Lakewood + Economics

[ryan costa]

Lakewood's primary attraction is that it is basically like Northern Cleveland without the empty factories, falling apart factories, thugs, and retards.

But it's proximity to Cleveland and the option of newer sprawling suburbs keep property values down. Low property values are cool, as they allow people to live in Lakewood. Whether they're 2nd and 3rd string white collar workers and professionals, or just midde to upper middle class people who'd rather put an additional 150 grand into stocks, business, and other investments, than into a lifetime of mortgage payments in a sprawling mcmansion whose value will cease appreciating once gasoline hits 5 dollars a gallon.

As a brand lakewood's appeal is that it was built before "branding" became so contrived and hyper-deliberate. Lakewood is residentially and economically diverse almost as an accident and certainly as a throwback.

The problems with the tax base won't be solved with new construction considering all the government loans, grants, and tax abatements it takes to get developers to gift us with proposals. A tax on electricity consumption would be much more prudent: it could even be progressively rated and apportioned to schools and cops. Families with kids generally consume more electricity, and young people consume more law enforcement time.

The aging water works should obviously be paid for with charges related to water consumption.