive!

 

Thank you. I sent it to him.

 

I love how things get done through this board!  Let's hope they listen!

@dav68, I like your scheme too, but does it implicitly assume removal of the HOF drop-off loop?  It's not shown on the site plan you're using, but I think its current route would pass underneath the ramp as you've moved it.

I received a note from Mr. Rosales.    He states the following "we are actually in the process of modifying the ramp/landing and your ideas are welcome.  When we get to a final layout approved by the client we will be able to share it with the general public.  I will keep you posted. "

@dav68, I like your scheme too, but does it implicitly assume removal of the HOF drop-off loop?  It's not shown on the site plan you're using, but I think its current route would pass underneath the ramp as you've moved it.

 

StrapHanger.  In all the site plans I have seen they eliminated the drop off loop.  That is a very valid question.  With some slight adjustment of the bridges curve the bridge could pass just north of the drop off.