Cleveland

[Minneapolisite]

Bold plan, placing separated bike lanes down all old streetcar routes aiming for 50 miles worth (we're committed to do 30 by 2020.), but it depends on whether they follow through.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ss ... l#comments

[John]

^^^Cleveland is small in land area of about 77 square miles in size ( Minneapolis about 58 ), with most of the city relatively flat in topography (except the Cuyahoga River Valley that divides the east and west side but has many bridge connections). This contributes to getting around on a bike relatively easy and efficient time-wise. A visionary proposal from a once beleaguered city that is experiencing a remarkable urban renaissance.

[John]

Article about proposed project in downtown Cleveland. What's interesting to me is he's a local developer with a great attitude about urbanism and high quality architecture. Can we clone him?
http://www.cleveland.com/architecture/i ... _proj.html

[Wedgeguy]

Article about proposed project in downtown Cleveland. What's interesting to me is he's a local developer with a great attitude about urbanism and high quality architecture. Can we clone him?
http://www.cleveland.com/architecture/i ... _proj.html

I would say to email that to every CM and the Mayor and to the heads of development for Opus and Ryan and show them how real development works with and in a city!!

[EOst]

Not to be that guy, but what actually makes this better than, say, the planned Opus Ritz block development? Sure, this has more stuff going on than two residential towers, but overall this development will be shorter than they are (especially if the market here keeps picking up), and at this point, we have no indication that the architecture, materials, or anything else will actually be any nicer than anything being built here.

I'm sure if you talked to people at Opus, they'd feed you buzzwords about ground-level retail and walkability too. Execution is what matters, and right now we don't have any of that to go on for this development. So what if he sounds like a believer? Economics dictate how these things turn out, not divine inspiration.

[John]

No, it has nothing to do with "divine inspiration". He has passion for the city, a sense of civic pride, and a vested interest in its future. He's traveled to other cities and observed the qualities that make them pedestrian friendly and successful. Bodes well for this project.

[Wedgeguy]

These are the same qualities of the group who got together and gave us the IDS and Crystal Court. They did it to better the community and to make Minneapolis more than a fly over city. They took PRIDE in the city and wanting to attract other companies to it. We once had a larger number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered here in the Twin Cities.

[Nick]

move to Cleveland

[EOst]

You don't think the people at Opus would say they have civic pride and an interest in the future of the city?

[Wedgeguy]

You don't think the people at Opus would say they have civic pride and an interest in the future of the city?

8 years ago they did have. I did not see that civic pride with the company's projects or the last 5 years. I have not seen them working with the community like they did decades ago. So no, they are no longer leaders, but a mediocre follower of what other developer put forth. MO Current leadership with them is not following in what their predecessors showed for leadership in the past. Again I've watched 30 years with this company and I no longer think of them as a premiere developer. I see them as having a light window dressing of civic pride, but do not do the best products that they can with their budgets.

[Wedgeguy]

move to Cleveland

No need to leave for Cleveland when lighting a fire under the locals would be a much better thing for all of us!

[EOst]

Fair enough. I don't think most of their projects are really as bad as some people here think, but they're certainly not incredibly ambitious. I just don't think we can really judge much by the developer's rhetoric. This guy in Columbus doesn't just want to notify the City Council of his intent to build, he's aiming to do it with a significant amount of financial help from the city. He's trying to sell this project, to make it as appealing- and exciting-sounding as he can. Of course he's going to talk big about the big desirable buzzwords. If Opus were in his shoes, I don't doubt that we'd see something similarly well-marketed.

[mplsjaromir]

Kevin Love wanted to go to Cleveland because the developers are more ambitious.

[John]

move to Cleveland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsSeULiElrc

[Nick]

[Silophant]

move to Cleveland

Fun times in Cleveland today!

[FISHMANPET]

Literally. Right. Above. Your. Post.

[John]

Positively Cleveland!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-aLUHxP05s

[John]

This video was made by tourists from Pittsburgh , which is Cleveland's arch rival.

[Nick]

http://youtu.be/dGZJUmhfUjI?t=12m4s