The Observation Deck

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Uptown Was Supposed to be a Unique Destination, But Critics Say It’s Become a Bland Fast-Casual Food Court

https://m.clevescene.com/cleveland/upto ... cgZHoGpesc

"When the $200 million development of housing, shops, cultural institutions and public spaces along Euclid Ave. first opened in 2012, it was touted as the new main street for University Circle..." "...six years after Phase I of Uptown was completed by MRN Ltd., which also developed East 4th Street, the Tudor Arms Hotel and West 25th St. south of Lorain, the bowling, yoga and live music venues have all closed. "

"That's a far cry from the original goals of the project, hailed as "a new downtown for the University Circle neighborhood" by the New York Times and a possible "new center of gravity for the city" by the Plain Dealer."

Read the story and learn...
https://m.clevescene.com/cleveland/upto ... cgZHoGpesc

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Developers across the nation are selling this garbage narrative. The grandiose claims are never realized.

But I guess no one in our planning department was aware of that.

University Circle's "bland fast-casual food court" simply cannot compete with Lakewood's dynamic fast food scene.
After all, we have the Word's Best Taco Bell.

Michael Deneen wrote:University Circle's "bland fast-casual food court" simply cannot compete with Lakewood's dynamic fast food scene.
After all, we have the Word's Best Taco Bell.

We have a Cain’s chicken! Isn’t that special?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Developing and marketing Lakewood, I wouldn’t call it easy, but it’s certainly straightforward. I said it in this thread (click here) and in this thread (click here).

Lakewood needs to focus like a laser on its “unique sales propositions,” the things that positively distinguish Lakewood and that are relatively unique. Lakewood has several USPs: (1) its lakefront location and Lakewood Park in particular, (2) its proximity to downtown Cleveland, and (3) its inner-ring character, including the feel of Detroit/Madison, the variety of housing options, Lakewood’s “density,” and its biking/walking options. There is no competition whatsoever in NEO for a similar living experience. None.

All Lakewood has to do is not mess it up by overthinking everything. Focus on those things above. Sure, you have to make sure that Lakewood is safe, that the trash gets picked up and that the streets are plowed in winter, and Lakewood does those things pretty well. But almost every other planning decision should be in support of Lakewood’s unique attributes.

Here’s some suggestions in no particular order. I’ve made every one of these before.

1…. Bring back the circulator. But not with RTA, they’ll mess it up. Use Uber or Lyft in some way. Good minds like theirs and ours could come up with something really different and fun, and that enhances Detroit and especially Madison.

2…. Plow the sidewalks. And don’t mess up any more streets for biking like Madison got messed up. They blew it and that thermoplastic should be removed.

3…. Keep enhancing Lakewood Park. The Solstice Steps may have been the best million dollars Lakewood ever spent. The skate park is terrific. Even more programs and activities please. Make Lakewood Park the city’s premier public destination and a reason to move here.

4…. Embrace housing options. And yes that includes the new townhome developments (a la McKinley and Clifton Pointe) and whatever is planned for Detroit. Lots of good people want to live that way. Bring ‘em on! Just insist that it’s all reasonably well-constructed.

5…. Sponsor the RTA buses to downtown. By now I'll bet CSU would let you have them. They’re a roving testament to Lakewood’s USPs. And work with Bernie Moreno on his plans for turning Tower City into a tech hub. Win-win-win.

If you gave me a couple hours I could come up with more. Then, and this is the important thing, don’t force development! Don’t presuppose what works! Let it happen organically. Organic development will take time, but it will support the USPs, be much more enduring, and cost Lakewood taxpayers virtually nothing. Forced development will almost inevitably make mistakes and miss the mark. Maybe that’s Uptown’s experience, I don’t know. I didn’t experience it firsthand.

My two cents. I’ve lived in Lakewood for 34 years and I care.

Tim Liston wrote: My two cents. I’ve lived in Lakewood for 34 years and I care.

What was opinion about the regionalization of Lakewood Hospital?

What is your opinion about regionalization in general?

Jim O'Bryan wrote: "That's a far cry from the original goals of the project, hailed as "a new downtown for the University Circle neighborhood" by the New York Times and a possible "new center of gravity for the city" by the Plain Dealer."

All of these projects suffer from the same design flaw: They do nothing to bring people and economic activity to Northeast Ohio. In a region with a declining population and declining economic relevance these projects simply spend a lot of money to move people from one side of town to the other.

One repercussion is that such development weakens one area of the region at the expense of another.

One result is that the entire region is required to provide financial support for grandiose public projects that will never recover their direct costs.

Development that is not truly organic disrupts the ecosystem in dramatic ways. My fear for any new developments in retail around the two former car lots in addition to the former hospital is that it disrupts the interesting local ecosystem that already exists, potentially trading local stuff for chains. I'd feel better if we were creating housing exclusively ... housing for a variety of income levels.