The Observation Deck

Who said friendship doesn't pay huge dividends.

The hottest rumor on the streets, well on Edwards at least where residents seem pretty upset is that the newest Beer in town is headed for...



Rumor has it a well known restaurateur, and close friend of Mayor Summers will get this empty space for a temporary Beer Garden and Food Truck parking space. Which means moms and dads at Lakewood "World Class Baseball Facility" aka "Lakewood's Field of Dreams"* See Below will be able to get some beer and watch the kids play ball.

Local restaurant bar owners are bit put off.

Stay tuned.

* "Field of Dreams" is a reference made by Law Director Brian Corrigan when describing Edwards Park and the need for turning the new "Beer Garden" lot into a parking lot with meters, back in the Mayor Tom George days. Audible groans could be heard from the council chambers by the many residents in attendance at that part of his lengthy speech, explaining why the City had to pay to tear down the homes, pay for the asphalt, curbing, maintenance for only a small percentage of the money from parking.

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How will that work - drinking on the sidewalk? Open container and all that. Silly details.

Ten Cent Beer Night would be a great way to improve Little League baseball attendance.
It worked for the Indians!

I agree, this could be quite problematic for the parents. How is one to get back over to the field if you walking with an open container on the sidewalk (illegal) or crossing the street (illegal), not to mention there is no alcohol allowed in Lakewood's parks. I guess they will just have to watch the game from afar...

Another idea not completely thought through!

No surprise there!

What could be better than fired up, fathers with a buzz watching their children play on a hot summer day on Lakewood's Field of Dreams?


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Jim O'Bryan wrote:What could be better than fired up, fathers with a buzz watching their children play on a hot summer day on Lakewood's Field of Dreams?

The vision thing. In all it's glory.
Chuck E. Cheese with baseball bats!

Bridget Conant wrote:http://m.cleveland19.com/story/38100344 ... n-lakewood

Our record on "Rumors" is pretty high, about 98%. Yet they call us liars, and FAKE!

Hospital, spot on. How bad the deal will be, spot on. How bad the Carnegie deal is, spot on.

Hell, we beat media to LeBron James coming back to Cleveland by 7 days!

Wait till you see the next one we drop!

These monkeys are out of control.

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I see nothing controversial here at all.

This is on an empty lot.

Residents drinking beer in Lakewood. Outrageous!

Residents eating food in Lakewood. Unbelievable!

Time to renew all our memberships in the WCTU.

Mark Kindt wrote:I see nothing controversial here at all.

This is on an empty lot.

Residents drinking beer in Lakewood. Outrageous!

Residents eating food in Lakewood. Unbelievable!

Time to renew all our memberships in the WCTU.

Mark

Perhaps if you knew the history of the now empty lot.

Perhaps if you had invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in brick and mortar bars/restaurants (4) within a hundred feet here.

Perhaps if you lived next to the once quiet empty lot and were trying raise your kids, and retain property values.

But then again, maybe not.

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Jim O'Bryan wrote:

Mark Kindt wrote:I see nothing controversial here at all.

This is on an empty lot.

Residents drinking beer in Lakewood. Outrageous!

Residents eating food in Lakewood. Unbelievable!

Time to renew all our memberships in the WCTU.

Mark

Perhaps if you knew the history of the now empty lot.

Perhaps if you had invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in brick and mortar bars/restaurants (4) within a hundred feet here.

Perhaps if you lived next to the once quiet empty lot and were trying raise your kids, and retain property values.

But then again, maybe not.

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Business owners and business investors have chosen their risks they take and have agreed to engage with other business owners and business investors on a competitive basis. That's the system we've chosen for ourselves to date. Innovations in that system can prove disruptive; that's all part of the understood risk.

I get the idea that there may be one or more potential nuisance issues to be addressed for residents.

I also get the idea that there may be a better use for that lot or that the lot may have previously been used for a better use.

(Yesterday was the first day that I left my home without a coat in six months.)

It appears to me that the proposal is unlikely to merit a positive reception. It may have surface design appeal, but as a business plan it makes little sense.

If it is a concept for a public park, it will have broad-based opposition.

I see this as a flash-in-the-pan.

I live a couple of doors down from there, and whatever development happens, I will have to live with it.

People who have been in Lakewood for a while will remember the mixed use building that sat on that corner, well occupied with a nail salon, chiropractor, and classical guitar studio. That is, until the landlord thought he had Taco Bell on the line to build new there, drive-through and all, and kicked out all his tenants, and then was left with an empty building. And his Taco Bell deal fell through. And then with no tenant, he neglected the building until chunks of concrete were falling from the sills, and the city made him knock it down. You might think that strict building inspectors could have avoided this, but apparently they are no match for an obstinate landlord and his right to allow his own property to decay.

I want to see the lot developed in a way that adds to quality of life, and ideally the stability of the neighborhood. Town homes on Detroit and West Clifton, etc, are selling for $300K-$400K now. How does this block--with a nice little park, a YMCA, Beck Center, etc within easy walking distance, how does this not have a town home proposal?

This is a block that already has four bars and a parking problem. This proposal will add a fifth bar, a mobile home park for restaurants, and no significant parking. The parking idea is to eliminate the tree lawn on that stretch of the West side of Edwards, and replace it with parking, for maybe 6 or 8 cars.

My question is, exactly what will be there during the 6 plus months of the year that we have snow, cold, and other inclement weather?

This seems very seasonal, at best.

Mark Kindt wrote: Business owners and business investors have chosen their risks they take and have agreed to engage with other business owners and business investors on a competitive basis. That's the system we've chosen for ourselves to date. Innovations in that system can prove disruptive; that's all part of the understood risk.

I get the idea that there may be one or more potential nuisance issues to be addressed for residents.

I also get the idea that there may be a better use for that lot or that the lot may have previously been used for a better use.

(Yesterday was the first day that I left my home without a coat in six months.)

It appears to me that the proposal is unlikely to merit a positive reception. It may have surface design appeal, but as a business plan it makes little sense.

If it is a concept for a public park, it will have broad-based opposition.

I see this as a flash-in-the-pan.

Mark

I go back to my early restaurateur days, of owning hotdog carts in Cleveland. When Greg and I re-introduced hot dog carts to downtown Cleveland after a 30+ year absence the brick and mortar restaurants raised hell, and we sat down with them and the city and hammered out a deal that made everybody happy. When I bought the carts I had a laid back atmosphere, and by the end of the talks, I grew to understand and respect the brick and mortar owners. I see food trucks mostly the same way.

1) mobile, they can come in set up next to brick and mortar on their strongest nights, even serving similar bill of fare with much less overhead, and then leave. Meanwhile the brick and mortar deals with the neighborhood, safety, cleaning, getting along etc. Unfair advantage food truck.

2) Staff, staff on food trucks is much less and much less expensive, which in the long run adds less to the economy. Advantage food truck

3) Taxes, brick and mortar businesses are subject to not just taxes, but more closely watched taxes. Believe me, they say it is not true, it is. Advantage Food truck.

4) Board of health inspections, food trucks are check less than brick and mortar. Advantage Food truck

5) Food quality. Generally brick and mortar can prepare better food with a full service kitchen but not always. Draw.

6) Location, brick and mortar in one location so can build clientele over longer period of time. With social media and food truck cool factor, then can get word out. Draw

7) Cost, while food trucks can cost tens of thousands of dollars, merely the bathrooms in a brick and mortar restaurant can cost tens of thousands of dollars. The same is for kitchens. One way we addressed this with carts was we had to have a brick and mortar address with full kitchen, and men's and women's bathrooms with two doors on each. This gave a nod to brick and mortar, and allowed them to say we were trying to even the playing field. Advantage Food truck.

What I am getting at it is an unfair advantage for food trucks that consumers care little about but brick and mortar restaurants do. So if all you want are food trucks, and give those that have invested hundreds of thousands in a community serious unfair competition, allow food trucks to set up in empty fields or parking lots. And disappear in the night with their reduced liability, reduced taxes, reduces costs and reduce accountability to a community.

I have had this stance since the city started to allow food trucks at Lakewood events because they are cool. Taco trucks setting up in front of brick and mortar Mexican restaurants. Starbucks truck right in front of Root. Sandwich truck in front of Melt, and on and on. On a day set up to celebrate Lakewood, the very businesses hosting the event, losing their parking, are losing the one things they pay the most for, location, location, location.

If there were not bars are restaurants near this place, maybe an occasional "event" would be OK. But to whore out the neighborhood at the expense of those brick and mortar restaurants, ice cream shops, beverage shops and bars that have invested heavily in the neighborhood and the city seems short cited to me.

But again, what do I know about this. Re-read Mr. Gill's response.

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I just drove by the empty lot. Yes, it is an empty lot. A truly empty lot.

The only residential is on the North side of the empty lot and is not different from other lots that have been developed on Detroit for commercial purposes.

If local businesses want to organize and petition their local government to prevent what they view as an unfair competitive use of that empty lot and the adjacent streets, they have the constitutional right to do so and should.

(In fact, they can form a joint venture to purchase the lot and develop it consistent with the zoning laws as they wish.)

Speaking to Mr. Gill's point, there is a noise problem on Detroit associated with bar patrons smoking outside of taverns. This problem is additive. It does not seem to have stopped the licensing of these brick and mortar establishments in the past.

Tavern patrons stand-out side of taverns and talk on their cell-phones all day long on Detroit using the F-bomb at the top of their voice so they can be heard over traffic. (I listened to that all day yesterday.)

Yes, there are quality of life issues in every city and zoning and nuisance ordinances have been adopted to manage it.

Not all urban economic development is bad. There are some "right-size" projects. This is, at least, a proposal that is "right-sized".

It may be unpractical or unworkable, but I see this "controversy" as artificial.

If food-trucks need more regulation, then there are major trade associations that can lobby for stricter regulation.

Clearly, this space could also be acquired by the city for another sports field or for basketball courts.