Tim Liston's development post

[Thomas J. George]

" I grew up about midway between Huron and Vermilion on 2+ acres of lakefront property. Over three years ago my wife and I bought it “back” out of my mom’s estate. When I was very young, like maybe 55 years ago, Huron got all excited about “urban renewal.” That’s when you basically tore out what’s there, say the entirety of downtown Huron, and you build something “modern” in its place. Something planners decide on. Urban renewal was the rage back then. One of my oldest memories of my Dad was his loud objections to what Huron wanted to (and eventually did) undertake. My dad was an architect and he did have a good sense of beauty and historical significance.

So yes, Huron tore out its downtown and began “modernizing.” Vermilion did not go the “urban renewal” route. They kept their quaint little downtown, which remains to this day. And it’s crystal clear that Huron made a big mistake and will live with it forever. Vermilion is something of a destination. Huron has nothing, it is completely inauspicious. Lots of boating, but they always had that."

Tim Liston posted this on another topic, but In my view this is one of the most important and posts I've seen on the deck.

Reflecting back on about 30 years elected or appointed service with the city, I can recall in the late 70s through the mid-90st Mayors Lawther, Sinagra and later Harbarger implemented and nourished our store front renovation program. This program basically boarded up existing store fronts and forced businesses to install uniform signage and design. This was the state of the art in city scape design and in urban planning. This program, rightly so, won many awards and served us well at the time.

Then in the mid-90s a group of officials from the US Dept. of Interior visited Lakewood. They were in awe of the city, so much so they wanted to designate the entire city as a National Historic district.
Lakewood, they said, was among the last pristine turn of the century street car suburbs. A few neighborhoods in Philadelphia and Brooklyn retained the turn of the century charm and character, but none the size and condition of Lakewood.

For a number of reasons, we declined to proceed with the designation, but many of us at city hall, based on ongoing feedback from the residents, got to thinking that maybe our city's future lay more in restoration rather in demolition and destroying the original charm of our architecture.

This notion was further enforced by our city participation in the National League of Cities First Tier Suburbs committee and the Greater Cleveland First Tier Suburbs Committee. Both award winning groups actively sought input and ideas as to how to create a more green and sustainable quality of life in our cities. In the mid-2000s we were awarded the MainStreet program, a program designed by the National Historic Trust that emphasizes and supports refurbishing, sustainability, green energy and restoration over alternative demolition and reconstruction.

Long story short, our growing desire to restore and refurbish, as Tim Liston's post indicates Vermillion has done, has resulted in Lakewood continuing to be one of the most desirable places to live in greater Cleveland. Our appreciation in housing values is the envy of most other cities our region.

I was in Solon recently. A growing city with a strong economic base and a city some consider one of the most desirable in greater Cleveland. You cannot find an uglier city. Economic development mayhem. Literally impossible for a pedestrian to walk in the main commercial area.

What makes Tim Liston's post so important is that there remain a few residents who haven't lost the 70s mentality. I recently bumped into a prominent Lakewood friend. And as I mentioned how great the city looked, he opined that if he had his way, he would plow under about 1/2 Lakewood. And replace with what I thought? McMansions, McDoubles, McBungalows? Clear evidence the 70s mentality remains.



FWIW.

[Stan Austin]

Tom-- great post with a lot of insight with the help of Tim Liston's example as a reference. While maybe I was a half step removed from your direct involvement I think it might be important to point out that there was no particular "malevolent" intent in any of the stages you outlined. Rather, just a one dimensional and narrow view as to what a city should be.
Fortunately, Lakewood has largely escaped that mind set and, as you point out, it is now one of the most desirable cities in the area.
If we are to learn from history which in this case is about 50 years we should embrace the local individual rather than the multinational corporate view of our City. The pluperfect example of that would be the Root business and building.
Stan

[Gary Rice]

Many people have, and continue to contribute to the ongoing success that is Lakewood. Mayor George and so many others laid the groundwork for the historic, vibrant, destination city that we have today.


Lakewood does not exist in a vacuum. Cooperation between other cities, and the discovery and utilization of renewal programs at the Federal and State levels, are essential factors for vital ongoing community development.

Critical to the continual improvement process of our city will always be ongoing public awareness, involvement, and engagement, as we move forward.

Back to the banjo...

[Bridget Conant]

Thomas J George wrote:

I recently bumped into a prominent Lakewood friend. And as I mentioned how great the city looked, he opined that if he had his way, he would plow under about 1/2 Lakewood. And replace with what I thought?

I wonder if we would end up with more of this sort of monstrosity that looks nothing like Lakewood :

IMG_5010.JPG (51.8 KiB) Viewed 7828 times

[Bridget Conant]

What is also significant in Mr George's post is his mention of "a prominent friend...(who) opined that if he had his way, he would plow under about 1/2 of Lakewood."

These "prominent" people were active in the West End issue and now in the current Cleveland Clinic debacle. These are the people who think they run Lakewood.

Their vision of Lakewood is different than yours and mine and they don't care what the rest of us think.

[cmager]

What is also significant in Mr George's post is his mention of "a prominent friend...(who) opined that if he had his way, he would plow under about 1/2 of Lakewood." These "prominent" people were active in the West End issue and now in the current Cleveland Clinic debacle. These are the people who think they run Lakewood. Their vision of Lakewood is different than yours and mine and they don't care what the rest of us think.

I'd like to think that's the platform, or part of the platform, to vote them out.

[Michael Deneen]

These "prominent" people were active in the West End issue and now in the current Cleveland Clinic debacle. These are the people who think they run Lakewood.

They don't THINK they run Lakewood.
They DO run Lakewood.....this is the Trump Age. Millionaires and billionaires rule, and facts don't matter.
Team Summers pioneered the use of "alternate facts" to promote an agenda.
Kellyanne Conway is taking Jen Pae's act to the big stage.....and we're all gonna pay the price.

[mjkuhns]

Long story short, our growing desire to restore and refurbish, as Tim Liston's post indicates Vermillion has done, has resulted in Lakewood continuing to be one of the most desirable places to live in greater Cleveland. … What makes Tim Liston's post so important is that there remain a few residents who haven't lost the 70s mentality. …Clear evidence the 70s mentality remains.

I find myself in agreement with almost everything in the first post of this thread, except for the glass half-full perspective.

It looks to me like a glass that's half-empty and leaking. The 70s mentality may amount to few residents, but if so they are influential residents; the desire to restore and refurbish seems not to be growing, by any measure.

Forgive my copying and pasting something I wrote the other day, but "in the past several years we have lost at least two [storefront buildilngs], one of which is now a drive-through chain restaurant and the other of which is currently a weedy lot. It seems likely that Hilliard Square will join them. Next to this, the Historical Society might be credited with saving one. It is not my place to criticize the people doing the most […] but the trend seems plain" given that I see no evidence that new buildings of the same type are on the way.

Lakewood's charms, at this point, are the equivalent of an incredible wine cellar that we inherited from generations now gone. The cellar's contents are still of both quality and quantity as to be enviable, indeed. We won't completely empty that cellar this year, or next, or even in the foreseeable future. But bottles only ever come out of the cellar.

I can't share pride in preserving a treasure, when our community seems to be doing precisely the opposite, even if we're doing so slowly.

[Lori Allen _]

I have a problem with city officials and friends allegedly making illegal deals with their friends in order to take over our city and mold it into their idea of "economic development."
In the process, they have used our tax dollars to tear down the garage and medical building for the clinic. What did Summers and Company get in return for this generous and wonderful gift?

Last night, when out for a walk, on Giel, it appears we had yet another overdose which required four police cars, an ambulance and a fire truck. A little over a week ago, three houses down from mine, there was a second heroin death in less than a year. Police cars are constantly over there and sometimes also an ambulance.

If Summers and Council continue to ignore the heroin, drug trafficking, crime, gangs, etc., word will eventually get out and nobody will want to come here. When you drive around the city, it has been terribly neglected. Where are council? What are they doing?

I remember about a year ago, someone mentioned recalling Summers and Council. Anybody working on that or picked up the paper work? Just curious.

[Lori Allen _]

Bottom line, nobody will want to live or open up a business in Lakewood if we don't get a grip. I feel like I am living in the middle of a grand theft Auto game. Armed robberies, armed car jackings, rapes, drive by shootings. How about the guy that was shooting up Detroit Avenue and hit two innocent bystanders?

It is a little embarrassing to see on the internet that on travel sights, they warn you about the safety of Lakewood. They refer to Lakewood as East Cleveland West. Eventually, our property values will begin to fall. It will take more than just a few of Darren's over priced homes for the city to survive. Why do we have to worry about walking or driving down the street? Why is crime running rampant in Lakewood? It is because of the failure of Summers and Council. These people need to be held accountable for their lack of action.

The city cannot survive on the payroll taxes from bars, vape lounges, and burner cell phone stores. I suppose I will now be blasted by the mayor's friends. Some persons in Lakewood need to step out of their bubbles.

[Brian Essi]

" I grew up about midway between Huron and Vermilion on 2+ acres of lakefront property. Over three years ago my wife and I bought it “back” out of my mom’s estate. When I was very young, like maybe 55 years ago, Huron got all excited about “urban renewal.” That’s when you basically tore out what’s there, say the entirety of downtown Huron, and you build something “modern” in its place. Something planners decide on. Urban renewal was the rage back then. One of my oldest memories of my Dad was his loud objections to what Huron wanted to (and eventually did) undertake. My dad was an architect and he did have a good sense of beauty and historical significance.

So yes, Huron tore out its downtown and began “modernizing.” Vermilion did not go the “urban renewal” route. They kept their quaint little downtown, which remains to this day. And it’s crystal clear that Huron made a big mistake and will live with it forever. Vermilion is something of a destination. Huron has nothing, it is completely inauspicious. Lots of boating, but they always had that."

Tim Liston posted this on another topic, but In my view this is one of the most important and posts I've seen on the deck.

Reflecting back on about 30 years elected or appointed service with the city, I can recall in the late 70s through the mid-90st Mayors Lawther, Sinagra and later Harbarger implemented and nourished our store front renovation program. This program basically boarded up existing store fronts and forced businesses to install uniform signage and design. This was the state of the art in city scape design and in urban planning. This program, rightly so, won many awards and served us well at the time.

Then in the mid-90s a group of officials from the US Dept. of Interior visited Lakewood. They were in awe of the city, so much so they wanted to designate the entire city as a National Historic district.
Lakewood, they said, was among the last pristine turn of the century street car suburbs. A few neighborhoods in Philadelphia and Brooklyn retained the turn of the century charm and character, but none the size and condition of Lakewood.

For a number of reasons, we declined to proceed with the designation, but many of us at city hall, based on ongoing feedback from the residents, got to thinking that maybe our city's future lay more in restoration rather in demolition and destroying the original charm of our architecture.

This notion was further enforced by our city participation in the National League of Cities First Tier Suburbs committee and the Greater Cleveland First Tier Suburbs Committee. Both award winning groups actively sought input and ideas as to how to create a more green and sustainable quality of life in our cities. In the mid-2000s we were awarded the MainStreet program, a program designed by the National Historic Trust that emphasizes and supports refurbishing, sustainability, green energy and restoration over alternative demolition and reconstruction.

Long story short, our growing desire to restore and refurbish, as Tim Liston's post indicates Vermillion has done, has resulted in Lakewood continuing to be one of the most desirable places to live in greater Cleveland. Our appreciation in housing values is the envy of most other cities our region.

I was in Solon recently. A growing city with a strong economic base and a city some consider one of the most desirable in greater Cleveland. You cannot find an uglier city. Economic development mayhem. Literally impossible for a pedestrian to walk in the main commercial area.

What makes Tim Liston's post so important is that there remain a few residents who haven't lost the 70s mentality. I recently bumped into a prominent Lakewood friend. And as I mentioned how great the city looked, he opined that if he had his way, he would plow under about 1/2 Lakewood. And replace with what I thought? McMansions, McDoubles, McBungalows? Clear evidence the 70s mentality remains.



FWIW.

Mr. George,

Thank you for your historical perspective and insight--great post.

The hospital architecture was "Funky Lakewood" with its oldest section, its ugly 70's makeover facade section and its Millennial ER section.

For whatever reasons, it appears that the people who pushed the false narrative to close our largest employer and give away $100M in exchange for 5.7 acres of restricted land (JOB's magic beans) are people who really don't like Lakewood the way it is---and don't like "those people" who were helped by the hospital.

It seems to me that they have Rocky River, Westlake and Bay Village "envy."

Instead of dividing us and telling us to "move on," perhaps they should "move out" and be with the perceived "beautiful people" and "status surroundings" they apparently crave.

[Bridget Conant]

Every time some "prominent" Lakewoodite insists we need to "re-create" Lakewood into a shopping mecca, I wonder why those people live here. They obviously want a different city than they live in and the solution is obvious -MOVE!

I knew when I bought my house that I'd have to drive to Westgate or Great Northern to shop and that was fine with me. I like leaving the congestion behind and returning to Lakewood.

Funny how when we complain about losing our hospital that we are told that we "can just drive 15 minutes" to get to one so we should quit whining. But these people don't want to drive 10 minutes to shop!!

I'm wondering if that "prominent" person also happens to be a developer? Isn't it funny how developer Jay Foran happens to be so active in issues that seek to change Lakewood? A developer wants to develop - they don't care how it impacts you, me, or the long term health of the city.

[todd vainisi]

It is a little embarrassing to see on the internet that on travel sights, they warn you about the safety of Lakewood. They refer to Lakewood as East Cleveland West.

Can you link to such a site?

[Dan Alaimo]

Since reading these posts, I've been wondering how the Lakewood City Center (Marc's shopping center) came about. I was here at that time, but not aware of the various development shenanigans. What was the original concept? How did it become what it is? And who was behind it?

It seems to me that it stands as a cautionary monument to the wrong way to "improve" Lakewood, but I don't know the back story.

[Brian Essi]

Since reading these posts, I've been wondering how the Lakewood City Center (Marc's shopping center) came about. I was here at that time, but not aware of the various development shenanigans. What was the original concept? How did it become what it is? And who was behind it?

It seems to me that it stands as a cautionary monument to the wrong way to "improve" Lakewood, but I don't know the back story.

MetroHealth wanted to build a family health center at that site prior to the the "Marc's concept", but the Clinic and City Hall blocked them and sent them away.