I Guess Euclid is More Progressive

[Steve Hoffert]

While the geniuses in Lakewood think drug and fast food stores are beneficial development, Euclid does something of substance.

http://www.cityofeuclid.com/community/d ... ementsPlan


Seems to me that this could have been Lakewood but I guess the czars prefer crappy food and ssri's.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Steve

It is odd and even painful for me to watch what other cities are doing or not doing, going
through each Observer it is funny how much alike we are, and how different we are. We
are all facing the same problems, but how each handles it is so vary different.

Yes we could have gone Euclid's route, actually the Peninsula was a much better plan as it added, 50 - 200 acres to a built out community. Created a beach, docks, amphitheater,
boardwalk, science center, large skate parks, basketball courts, high end housing and shopping.

But instead we go another Burger Place. Oh wait another burger place costs 10 times what
the study would have been. It interested some of the best known developers in the area,
but why do that when we can pay them to act like they are interested? Insured a better
future for Lakewood, instead of sealing our fate as an inner ring suburb with no personality
in the region.

So sad.

While we are on the topic of Regionalism, the only people who want it are some select
officials, most see it as pure desperation. And those that get paid to promote it like CLE+
and Team Neo, both heavily subsidize by tax dollars to show regionalism down our throats.
Of course there are a couple cities that want it, East Cleveland. A city eager to tear down
63 homes, after they laid off their police force. Hmmmmmm sounds familiar.

So sad, no imagination.

.

[Tim Liston]

Looks to me like this article might be a couple years old. What I see is a drawing and when you access the full plan you see a lot of detail as to the endeavor and its proposed cost (around $30 million). Steve, Jim, do either of you have any idea how far along Euclid is along this plan? It there a big beach yet? Do they have all the land that they need? How are the new public accessways going? Is the Park amphitheater done yet? I presume all the funding is in place....

[Steve Hoffert]

Ground breaking for phase one took place Friday morning.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Looks to me like this article might be a couple years old. What I see is a drawing and when you access the full plan you see a lot of detail as to the endeavor and its proposed cost (around $30 million). Steve, Jim, do either of you have any idea how far along Euclid is along this plan? It there a big beach yet? Do they have all the land that they need? How are the new public accessways going? Is the Park amphitheater done yet? I presume all the funding is in place....

Tim

I see Steve has already answered.

Euclid, and I believe correctly, has understood that the Lake, and developing the lakefront
for the entire city is a financially solid idea, and something worth banking on. Cleveland
believes that the lakefront is worth developing and banking on. It would seem the only
city that has NEVER looked at developing the lakefront, and what it could bring is Lakewood.

Which is because so many of our civic leaders see the lakefront as "theirs." There are no
studies on extending the Gold Coast, something that makes sense IF and it is a big IF a
developer could be found. We have no study, we have refused to even look at it for
decades. So we look away from our best bet for a financial future for the entire city,
because of a few, that will say they want what is best for the city...

So finally a woman does an extensive study of an area she loves, and figures out that we
could create another $250 million in taxable properties, and she is given a pat on the head
and dismissed like some petulant child. Are we really to believe that $250 million+ in new
property will not save us but 5 Guys, McDonalds, Taco Bell can.

Yeah they want whats is best for Lakewood, as long as it is not in their neighborhood...


.

[Brian Pedaci]

Tim, if you haven't seen it, a .pdf of the entire plan from 2009 is here.

Jim, note how they're sensitive to, but incentivizing buyin from private property owners.