PD: Lakewood=mecca for creative talent
Moderator: Jim O'Bryan
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Shawn Juris
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Jim O'Bryan
- Posts: 14196
- Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:12 pm
- Location: Lakewood
- Contact:
Shawn Juris wrote:And I don't dispute that formula could be a fair representation of the plan. From reading through the report though, retail is not abandoned or as Jim put it "dead". Just seems par for the course of exaggerating and/or misrepresenting what is going on.
Instead of reading the report, which is not an actual report. I have sat and spoke with the members face to face. Asking them to clarify and lay it out.
But believe what you want.
.
Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident
"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg
"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Lakewood Resident
"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg
"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
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Kenneth Warren
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2005 7:17 pm
Have faith, Shawn.
Continue to put up with Jim and your own sense of the city.
We learn from one another.
Jim is irrational, because one is always irrational in one's ideals.
Lakewood is his ideal.
The creative city is real, too, though maybe not a compelling experience for you at this time.
Jim is for real, and he is 'real' creative, too.
Sometimes we can share our ideals, that is say, our ego-filled joy of Lakewood that builds the brand that becomes the real. But sometimes we encounter through the espousing of our ideals - i.e. Lakewood Kool Aid - attitudes of doubt.
Feel free to doubt. But don't withdraw from the engagement with the ideal and the real on the LO Deck.
For the reality of our being together in the city persists as a psychological one, bumping high ideals with attitudes that dis and doubt. So continue to put up. It's not a lost cause to confront irrational ideals or to challenge a big mana filled personality, drunk on Lakewood Koolaid.
I wish I had some now, in fact, which is why I am posting. Lakewood always appears heavenly and well suited to creative living, when I experience the crowds, traffic and expenses of the gentrified and immigrant soaked east coast where I am right now.
I am struck by the crowding and traffic all along the coastal cities. The prices for condos are insanely high - over $300K in these New England cities. It's only a matter of time before more and more people will discover Lakewood. The indie, ethnic restaurant news continues to speak to quality of life enhancements suitable to creative taste buds.
I toured New Hampshire and visited Portsmouth, an upscale trendy city with a vibrant downtown with galleries, high end gifts shops, offices, Flat Bread stone oven organic Pizza. The city presented all the upscale yuppie goodies and eco-friendly green retail platforms, though I did not see a bookstore. There was hustle and bustle of holiday shopping people crave. Parking was blocks was away.
I tried a nitrite free pepperoni pizza. In reflecting on the pizza, Vincent Ferrini, Gloucester's poet laureate said to me "It's amateurish."
NYC is expected to grow by another million. It's mostly immigrants, and the built environment is carved up into smaller pieces. Eventually, over the next decade, it's inevitable that a fresh water city as Lakewood will be discovered and infusions of speculative capital offer new promises of riches. But it's never enough to deliver the kind of tax savings people desire.
When I spoke to Gloucester's City Council President Destino, I learned there is no money for government purposes there either, despite the incredible run up in property values, the knockdowns and Mansions, the condo conversions. So the challenges are similar: the roads are worse than those of Lakewood. In Gloucester there is the rebuilding of infrastructure, debate over the privatizing of street sweeping, ebbing and flowing of interest in a City Manager form of government, the selling off a public school to replenish the general fund, the cost for sewers and infrastructure improvements, a condo developer who can't make a deal happen at the price point needed to sell units.
I have to say there's never enough money to go around for purposes of the government, for the infrastructure, for the deals that promise quality of life, even in the places that seem to be growing their economies.
But the retail shopping paradigm as Jim often states does seem to changing, and the The Economist has two articles that bear on his perspective and your issues.
Creativity and fragmentation are two aspects of the model retail market.
The pragmatic challenge (where do I buy pants in Lakewood?) is one we are not likely satisfied, though have have seem sweat pants for a buck at Dollar Tree on Sloane. I have an L.L. Bean catalog in front of me right now, and that seems like a convenient solution.
The Economist:
"Local officials also have to realise that downtowns have changed for ever. Clothing and hardware stores will never return to the town centre. Rather, says Mr Loescher, restaurants and bars, government offices and even private houses should be given a place near Main Street."
Source:
http://www.economist.com/world/na/Print ... id=8450132
Lakewood's town center is O.K., not great, but not boarded up either.
In another article postmodern fragmentation has an impact on the retail market, too.
"This fragmentation has changed the way businesses operate. Joe Staton, the head of the Knowledge Centre at JWT, an advertising agency, argues that selling people things “has become more difficult than it has ever beenâ€Â
Continue to put up with Jim and your own sense of the city.
We learn from one another.
Jim is irrational, because one is always irrational in one's ideals.
Lakewood is his ideal.
The creative city is real, too, though maybe not a compelling experience for you at this time.
Jim is for real, and he is 'real' creative, too.
Sometimes we can share our ideals, that is say, our ego-filled joy of Lakewood that builds the brand that becomes the real. But sometimes we encounter through the espousing of our ideals - i.e. Lakewood Kool Aid - attitudes of doubt.
Feel free to doubt. But don't withdraw from the engagement with the ideal and the real on the LO Deck.
For the reality of our being together in the city persists as a psychological one, bumping high ideals with attitudes that dis and doubt. So continue to put up. It's not a lost cause to confront irrational ideals or to challenge a big mana filled personality, drunk on Lakewood Koolaid.
I wish I had some now, in fact, which is why I am posting. Lakewood always appears heavenly and well suited to creative living, when I experience the crowds, traffic and expenses of the gentrified and immigrant soaked east coast where I am right now.
I am struck by the crowding and traffic all along the coastal cities. The prices for condos are insanely high - over $300K in these New England cities. It's only a matter of time before more and more people will discover Lakewood. The indie, ethnic restaurant news continues to speak to quality of life enhancements suitable to creative taste buds.
I toured New Hampshire and visited Portsmouth, an upscale trendy city with a vibrant downtown with galleries, high end gifts shops, offices, Flat Bread stone oven organic Pizza. The city presented all the upscale yuppie goodies and eco-friendly green retail platforms, though I did not see a bookstore. There was hustle and bustle of holiday shopping people crave. Parking was blocks was away.
I tried a nitrite free pepperoni pizza. In reflecting on the pizza, Vincent Ferrini, Gloucester's poet laureate said to me "It's amateurish."
NYC is expected to grow by another million. It's mostly immigrants, and the built environment is carved up into smaller pieces. Eventually, over the next decade, it's inevitable that a fresh water city as Lakewood will be discovered and infusions of speculative capital offer new promises of riches. But it's never enough to deliver the kind of tax savings people desire.
When I spoke to Gloucester's City Council President Destino, I learned there is no money for government purposes there either, despite the incredible run up in property values, the knockdowns and Mansions, the condo conversions. So the challenges are similar: the roads are worse than those of Lakewood. In Gloucester there is the rebuilding of infrastructure, debate over the privatizing of street sweeping, ebbing and flowing of interest in a City Manager form of government, the selling off a public school to replenish the general fund, the cost for sewers and infrastructure improvements, a condo developer who can't make a deal happen at the price point needed to sell units.
I have to say there's never enough money to go around for purposes of the government, for the infrastructure, for the deals that promise quality of life, even in the places that seem to be growing their economies.
But the retail shopping paradigm as Jim often states does seem to changing, and the The Economist has two articles that bear on his perspective and your issues.
Creativity and fragmentation are two aspects of the model retail market.
The pragmatic challenge (where do I buy pants in Lakewood?) is one we are not likely satisfied, though have have seem sweat pants for a buck at Dollar Tree on Sloane. I have an L.L. Bean catalog in front of me right now, and that seems like a convenient solution.
The Economist:
"Local officials also have to realise that downtowns have changed for ever. Clothing and hardware stores will never return to the town centre. Rather, says Mr Loescher, restaurants and bars, government offices and even private houses should be given a place near Main Street."
Source:
http://www.economist.com/world/na/Print ... id=8450132
Lakewood's town center is O.K., not great, but not boarded up either.
In another article postmodern fragmentation has an impact on the retail market, too.
"This fragmentation has changed the way businesses operate. Joe Staton, the head of the Knowledge Centre at JWT, an advertising agency, argues that selling people things “has become more difficult than it has ever beenâ€Â
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Jay Foran
- Posts: 58
- Joined: Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:18 pm
- Location: Lakewood, Ohio
Let me try to help, if not further confuse, regarding the retail issue.
As a member of Grow Lakewood Committee, let me first clarify that the committee was not made up of exclusively people in favor of Issue 47, as was previously stated. We had a wide variety of perspectives about Issue 47. For example, Mark Timieski was a committee member and publicly opposed to the issue.
The Committee determined that retail development should not be one of the three strategic priorities recommended. Here is why.
Within the 8 month period in which the committee operated, Crocker Park and Legacy Village were opened and retail plans for BeachCliff, Westgate, W. 117th and Steelyard Commons were announced. These openings/announcements came on the heels of the Lakewood voters decision to vote down the West End retail and housing development.
Given the sharp increase in retail capacity being generated combined with the desire of retailers to cluster their operations together (requiring a large property parcel) it was determined that retail development would not be a viable strategic priority. Stated obstacles to retail development were identified as 1) difficulty of assembling large parcels of property 2) oversupply of retail outside of Lakewood
Additionally, within our study we learned that commercial property generally generated a FASTER return on investment (not necessarily higher) than retail. Given that the financial underpinnings of the city were of concern to the committee (see structural balance strategic priority), the development of commercial (given it's faster ROI) surfaced as it's own strategic priority. Housing was always an obvious strategic priority given our dependency on housing value increases to fuel our tax base.
Now with that all said, retail....while not one of the 3 strategic priorities... was not determined to be unimportant or not an ongoing opportunity. In fact, to support the growth of commercial office utilization/space, a certain level of "fill-in" retail was assumed (e.g. flower shops, luncheon locations, dry cleaning and other services supporting the 7 to 7 professional crowd).
The Committee felt it more likely that small and mid-size companies who had outgrown their initial office space served as the best prospects for moving their business to Lakewood. The general demographics of companies of this nature is young, urban and entrepreneurial-type professionals. It was believed that an increase in this type of professional could spike the income tax base while introducing a whole new group of people to the Lakewood community (maybe buy a house? etc.).
Importantly, each of these strategic priorities have certain requirements and outputs that create interdependency and generate sustainable growth. Retail is in that mix as well.
In my estimation, the Grow Lakewood Report continues to offer a viable and effective strategic road map for us to pursue. It is well thought out, comprehensive and far reaching. Yet, for whatever reason, we as a community prefer to go back to Start (see Mission and Vision meetings now being advertised).
As a member of Grow Lakewood Committee, let me first clarify that the committee was not made up of exclusively people in favor of Issue 47, as was previously stated. We had a wide variety of perspectives about Issue 47. For example, Mark Timieski was a committee member and publicly opposed to the issue.
The Committee determined that retail development should not be one of the three strategic priorities recommended. Here is why.
Within the 8 month period in which the committee operated, Crocker Park and Legacy Village were opened and retail plans for BeachCliff, Westgate, W. 117th and Steelyard Commons were announced. These openings/announcements came on the heels of the Lakewood voters decision to vote down the West End retail and housing development.
Given the sharp increase in retail capacity being generated combined with the desire of retailers to cluster their operations together (requiring a large property parcel) it was determined that retail development would not be a viable strategic priority. Stated obstacles to retail development were identified as 1) difficulty of assembling large parcels of property 2) oversupply of retail outside of Lakewood
Additionally, within our study we learned that commercial property generally generated a FASTER return on investment (not necessarily higher) than retail. Given that the financial underpinnings of the city were of concern to the committee (see structural balance strategic priority), the development of commercial (given it's faster ROI) surfaced as it's own strategic priority. Housing was always an obvious strategic priority given our dependency on housing value increases to fuel our tax base.
Now with that all said, retail....while not one of the 3 strategic priorities... was not determined to be unimportant or not an ongoing opportunity. In fact, to support the growth of commercial office utilization/space, a certain level of "fill-in" retail was assumed (e.g. flower shops, luncheon locations, dry cleaning and other services supporting the 7 to 7 professional crowd).
The Committee felt it more likely that small and mid-size companies who had outgrown their initial office space served as the best prospects for moving their business to Lakewood. The general demographics of companies of this nature is young, urban and entrepreneurial-type professionals. It was believed that an increase in this type of professional could spike the income tax base while introducing a whole new group of people to the Lakewood community (maybe buy a house? etc.).
Importantly, each of these strategic priorities have certain requirements and outputs that create interdependency and generate sustainable growth. Retail is in that mix as well.
In my estimation, the Grow Lakewood Report continues to offer a viable and effective strategic road map for us to pursue. It is well thought out, comprehensive and far reaching. Yet, for whatever reason, we as a community prefer to go back to Start (see Mission and Vision meetings now being advertised).
The future does not belong to the strong and powerful, but instead to the swift and agile
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Jim O'Bryan
- Posts: 14196
- Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:12 pm
- Location: Lakewood
- Contact:
Jay Foran wrote:As a member of Grow Lakewood Committee, let me first clarify that the committee was not made up of exclusively people in favor of Issue 47, as was previously stated. We had a wide variety of perspectives about Issue 47. For example, Mark Timieski was a committee member and publicly opposed to the issue.
Jay
Please do not misunderstand. I did mean from both sides of the "biggest" issue over economic development in Lakewood's history. While many we pro, Mark was one of the heads of the anti crew. Not to mark life by the war, but to say that Grow Lakewood included some of the best minds from both sides of this.
I am sure you will agree Mark is bright and holds his own in a conversation.
Thanks for the note.
Jim
Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident
"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg
"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Lakewood Resident
"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg
"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama
-
Tom Bullock
- Posts: 100
- Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2005 4:47 pm
- Location: Lakewood, Ohio
Returning to this thread after a holiday absence:
There's space in Lakewood for many strands: creative, retail, neighborhood, families, transient renters. Sometimes our discussion bogs down in an either-or debate, but I think that's a mistake.
Which strand(s) we emphasize is a legit question, and maybe we can't emphasize more than one or two--at least, when it comes to public dollars.
When it comes to how we Brand our city--that is, how we IMAGINE it, EXPERIENCE it, market it, and invite people into it--I think there's room for all strands. We should at the same time invite home-owners with families, small business entrepreneurs, mid- and large-sized companies, and creative drifters.
While creative drifters will have a negligible impact on the dollars in our city budget, they can have a large impact on our city's profile, its cachet, its status.
Example: which is more creative: Lakewood or Parma or Mansfield? Which is more diverse? Lakewood or Westlake or Solon? Which has more community life? Lakewood or Olmsted Township or Brecksville? Which has a more inviting city center? Lakewood or Garfield Heights or even Beachwood?
There's space in Lakewood for many strands: creative, retail, neighborhood, families, transient renters. Sometimes our discussion bogs down in an either-or debate, but I think that's a mistake.
Which strand(s) we emphasize is a legit question, and maybe we can't emphasize more than one or two--at least, when it comes to public dollars.
When it comes to how we Brand our city--that is, how we IMAGINE it, EXPERIENCE it, market it, and invite people into it--I think there's room for all strands. We should at the same time invite home-owners with families, small business entrepreneurs, mid- and large-sized companies, and creative drifters.
While creative drifters will have a negligible impact on the dollars in our city budget, they can have a large impact on our city's profile, its cachet, its status.
Example: which is more creative: Lakewood or Parma or Mansfield? Which is more diverse? Lakewood or Westlake or Solon? Which has more community life? Lakewood or Olmsted Township or Brecksville? Which has a more inviting city center? Lakewood or Garfield Heights or even Beachwood?