Peter Grossetti wrote:Jim O'Bryan wrote:She ended up going to Portland to do it.
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Jim - Portland, Maine or Portland, Oregon ? I'd love to know who we are up against!
Portland Oregon
A holistic dog person that does dog massage starting at $100 and hour. When I met her I
thought she was kidding. But through a business card, and talking with her and others I
found out she was the real deal and not kidding. Lakewood would have been centrally located
to her client base, and thought with our massive love of dogs(dog park) that Lakewood would
be affordable and open to an idea that is already in other cities and doing well.
This is where things screw up quickly. With animal people, Dog Park huge brand builder.
BSL law, knocks it down a little. Dogs in parks another plus, losing this venture, possible
another negative. City Hall releasing video after video, and interview after interview of
cracking down on residents a huge minus. Laws against residents is how East Cleveland
manages their residents. Not Westlake, Solon, Beechwood, Brathenal, etc.
Bill Call wrote:The best use of all of that vacant land on Detroit was for apartment buildings but its never going to happen.
The underlying economics are sound but Lakewood is not eligible for the millions in subsidies available to Downtown Cleveland and Detroit Shoreway and the Hundreds of millions of subsidies available to Crocker Park.
Bill
What the city needs is so obvious. But it would take work from City Hall. You would have
to come up with an idea, and then sell it to developers. Instead we let developers bring
their ideas to us, which are nearly always underwhelming, and encroach into our neighborhoods.
I found it wildy amusing a couple years back as OLD LakewoodAlive would try to talk
double owners into rebuilding them as singles. Something that NEVER made sense as
the owner. Then a year later freak out as we might fall below 50,000 residents taking us
out of the running for millions in government funds. Very small, very myopic view!
Actually frightening at the level of underlining no planning at all, just a lackadaisical
amateurish attempt at "city planning." Thank god Ian and crew have ended that.
A current plan is to level McKinley, a solid school, and put up single floor, single person
dwelling so that some, about 8 of our older folks can stay in Lakewood in a place without
stairs. Talk about shortsighted. Talk about trading the cow for some magic beans!
Lakewood was thriving when we had 71,000 people. 20,000 more people make 20,000
more consumers. Now you started to need 238 places to get prepared food. Now you need
way finding(ok not here), now you need more schools ooops sold them off. This city has
got to stop falling into the same trap the rest of this ever growing smaller region has.
Managing our decline. As I pointed out to the Master of Managing Decline Hunter Morrison
who worked with Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell, "If your only goal is to manage decline,
then even if you succeed beyond your wildest dreams, all you have done is declined."
Lakewood is the "hot city" in the region. We should be using this time and moment in the
sunshine to attract people, not limit our growth. Apartments on Detroit, and McKinley,
and along the lakefront. It is the only proven way Lakewood succeeds.
FASCINATING SIDE NOTE: Bridgate in New Jersey is in part about a 5 block area of Fort Lee
that has sat undeveloped for decades, and CITY HALL looked for the right developer to
develop their plan. Turning away many developers especially those with questionable
backgrounds or no success. Think of it. A city actually holding out for good developemnt
that actually benefits the residents. Hmmmmmmmmm interesting thought.
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