Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Cleveland's Veterans Memorial Bridge - Subway Tour

I took my son to the Veteran's Memorial Bridge Subway tour this past weekend. I have not been there in about... hmmm, don't recall. I do recall it was before the county ever opened it to the public and that my friends and I should not have been there. Regardless, it was very cool and much, much cleaner then I recall.
Some of these shots are a bit bluury due to the camera and having to set the exposure timer on long in order to get the details. I do not have a tripod.
To see the whole set, go here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/muscatello/sets/72157594149739456/








This is my favorite shot. Very spooky. Dark figures walking into the light.

Friday, May 26, 2006

Cleveland Planning Commission Report - May 19, 2006

Cleveland Planning Commission Report, May 19, 2006
Call to order – 9:08 AM

Roll Call –

Present:
Tony Coyne
Bob Brown
Lillian Kuri
Gloria Jean Pinkney
David Bowen
Rev. S. Small

Absent:
Joe Cimperman
Larry Lumpkin


Approved April 7 and 21 minutes
Tony Coyne mentioned that he was not sure if the current method of approving minutes was efficient.
Director Brown said historically

ZONING (ALL APPROVED)

1. Ordinance No. 708-06: To change the use from a Semi-Industry District to a General Industry Use District on the east side of West 25th Street north of Potter Court.

This is the site of the junkyard that was destroyed by fire over a year ago in Ohio City. The business has been in operation for over 60 years, and has always operated under a variance due to non-conforming use. Since the building was completely destroyed and new construction is required, a new variance is needed. The business owner, George Saas (?) was present along with his wife. They have a new building designed – 60’ x 60’, will come to the sidewalk like the previous structure.
There was one neighbor and two letters of opposing the variance due to issues regarding noise, smell, and rats, among other things.
Councilman Santiago was present and was in support of the rezoning. He stated the rats likely come from the valley and are not from the Saas property – rats do not feed on auto parts.
Tony Coyne suggested Saas erect a screening fence on the neighbor’s property at his own expense as a show of goodwill.
2. Ordinance No. 830-06: To change the zoning of lands on the north and south sides of Lorain Avenue from West 103rd Street to West 115th Street to Local Retail Business and Residence Office; and to change the zoning of property fronting on West 106th Street to Two Family.

This is a continuation of efforts by Councilwoman Dona Brady to bring the zoning in her ward up to date with the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

MANDATORY REFFERALS (ALL APPROVED)

1. Ordinance No. 648-06: Authorizing the Director of Public Service to issue a permit to The Cleveland Clinic foundation to encroach into the public right-of-way of East 96th Street by installing, using, and maintaining a sloped walk exit ramp, sheet piling, a building corner, and below-grade areaways.
2. Ordinance No. 691-06: Authorizing the Director of Public Service to issue a permit to Tower city Center to encroach into the public right-of-way of Huron Road by installing, using, and maintaining a pedestrian connector to be partially constructed beneath the City of Cleveland right-of-way.

This new pedestrian tunnel will connect the State Office Building with Tower City.

3. Ordinance No. 735-06: Determining the method of making the public improvement of rehabilitating, renovating, reconstructing or otherwise improving various Department of Parks, Recreation and Properties facilities.

ADMINISTRATIVE APPROVAL (APPROVED)

1. Ordinance No. 827-06: Authorizing the Director of Economic Development to apply for and accept a Clean Ohio grant from the State of Ohio Department of Development for the VAP Phase II assessment of property located at 3828 East 91 St Street and associated parcels.
2. Ordinance No. 786-06: Authorizing the Director of Economic Development to enter into contract with Congeni Investments, LLC, to provide economic development assistance to partially finance the acquisition of real property located at 2034 W. 65th St. and all other associated costs necessary to redevelop the property.

SUMMARY CALENDAR (APPROVED)

1. Ordinance No. 652-06: Authorizes the sale of property on Lexington Avenue to Thomas Albert and Pauline Ruffin as part of the Land Reutilization Program.
2. Ordinance No. 700-06: Authorizes the sale of property on Buckeye Road to the Cleveland Municipal School District as part of the Land Reutilization Program.
3. Ordinance No. 701: Authorizes the sale of property on Addison Road to Illus, Christine, James, Ricky and Edward Taylor, Valerie Lambright and Eula Milon as part of the Land Reutilization Program.
4. Ordinance No. 709-06: Authorizes the sale of property on Quimby Avenue to Margaret Adams as part of the Land Reutilization Program.

DESIGN REVIEW

1. DRC 06-031: 1701 East 12th Street, Reserve Square, Exterior Remodeling (APPROVED)

Doug Price, owner of Reserve Square, and Mike K, from City Architecture, presented plans for the painting and resurfacing of the outside of Reserve Square and Embassy Suites hotel on East 12th Street. All of the visible concrete areas will be repainted various colors. The front entrance will be completely reconfigured. The driveway that currently exist will be moved to the curb; a canopy will be built to provide shelter from the elements. The entrance will be re-clad in either a frosted glass or acrylic. The granite will still be visible through the re-clad portions during the day. At night there will be some sort of LED light under the new cladding. A new skylight will be built over the former driveway that will be backlit.
Further details of the renovation include the elimination of the bypass frequented by hundreds of downtown inhabitants everyday. All of the stores are going to be accessible to the public from the outside only.
When complete, the renovation project will have cost upwards of $10 million. All of the apartments and hotel suites are being renovated. When complete, there will be 765 housing units and 250 hotel suites. It currently has an 80% occupancy rate.


2. DRC 06-038: N.E. Corner of West 65th Street and Clark Avenue, West Side Relief High School, New Construction

This is a conceptual review with no action required. Richard Bowen and Associates, and OWP/P presented the proposed West Side Relief High School. The two-story building that will house approximately 1200 students and 60 +/- faculty/staff members for grades 9 through 12. There will be 33 general studies classrooms, 1 competition gym and 1 practice gym.

The building will consist of three small high schools within one building. That equals roughly 412 students per school.

There will be parking available for 189 students. Visitors and staff will have 112 parking spaces. There will be a GCRTA drop off area on West 65th Street, west of the building, although there has not been any discussion with them as of yet.

There is also a football practice field proposed for the eastern edge of the property. This will require the relocation of some of the roads currently located there. Apparently, a major sewer line runs under the current location of Walworth Avenue that prohibits any construction directly above it. Walworth will be relocated to the intersection of West 59th Street and run south until it hits the railroad tracks. From there, it will connect with the schools staff parking lot. There is proposed to be a large turnaround area for trucks that will not be able to enter the relocated Walworth. Instead, all truck traffic will only use the West 55th Street location.

The face of the buildings will likely be made of brick, representing the make-up of the buildings in the area. (The conceptual renderings do not show this.)
Most of the land has been acquired already.

The commission’s major concern was the linkage from the school to Zone Recreation Center under I-90. They suggested the school district work with the city and other partners to address this area.
One additional concern was the northern edge of the property that is adjacent with I-90. The architects said they are still working on that area of land.

DIRECTOR’S REPORT

The director report time was devoted to Robert Corna’s informational presentation on a proposal to add a retractable dome to the Cleveland Browns Stadium.

At first Corna stated the estimated cost will total $90 million, though later he said this cost is very preliminary and probably not accurate.
The discussion briefly centered on sponsorship. He mentioned the possibility of having the likes of Pepsi placing their name on the proposed roof (many distorted faces by the commission at this statement).
[He went before Cleveland City Council this past Monday to seek support in attempting to have the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl in Cleveland]

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Live Traffic Accident Data from the County

I was trolling around the county pages today instead of working, or finishing up the edits on last weeks Planning Commission meeting (it will be up tonight), when I stumbled upon the Cuyahoga County Emergency Service's "Current Motor Vehicle Accidents & Incidents." The data is gathered from police reports, the obvious traffic reports, and from people calling in accidents on their cell phones to 911.
Pretty cool stuff, although it would be better if they had a map with color codes reflecting the flow of traffic. And if you were able to view that data on your cell or berry. I imagine that will come soon as part of the Innerbelt Project.
It will also give you Amber Alert information.

****UPDATE****

Dan said...

"Here's Cleveland traffic data mapped from Clear Channel Traffic. They get data from Cuyahoga County Emergency Service, traffic cams and phone calls."


Thanks, Dan.
I knew about the traffic cams site (I watch them from my windowless cubicle all the time), and I remeber seeing the mapped data before but forgot about it. I think I was thinking of something like L.A has, which is run by SigAlert.
You can see the live data by going to
http://www.sigalert.com/map.asp?Region=Greater+Los+Angeles
The live traffic data they have is free. If you want personalized data, want to view the web cams, or have an alternate route laid out for you so you can avoid the traffic then you have a fee of $20 a year - which is not cool, but I guess they are a private company and can charge whatever they want. Here is a screenshot of traffic from this morning:



Saturday, May 13, 2006

Cleveland State University Project Report for May

Below is the current status of ongoing projects at CSU. Not listed are items in the Master Plan that have yet to be approved by the Board (College of Education, Doan Electric, etc.)


Recreation Center

• Interior Painting of finished drywall is continuing.
• Locker room finishes and lockers are being installed.
• Wood floors in multipurpose rooms are being finished.
• Wood floor in main gym is being installed.
• Running track is being installed.
• Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and technology systems are being installed.
• Site work is underway.


East Parking Garage
• Elevated decks on east bay are complete.
• Slab for the west bay is 50% complete.
• Elevated decks on west bay have begun.
• Structural steel for stairs and elevators will start in 2nd week of May.
• Brick and Masonry schedule to start by 2nd week of May.

Parker Hannafin Administration Center / Hall
• Structural steel in the Administration Building is complete.
• Roof on Administration Center is near completion.
• Decks in the Administration Building are complete.
• Excavation for Parker Hannifin Annex to begin soon.
• Metal studs, ductwork and sprinkler lines have started in the Administration Building.

Fenn Tower Residence Hall
• Exterior Restoration work is 95% complete. Sandstone on the exterior East elevation is 50% complete.
• Exterior light fixtures installation is 80% complete.
• New window installation is 98% complete, only the temporary trash chute area remains.
• Interior wall and ceiling framing is 95% complete through the building.
• Drywall on floors 4-19 is 99% complete. Basement up to 3rd floor is in progress.
• Tower floors 8-19 are 99% complete. Rooms are painted, carpeted, cabinets, plumbing fixtures, light
• fixtures are installed. Punch list on these floors is in progress.
• Floors 4-7 are dry walled. Floors 4 and 7 are currently being taped. The 5th floor is painted and
• cabinetry, plumbing and light fixtures are being installed. The 6th floor is currently being painted.
• Third floor ballroom areas are currently being restored.
• The basement through 2nd floors are in various stages of drywall installation.
• The mechanical, electrical and plumbing system tie-ins are all complete.
• Building roof installations are 95% complete.
• Furniture delivery is set to begin July 3rd, 2006.

Main Classroom Stair Tower Phase 1A
• Contractor will have Notice to Proceed by mid May.

Main Classroom Plaza Build Out Phase 1B
• Design Development drawings are at 30%.
• Shell bid package due in June 2006.

Student Center Phase II
• Both A/E Consultant and Construction Management have been approved. Currently in contract negotiation.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Planning Commission Agenda - May 4, 2006

Whooooo!!!!
The semester is over, and until grades come out next week, I'm Ok.
I think I did alright.

I did not go to the Planning Commission on May 4, but I do have the agenda of items requiring action (and informational, too).

Enjoy.

ZONING

  1. Ordinance No. 657-06: To change the Use Districts of lands bounded by Seymour Avenue and Erin Avenue, west of Fulton Road from a Two-family Residential District to a Local Retail Business District.
  2. Ordinance No. 707-06: To change the zoning of parcels on the north side Detroit Avenue between West 29 th St. from a Two Family Residential District to an Open Space and Recreation District.
  3. Ordinance No. 718-06: To change the zoning of lands on the east and west sides of West 117 th Street from Governor Avenue to Bellaire road.

MANDATORY REFFERALS

  1. Ordinance No. 616-06: An emergency ordinance authorizing the sale of real property as part of the Land Reutilization Program and located on Clover Avenue to JDS Development LLC. (TABLED on 4/14/06)
  2. Ordinance No. 692-06: Improving various Department of Public Service facilities.
  3. Resolution No. XXX1-06 , proposing the vacation of a portion of East 109 th Street between Deering Avenue on the north and Carnegie Avenue on the south for the purpose of facilitating creation of a shared campus for John Hay High School and the Cleveland School of the Arts.

LOT SPLIT

  1. 3139 – 3209 Whitman Ave. proposed lot consolidation and split (Landmark District). Work on the property has begun without the lack of permits.

DESIGN REVIEW

  1. DRC 06-013: 750 Huron Road, AT&T Building, Skyline Sign (PLPD/Historic Gateway Neighborhood/Ward 13) (Fr March 16, 2006)
  2. DRC 06-029: Bellflower & Hessler Roads, CWRU, Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations (Univ.-Euclid URPA/Ward 9)
  3. DRC 06-030: East 115 th Street & Wade Park, CWRU, North Residential Village, Baseball Stadium (Univ.-Euclid URPA/Ward 9)
  4. DRC 06-031: 1701 East 12 th Street, Reserve Square, Streetscape Improvements (PLPD/Ward 13)
  5. DRC 06-032: NW Corner of East 83 rd Street & Carnegie Avenue, Rumi’s Market (City Land Bank/Ward 6)
  6. DRC 06-033 NE Corner of West 9 th Street & Front Street, Housing Development, For Information only; no action to be taken (Ward 13)
  7. DRC 06-014-A: East 111 th Street, between Woodland Avenue & MLK Boulevard, Citi-Rama 2006, 2 Remaining Single-family Houses (Ward 6) (Fr 4/7/06, when other models were seen.)

Monday, May 08, 2006

One moment, please...

I noticed that there have been a large number of hits to this site in the past few days - no doubt looking for updated planning commission news. Well you are going to have to wait a bit longer. I am in finals mode this week and this is the last thing on my mind.
Do not be alarmed!

In the meantime, check out my photoblog, View from the Dashboard.

thank you

sm