Jump to content

NYC Boomerang

Dirt Lot 0'
  • Content Count

  • Joined

  • Last visited

Community Reputation

56 Excellent

Recent Profile Visitors


  1. The city needs to change its tax policy and tax land value more and improvements less. As I've said before, until tax policy makes surface parking less of an economic grand slam, these parking lot cancers will only persist. Force Stark's hand! Pittsburgh and Denver did this with great success. Cleveland needs to get it's head out of the sand and grow up. I've written Councilman McCormack about this and he's aware of the issue. Residents need to keep raising these issues with city government. The parking lot lobby is strong and well-organized (they have a lot of money at stake). I'd encourage everyone to write/call/email about this issue.
  2. Link below to a really interesting article about Cleveland's population stabilization. It also references the fact that Columbus' land area is equal to the combined total of Cleveland, Cincinnati and Akron! Columbus is the "14th" most populous city in the US, with Cleveland being "52nd". This statistical charade really frustrates me! I know it is just a stat but I think it really molds attitudes and perceptions of Cleveland. The fragmentation legally of Cleveland, of course, also creates significant inefficiencies for the region. The region's structure is such a hindrance economically and reputationally. I wish we could get out of our own way and work together to succeed! Regardless, it is great to see the city stabilize. I fully expect the next 70 years to be growing years, a reversal of the last 70 years. The ship is turning. https://expo.cleveland.com/news/g66l-2019/05/d1695a54c89135/clevelands-population-flattens-near-385000-after-decades-of-big-losses-new-census-estimates-say.html
  3. Likewise. I doubt they can do anything about it at a reasonable cost. I have to imagine they are committed to that site long-term. I'm sure it's a beautiful building with appealing public subsidies and free parking. But that's the short-term view that Eaton chose to take. An option that appealed to senior management and short-term-minded shareholders, at the expense of young talent and long-term shareholder value. The funny/sad thing is that Mayor Jackson and city government always get the blame for what happened (they get blamed when they don't give away enough subsidies and get blamed when they give away "too many" subsidies (Nucleus)). Eaton never gets any heat. I think the City of Cleveland may be getting the last laugh. Obviously, it would have been best for both sides if Eaton stayed in the city. I think one reason why Cleveland has lagged other rust-belt cities economically is the lack of corporate vision and corporate loyalty to the urban core. So many of these corporations who fled to the burbs succumbed to selfishness and short-term shareholder value accretion. There is a deep-seated mistrust between city government and the corporate world in Cleveland that rivals any other city (and there should be blame given on both sides). This intertwines in with the whole regionalism question and Greater Cleveland's deep divisions and unwillingness to work together for the greater good of all parties. As a result, not only does the general populous suffer but corporations suffer as well. If we can't work together to compete as effectively as possible, there will be no rising tides. Eaton is in the past. We need to move on and focus on SW and others. SW certainly seems to be much more civic-minded, conscientious and cautiously forward-thinking. Let's hope that mentality wins out and raises the tide for all of us.
  4. I figured Eaton would regret their move to the suburbs. It was totally backward thinking and it has and likely will continue to cost the company little by little as they lose and can't attract top talent. I think and hope that Eaton will be the last big exodus to the suburbs. Progressive's decision to move their creative talent back into downtown is an excellent example of this dynamic. A vibrant urban environment is so much more conducive to corporate success in the 21st century knowledge-based economy, versus an office park. Especially in the midwest where the weather can't attract talent, so what these cities can still offer is a fun dynamic livable urban environment filled with amenities. Young top talent does not want to be in the suburbs living the Office Space life and getting lunch at Chotchkie's every day.
  5. May we be so lucky that Geis buys the Jacobs and Weston lots as well.
  6. That's the "rumor" and what developers put out so that the public accepts their plan to demolish an historic landmark and put in parking. If they want to put a condo building on the property, they should put a condo building on the property! They are tearing it down to lower the assessed value of the property for tax purposes and to allow for the cash cow of parking revenue to flow in. What's the over/under on how many years that lot sits there as parking? I'll throw out 10. Any other guesses?
  7. Cleveland's parking curse strikes again. Tax policy needs to be changed. The Spaghetti House (an historic landmark) is the latest victim. Buildings being neglected for the primary purpose of demolition to make way for parking. Archaic tax policy is really holding back this city IMO.
  8. Not sure county/city leadership would be up for moving the complex from "valuable downtown real estate", at an astronomical cost, to even higher valued downtown real estate. Doesn't seem to be in line with the thesis of opening up more valuable downtown real estate for higher value development. The justice center along with the jail creates a nuisance factor downtown and does not belong IMO in the center of an increasingly residential and touristed downtown. I think it should be moved to the fringes of downtown or to a more easily accessible location within the city. Perhaps a site near the industrial valley and freeway interchanges.
  9. Liquid is not open again. They just opened it for St. Patrick's Day. So people basically got wasted inside a construction site. Not sure how that's legal but ok. Liquid was supposed to open last August. It has been slow going. I sense that money is running dry. W. 6th has been losing out on night life for years. It's basically a dump as far as night life goes. Unless it is Friday/Saturday night, the street is a ghost town, despite the neighborhood being home to I think Downtown's largest residential population. The street doesn't serve the residents. It will either change (residents / city are trying desperately on this front) or it will remain a beautiful quiet neighborhood by day and a dump by night.
  10. The city of Cleveland has been taking it on the chin way too long. It's time to give the burbs a taste of their own medicine! Be forewarned suburbia! Just ask Connecticut / New Jersey. Their tax base is being eaten alive by the urban renaissance, the fifth migration, the new anti-house tax policy, etc. Where there is tax revenue, there is power. And slowly but surely, the power is shifting back to cities. Cleveland just happens to be one of the last guests to join the party. Again, our region's policies and inefficiencies have significantly slowed this progression in comparison to other regions. But I truly believe that the days of the Cleveland surface parking lot racket are numbered. The question is, can our leaders accelerate that process?
  11. How well is this tax enforced considering much of the surface parking lot transactions are done in cash? The surface parking lot lobby is such a racket. Would love to tax them out of existence. Lower taxes on building owners and/or give the extra proceeds to the RTA.
  12. No one said regionalism would be easy or pleasing to everyone. But the data and facts absolutely confirm that the area's immense inefficiency is holding it back. Other regions are thriving and leaving this region behind. Just because something is hard, doesn't mean it shouldn't be pursued. It's a choice of dying a slow death or setting the region up for a brighter future. Cleveland has a lot of things in its favor. The pace of its improvement will largely be determined by the region's ability to cooperate and to fairly charge for services and tax its citizens, in a way that most effectively promotes economic growth. Subsidizing distant suburbs and exurbs in the numerous ways that they are, will continue to bring on that slow death and persistent economic inferiority. I agree that the state will likely be of little help. But so goes the region, so goes the state as well. If we care about this place, we should fight for it. The state should as well, unless it is ok with becoming the Mississippi of the North.
  13. Something like the Citi building in Queens would be fine. I really think Cleveland is missing a tall (top 4 tall) all glass clad building. The Lumen is going to look great. Public Square needs a bigger version of that. I thought the original Nucleus design would have been great. I realize not everyone was a huge fan of the design but I thought it was ambitious (especially for a Midwestern city). I wish Cleveland would get back to being a trendsetting/iconic city as far as architecture goes. Stop it with the brown boxes!!
  14. Seriously!! What is with Stark and their obsession with various shades of brown?!? The Beacon and now Nucleus. Rusty colored buildings do not help brighten up a very cloudy and gray city. I like what Toronto has done with an emphasis on light-colored glass. It makes the city seem so much brighter and alive in person. Look, we have a city's worth of brown with 200 Public Square, we don't need any more!! Ughhhhh
  • Create New...