Adding some 'weight' to the location of the new convention center

I hate when people take an elevator up one floor. I have always wished elevators could be programmed not to go one floor up (with exception for those with physical disabilities). That being said:
Reading this article in the Wall Street Journal,"New Buildings Help People Fight Flab," got me to thinking about the location of the proposed Cleveland Convention Center. Although this article is actually focused on the design of buildings and their walkability, I started thinking of the convenience, or perceived convenience, of each proposed location.
I have struggled with which location would be the best for said center - they both have their pluses and minuses. The riverfront site would help in expanding the convention season that currently ends in October due to the weather. Come in on a plane, take the train to Tower City, check in at a hotel, eat, go to conference, never worry about the weather. It would also encourage people to stay off the streets. How would the businesses on East Fourth or the Warehouse District feel about that?
The current location is surrounded by a civic space that compares to no other city, there is plenty of room to grow and it is close to most of downtown. The not so good side of it would be being exposed to the elements.
Keeping this article in mind, I am putting my vote in for rebuilding on the current site. Call it Cleveland's part in keeping people in shape. Damn the weather - if it is raining, people can run.
I would rather have people walking around downtown.

Cross Posting Comment - BFD: Forest City News

Comment cross posted on Brewed Fresh Daily:

First, the “Quiet Crisis” comment was tongue in cheek – Sorry if you did not get the joke.

Mr. Morrison, the IX Center is not a convention center; it is an exposition center that caters well for the groups that use it: manufacturing exhibiters, recreation vehicle and boat lovers, late winter/early spring amusement park enthusiasts, etc. The IX center does not cater to the typical convention, or corporate meetings. There are some meeting spaces there, nut not the kind the come to the current downtown center. The IX center does not have the infrastructure to maintain the amount, and size of the conventions, conferences and corporate meetings that currently come downtown. (By infrastructure, I mean hotels, restaurants, retail and convenient transportation options. Of course there is the area around Bagley Road in Middleburgh Heights, but that is neither Cleveland or convenient.)

Regarding operating losses – there is currently only one center in the country that has an operating surplus on a regular basis. That is The Moscone Center in San Francisco. Every relatively new convention center in the country usually runs in the red. They are built/rebuilt knowing this will happen. It is not about making a profit – you might say it is about marketing the city to those who would not normally come for a visit. It also about supporting the economy (service and tourism) the city decided to take on as manufacturing diminished as one of our primary economies. If we do not build or rebuild a new center, we will have abandoned the progress we have made.

You want to provide funds for CSU (I would love it since I am a student there), then go to the state – they are responsible for that; or change the state constitution. You want to provide funds for Tri-C, then support future levies – I do.

I am still skeptical about the FCE series, but I will read it with an open mind. Perhaps businesses like FCE would be more active in the city and region if residents were aware of how they did things – and thus more appreciative (i.e., Progressive, MBNA, Standard Oil, the list goes on). I don’t know.

Disclosure time: I am for rebuilding the convention center.
I see the pros and cons of both sites and will leave it to people who are supposedly smarter then I am to make the decision as to where to build.

Forest City news

I received an email today addressed to not only myself, but also to the writers of Full Cleveland and Urban Paradoxes (at least these were the visible addresses). The email came from the John Kroll, Deputy Business Editor of the Plain Dealer. It reads:

The Plain Dealer will begin a five-part series on the transformation of Forest City Enterprises this Sunday, Nov. 27. We thought local blogs that discuss development issues might like to know.

When the series begins, it will go online at
http://www.cleveland.com/forestcity

We've already begun a blog that will track the company's operations, at
http://www.cleveland.com/weblogs/forestcity

John Kroll
Deputy Business Editor
The Plain Dealer

I must say I am humbled to be in league with the other two blogs. I nmy opinion there are more worthy commentatorsout in the sphere then I. That being said - I checked out the blog. There is not much there as of now, but that is a given since this is only the beggining. Here is one of the blurbs from the Forest City blog posted on Tuesday.

Urban Revival: Forest City's Rise
This Sunday, The Plain Dealer launches a five-part series about Cleveland-based real estate developer Forest City Enterprises Inc. The series charts Forest City's transformation from a suburban developer and home-improvement retailer in Greater Cleveland to one of the country's pre-eminent urban redevelopers.

It's a story of remarkable growth that is inextricably linked to the Ratner family that controls the company, and that also highlights Forest City's complex relationship with its hometown.

As an online companion to the series, The Plain Dealer is also launching this blog devoted to Forest City. It will live on long after the series ends, as a central information bank for the company's developments across the country. Forest City has projects percolating from coast to coast, and we'll post major news here, along with links to media stories, blogs and Web sites about the company in other cities. -- CM

A thought before I go to bed dreaming of turkey and snow.
Is the PD putting this five part series under its Quiet Crisis?

I have nothing against Forest City, I actually remeber going to Frest city hardware on Brookpark Road when I was younger.
I do realize that Cleveland has alway had a problem with irking the big boys in town and thia may include them. However, I do wish FCE would concentrate on more things here other then apartments.

night, night

Happy Thanksgiving

Update - Convention Center/Joint Meeting

I almost forgot to follow up on this.
No action was taken by the Planning Commission on this day. There were, in my lowly opinion, two things I did notice worth bringing up:
1 – There are many cost issues not coming forward on Forest City's Riverfront site; mainly the cost of rebuilding and expanding Carter Road, which would be tunneled through the proposed convention center. As well as any cost associated with the adaptive reuse of the current center, which would have to be part of the project – not like the Scranton Road Peninsula housing that was first proposed then killed off the first time Forest City spoke up.
2 – I may be assuming too much here, but it seemed to me that Hunter Morrison’s, Planning Director of Cleveland before his wife became mayor, gave a very moving (we'll call it a speech, but maybe lecture is a better word) talk rationalizing why the commission should choose reconstruction on the current site as opposed to building new on the other, was a little over the top. It was not bad – I enjoyed it. In fact, everyone enjoyed it. For god’s sake, they applauded him afterwards.

What I got out of it was, well - after being involved in the planning scene in Cleveland for the better part of three years, I have never heard Morrison say squat about any project in the city, not publicly anyhow. Fast forward to now - after the election - and now he is vocal. I am just wondering if he has some desire to get back into City Hall. Maybe it was just me... I don't know.

That was the feeling I got out of it. In no way is this a negative feeling. It would be great for the incoming Jackson administration and would probably put to rest any concerns people may have regarding some of the planning that occurred during Campbell’s administration. (Many people say that the recently passed Waterfront Plan was really Morrison’s all along.

Anyway, I am getting top political.
So now we are told the CFA will be deciding on a final site sometime after the New Year, most likely after the elections.

Innerbelt Project and plan for new "Signature Bridge" over the Cuyahoga

I am back from a very busy week of school stuff. My Urban design class project came out very nice.
I proposed some changes for the West Boulevard corridor from Detroit Avenue to the West Boulevard & West 105th Street intersection. If anybody is interested, drop me line and I will send you the pdf.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

From the NeoBridge site

Start: 11/22/2005 - 11:30am

End: 11/22/2005 - 1:30pm

REALNEO is hosting our November 22nd NEO Excellence Roundtable at the City Club with the Innerbelt Bridge Plan featured as the discussion topic. We will be joined by Cuyahoga County Planning Commission Director Paul Alsenas, and we have invited representative of the Ohio Department of Transportation. One outcome we hope to see from this process is increased support for developing a new "Signature Bridge" for Northeast Ohio. We invite you to attend and participate in these discussions.

Bring on the Cameras

The cameras are coming!
The cameras are coming!
The cameras are coming!
Finally.
I am glad they are coming.
I don't care how they are rationalized (revenue vs. safety).
I don't care what side of the town they are on either. There should be more.
I hate all you bastards that run lights.
And anybody who has a problem with it should not be driving. Paticularly the person who ran into me the summer of 2004. Stupid idiot. (The only accident I have ever been involved with in my 20+ years of driving.)
To all of you state legislators who are continuing to erode the cities home rule status - if you make it illegal for cities to have them I will do everything possible to make sure you never get elected again. Worry about state issues (funding education).
Here are some lovely pictures of the cameras by my house.

Joint Meeting of the City Planning Commission, the Design Review Committee and the Cleveland Landmarks Commission

From the County Planning Blog:

The Cleveland City Planning Commission has made available an assessment of potential Convention Center sites that compares the River Site, Mall West Block Site, and the Mall Lakefront Site.
The proposals will be discussed at a joint meeting of the City Planning Commission, the Design Review Committee and the Cleveland Landmarks Commission on Friday, November 11, 2005 from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in Room 212 of the Cleveland Convention Center. The Convention Facilities Authority will also hold a Combination Planning and Community Consensus Committee Meeting on Tuesday, November 15th at 6:00 p.m. at the I-X Center.

Check out the first link. This is the most data publically displayed (in an electronic form) for a project I have ever seen.
Good job, finally. Although the Landmarks Commission has been doing an admirable job electronically displaying projects they are hearing for a lttle while now.
I'll be there tomorrow and will report.

LeBron James wallscape

Has anybody seen the new wallscape of LeBron James on the western wall of the Tower City? (I think it is the offices of Sherwin Williams - I cannot think of what building it is. It is the northwest corner of Ontario and Huron.)

On February 4 of this year, ARG/MediaPro of Beachwood, Ohio went before the Cleveland Planning Commission with their plans to put up a large image of King James on said wall. The commission was very excited about it and suggested that they make it bigger then what was proposed. One member suggested that the company research the possibility of attaching a giant hoop James is coming out of to the wall in order to make it appear that the picture for the slam. The final result is a little different then what was proposed, but it still came out pretty good.
The pictures are of the wall as it has always looked, the proposed picture and the almost final product.
I think this is a good thing. It does not matter who it is on the wall, any to cover up some of the boring views of the city, especially wall like this one that thousands of people see everyday.
In my opinion, we need more signage downtown. It gives vibrancy to the city. I am not saying every building should advertising on, just enough to create some life.
Last year there were some temporary 'signs' around the city for Reebok. They were just moving images projected on walls from the back of some vans parked in parking lots. That was very cool, and I bet it cost a fraction of what others have to pay for typical signage.

Atlantic Station - what Steel Yard Commons wishes it could be.

Found in Planning Livable Communities:
Atlantic Station open to the public last month and looks to be a huge succes. I think Steelyard Commons would have had much more positive feedback if it were modeled after the Atlanta project. They had the same problem we had - closed steel yard, vacant land - but they have turned it into a much more sustainable project. They have IKEA as a main retail tenent, as opposed to sprawlmart, so that may be a plus for them. The thing is, even if they had a wall-to-wallmart, Atlantic Station is adding a significant amount of housing to the new neighborhood. So, any possible loss to retailers in the surrounding neighborhoods due to loss of pedestrian traffic will be countered by the new residents.
If you look at the picture, you may think it is similar in land size (and shape) as to SYC. In fact, both are to have about 1 million square feet of retail; however, Atl Stn will add about 5,000 units of housing (I know, no low income housing - but many units will be labled 'affordable'), and abot 6 million square feet of office space. Everything will be constructed using smart growth policies.
The Atlantic Journal-Constitution states:

"To support the goal of being a pleasant place to walk, the retail district is laid out in a grid pattern, with wide sidewalks and narrow streets passing brick buildings lined with glass windows that let people gaze inside the shops. Parking is in underground decks, so streets should be mostly free of vehicles."
and
"While the place has all the signs of wealth, it also meets a goal of providing room for the working classes. Nearly 300 rental apartments and condos — one-fifth of all those built — were reserved for residents who earn the wages of office clerks, teachers and police officers. And the IKEA home furnishings store and Dillard's department store are filled with wallet-friendly items."
and
"The site paid about $300,000 a year in property taxes when it was a steel mill. This year, it will pay about $8 million, and payments are expected to reach up to $25 million a year in 2010. And those figures do not include new sales taxes to be generated by the retail district and hotel."
I liked this under the FAQ section of the Atl Stn Site:
Do I need a car at Atlantic Station? Only if you like having something to wash on the weekends. Everything you need will be within walking distance, from groceries, to work out facilities, to such a wide range of restaurants, that you'll never be bored with what’s for dinner. Need to get somewhere outside Atlantic Station? Just hop on our trolley and catch a ride to the MARTA Arts Center station.

Very Nice.
I wonder if Mitchell Schneider of First Interstate has some plans in store for expanding the SYC to include office space or residential units. I wonder if he even looked at Atlanta as a model - doesn't look like it.

World Town Planner Day

November 8, 2005, marks the 56th worldwide celebration of World Town Planning Day (WTPD), a special day to recognize how urban, rural, and regional planning help to create healthy and vibrant communities. On November 7, the student chapter of the American Planning Association at Cleveland State University will will hold an open house celebrating the planning achievements had by various organizations throughout the region in Glickman-Milller Hall at the Maxine Goodman-Levin College of Urban Affairs. The event will be held from 12:00 until 6:00 PM. The College of Urban Affairs is located on 1717 Euclid Avenue, Downtown Cleveland.

Come view plans from the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, GCRTA, Ecocity Cleveland, Cleveland Public Art, HNTB, East Fourth Street Neighborhood and many others on Monday, November 7 from 12:00 to 6:00 PM in the Maxine Goodman-Levin College of Urban Affairs, located at 1717 Euclid Ave. in the atrium area. There will be a bake sale fundraiser on-site, with coffee and beverages available to purchase.

Founded in 1949 by the late Professor Carlos Maria della Paolera of the University of Buenos Aires, WTPD is currently celebrated in about 30 countries on four continents as a way to promote awareness and support for community planning. Within the United States, the American Planning Association (APA) and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), sponsor celebrations to highlight how planning helps create communities of lasting value where people have better choices about how they work and live.

"World Town Planning Day is one day each year when the planning movement calls attention to the role of planning in making great communities throughout the world," said APA Executive Director Paul Farmer, AICP. "To help publicize the importance of planning across the country, APA members work in their communities, regions, and states to organize special activities and events."

APA and AICP have promoted excellence in the field of planning for more than 80 years. WTPD is one example of APA's commitment to promoting planning as a way for engaged citizens, along with civic leaders, business interests and other stakeholders, to play a meaningful role in creating communities that enrich people's lives.