The Observation Deck

Very 'Call'-ish title, isn't it?

http://www.gcbl.org/blog/marc-lefkowitz ... t-shoreway

Has the will and whim of one developer outweighed the very good intentions of the West Shoreway project? Back in 2004, the Shoreway transformation was hailed as the crown jewel in Cleveland’s Lakefront Plan. Then-Mayor Campbell and her Planning Director Chris Ronayne drew up a plan to reconnect whole neighborhoods cut off from the lakeshore and provide a city with a Chicago-like bikeway. Today, those ideas have been stripped out, the promise of easily crossing the Shoreway and connecting with wonderful parks like Edgewater and Wendy Park at Whiskey Island are gone. The city should stand firm against this diminished project, say, ‘no, thanks’ let’s be fiscally responsible and find another way to invest $40 million in a project worthy of its citizens desire to improve the ability to recreate and enjoy the most amazing natural resource right at their doorstep.

It is getting harder and harder for governments to actually do anything even as they spend more money than ever.

A really great plan to extend a couple of streets to the shoreway, add some cross walks, create a boulevard, connect neighborhoods to the lake and enhance the desireablity of the Detroit Shoreway are has turned into a fiasco.

http://rustwire.com/2011/03/24/clevelan ... nt-page-1/

Recent rains sent the debris from the tunnel onto the shoreway causing it to close during morning rush hour. It has also been reported that rebuilding the tunnels will eat up most of the federal money because a sewer line had to be relocated. The completed tunnel will get very little use.

I just got back from getting some blood work done in Westlake, the Lakewood facility closed and I was told "we don't like to use Lakewood Hospital". Anyway, I travelled down Hilliard. The Rocky River and Westlake portion of the street are an attractive boulevard. Plans to make Clifton into a similar street have been cancelled.