The Observation Deck

It has come to all of our attention that Lakewood is still facing tough years ahead with
limited budget, falling revenues, and who knows what else.

We have made cuts in all departments, and slashed city services as much as they can.

So with a very limited budget, where does Lakewood need to look to be better? Where
do we apply ourselves to reverse this trend? As Bill Call and I have mentioned for years
Cleveland is not going to help us. Waiting for them to come back will be the death of
Lakewood, and other inner ring suburbs.

What does Lakewood do?

Is there a place to start?

What would you do?

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Increase the income tax in addition to any other budget cuts that make sense.

Let's be honest, Lakewood hasn't raised its income tax in decades, along with a loss of business and higher-income residents to farther west suburbs, that's gonna hurt the budget.

A small income tax increase of .25 - .50 % should be on the table.

I would rather pay a little more tax to keep the quality of service I get than cut anything else. I view it as the price to pay to live in a city of homes without alot of industry.

I would hold on to our amenaties ( what few we have left) and explore ways to explot Lakewoods proxcemity to Cleveland and the coming Casino....ie., Build up localy ownedl shops and resturants, motels, and other such attractions. Return of a trolly, or maybe even horse & buggy tours.

And for the love of "LAKEwood", I would find a way to make even a small public beach!! Perhaps like the one in Rockyriver where I can often be found strolling looking for beach glass and enjoying the feel of sand on my feet.

I would preserve what quaint charms we have left, and offer familys coming to the casnio a place to stroll about and enjoy before or after they gamble downtown.

The possiblities, the growth and preservation possibilities are endless if we just had a few folks in charge who belived in how special this town truely is.

1. Annex Cleveland east of 117, then bring in the industry to help out the tax base.
2. Reroute commercial rail and extend a rapid line to run in existing space through to RR
3. Acquire and rase blighted lots - lease the land to residents for neighborhood gardens
4. Develop lakefront at Lakewood Park with seasonal shops, etc (like mini Navy Pier)
5. Less jail time, more public service hours for non-violent offenders.
6. Increase Income tax rate, but offer incentives for those that live and work in Lakewood.

If none of that helps, then I suggest digging a canal from the Rocky River parallel to the highway east to 117th then north to the Lake - making Lakewood an island. Then we declare independence, seceed from the United States, put in a casino, make marijuana legal, sell cuban cigars, and apply for funding from the U.N. as a developing nation.

just a thought.

Explore changing existing guidelines so we can build "small houses" and container homes - more affordable starter homes build communities.

Form a collective to do what Majora Carter has done in the Bronx. Open up lake front property, train unemployed and underemployed workers in manufacturing (in partneship with manufacturers already doing this here) and installation of solar panels. Start working on installing living roofs.

Sooooo many things that can help us, help the region and help the environment.

Create a large public access beachfront. We all know what that entails.

Quit saying no, quit thinking you know better, quit thinking that retail and entertainment are going to save us. They only will when we develop ourselves to the point where people actually want to come here.

Or we could further develop the already burgeoning drunk college kids bar base. It's up to you.

Bret Callentine wrote:1. Annex Cleveland east of 117, then bring in the industry to help out the tax base.

Bret

As you know this has always been a favorite of mine, and has been openly talked about by
some pretty sharp urban planners. The thought was as Cleveland loses population their
ability to extend services fall off sharply, and creates "zones" that are to be avoided.

I would go to Gordon Square, straight down to the lakefront south to Madison.

Bret Callentine wrote:3. Acquire and rase blighted lots - lease the land to residents for neighborhood gardens.

While this sounds great, and I am a huge fan of neighborhood gardens, it also becomes
a slippery slope. I can take you to some neighborhoods in the city that would make you
think of farmland for all of the missing homes. Cleveland can almost get away with it.
Lakewood I am not so sure.

Maybe allow neighbors to buy lots and split them like you were looking to do with the
house that was next to you.

BUT, are we looking for 50,000 residents? This is one of the mixed messages I hear from
city leaders. Doubles into singles followed by "We have to have 50,000."

Bret Callentine wrote:6. Increase Income tax rate, but offer incentives for those that live and work in Lakewood.

Bret / Bryan
This is a solid idea. The city had spoken of a tax raise 7 years ago but shelved it. Then
through cooperation, the schools, library and city have taken turns, but the very real fact
is we will have a school bond issue coming up, a library levy, and possibly a city tax hike.
Can the residents stand for it? I would say the city would have a very hard time making
this point, if there is not some serious changes in the community.

Maybe they could incorporate something very simple in to a tax hike, that would take
away a real negative right now. Simply raise everyone's taxes to the same rate. Right
now if you work and live in Lakewood you pay a higher tax than those that do not. Why
not just raise everyone to the rate we pay? Instantly you get rid of the negatives
associated with living and working here.

Bret Callentine wrote:4. Develop lakefront at Lakewood Park with seasonal shops, etc (like mini Navy Pier)

Well we should certainly cash in on that lakefront. Only fools would walk away from
developing our lakefront. It is certainly the key to $$$$ stability, and increasing the
value of the city on the whole. There would be no faster way to build value in Lakewood
than lake access, and lakefront development it is the key.

BUT, we must be careful. Navy Pier?! A lot of these things work, because of the size of
the city they are in. This debate is usually over the idea I hear for reusing theaters. The
person romanticizing over the theater talks of: silent films only; foreign films only; 70mmm
films only; art films only... You really need a large population base to give these even a
small chance to work. The most amazing theater in the city sits half empty most shows
(IMAX), the Capital Theater which is a great story, is already rethinking format, and the
initial crowds has slowed.

Navy Pier might be over shooting, but something like Savannah has brought up MIGHT
make sense. Bob Stark wanted it twice or three times larger, but to me there is a fine
balance.

Which bring us to you last comment...

Bret Callentine wrote:If none of that helps, then I suggest digging a canal from the Rocky River parallel to the highway east to 117th then north to the Lake - making Lakewood an island. Then we declare independence, seceed from the United States, put in a casino, make marijuana legal, sell cuban cigars, and apply for funding from the U.N. as a developing nation.

just a thought.

We do not need to spend a penny on digging. However it is not a bad mindset. What can
we do to attract people here, to Lakewood? The easy answer is make ourselves and
alternative to what the rest of the region is offering. In this region, I am willing to bet
if you stay away from what others are trying, we will be winners. I mean look at where
they have thought themselves to! Almost reminds me of The Richard Dryfuss movie where
he finds what horse his friends are betting on and begins to pick the one they don't. Needs
armed guards to protect the money by the end of the day.

WE MUST STOP FOLLOWING LOST SOULS.

FWIW

Sharon

While we have a certain duty to help those in need, especially those that are here. Taxpayers
are not a bad thing in a community. Container homes would look great in errrrr ahhhhh
errrrrrr Japan.

It would be interesting to see if anyone has ever done a study about incomes and
spending power.

What exactly equals 1 mid range doctor? 4 factory workers? What if we figure in the Dr.
does not spend as much in the local stores? We are pretty sure trickle down economics
does not work with national taxes, but who really has these numbers? With four factory
workers we could have 4 times the children, get closer to 50,000... Who knows?

7 years ago, we launched the Lakewood Observer, and one of the things we wanted to
discover was "The Lakewood Brand" I think that has been very much discovered, and it
is not a bad brand. In fact it is quite good and unique. Now we need to clean up the
product (homes and streets), then and only after it is cleaned up market it heavily
outside of Lakewood.

To demonstrate with some stolen images.


So do we try to be like the rest in the region? Merely copying idea after idea after idea,
until we are so homogenized that we blend into the region? Or do we look for a better way?

Two huge winners in the past for Lakewood were/are The Gold Coast(in its day) and
the LGBT Community. That is our very simple road to get where we need to be 20
years from now.

Can you find good living now? Is it easier or tougher?




.

The consensus seems to be that all of Lakewoods problems will be solved if the people of Bay Village had bigger raises, earlier retirement, more sick days, and a better health plan.

Jim, Not suggesting building something as big as the Navy Pier. Here's the plan...

1 - develop a paved access road down to the existing waterfront walkway (only for service vehicles).
2 - Build out the existing walkway to extend out over the water
3 - build a dozen or so, small seasonal sales shacks/kiosks up against the cliff side of the walkway (run water/electrical service to each unit)
4 - dredge cove area and cordon off for swimming (set up lifeguard stands, etc)
5 - build boat dock on west side of pier for dropoff/pickup for fishing charters/etc.

It could all be built in about one year and construction costs (outside of possible additional land acquisition) would be relatively minimal.

How about a float plane dock? Has anyone ever thought about offering a quicker, more scenic option for getting to the islands?

I'm a firm believer that it takes money to make money. Cutting services makes for a cheap neighborhood, and a cheap neighborhood attracts cheap residents. Instead, the goal is to provide services that make people want to live here, or at least, spend time here, shop here, and eat here.

It's insane that we don't exploit one of the most beneficial resources any city could ever hope for.

Ask Barbara Michel about this concept at chautauqua.....floating stage....
http://www.bemusbaypops.com/
http://www.floatingstage.com/vision.html

Jim O'Bryan wrote:Bret / Bryan
This is a solid idea. The city had spoken of a tax raise 7 years ago but shelved it. Then
through cooperation, the schools, library and city have taken turns, but the very real fact
is we will have a school bond issue coming up, a library levy, and possibly a city tax hike.
Can the residents stand for it? I would say the city would have a very hard time making
this point, if there is not some serious changes in the community.

Maybe they could incorporate something very simple in to a tax hike, that would take
away a real negative right now. Simply raise everyone's taxes to the same rate. Right
now if you work and live in Lakewood you pay a higher tax than those that do not. Why
not just raise everyone to the rate we pay? Instantly you get rid of the negatives
associated with living and working here.

The problem with that is while it may cause one group to be happy by making it seem more "fair", it makes Lakewood highly unattractive for anyone who lives here but works elsewhere (which if I had to guess is a majority of Lakewood). Those of us in that boat already pay much more in local tax than people that live and work in Lakewood since we pay tax to Lakewood and the municipality they work in. And in my particular case, I just got hit with an additional .5% increase in local tax thanks to the 650 or so residents of Mayfield Village who felt that was ok and voted yes...but that's a whole different discussion on the fairness of taxing without representation.

So I guess my point is that if the argument against an across the board tax hike is that it increases the tax burden too much because of other taxes potentially on the ballot, then the solution you propose is just as toxic in that sense for a much bigger majority of the city.

If it's too many groups asking for tax increases soon, maybe it's time for the library or the schools to take a back seat to an incease that the city badly needs?

I don't blame Lakewood for the conundrum of the stupid local tax system in this state. But it's a reality they have to live with.

Bret Callentine wrote:I'm a firm believer that it takes money to make money. Cutting services makes for a cheap neighborhood, and a cheap neighborhood attracts cheap residents. Instead, the goal is to provide services that make people want to live here, or at least, spend time here, shop here, and eat here.

It's insane that we don't exploit one of the most beneficial resources any city could ever hope for.

Ill conceived development projects don’t always turn out so well.

Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, is considering bankruptcy because of the cost of a waste to energy incinerator project:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... 6OQc35weDI

The California City of Vallejo had to file bankruptcy because of the explosive growth of benefits and pay for City workers:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... l3yFmV508A

South Euclid thought a taxpayer funded baseball stadium would help:

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/05 ... e_tax.html

Avon has built a new stadium. It will be a real money loser unless they get a retoractive change in tax law .

If you are talking about an increase in income taxes to be legally designated for specific development projects I might support it.

If you are talking about an increase in income taxes to fund another round of raises forget it.

Bill,

I'm not talking about a freakin' baseball team or a whole new power plant or government entity. I'm talking about 1,000 feet of deck that'll let a person drop a stinkin' fishing line into the lake.

Jimmy - You might not like container homes, many people do. We are not on the cutting edge of everything. There are more things under heaven than someone in their fifties are drawn to.

Urban industrial, hot stuff. Recycling, environmentally friendly, sustainable doesn't necessarily look the way the architectural review board thinks it should. At least I'm for something more cutting edge elegant than that Chicle mess down by the 98th street rapid.

Hi,
There has been no project that has helped Lakewood bring in residents as effective as the high-end buildings on the Gold Coast. This has been stated many times by Mr. O'Bryan and he is right.

I believe the Peninsula would help Lakewood in many ways standout from the other communities in Northern Ohio.

Part of the Peninsula plan was 2 high lighthouses at each end. I wonder if we could modify the plan to alter those from lighthouses to high-end condos with lighthouse lights on top. This would triple or more the number of new residents that could come to Lakewood and enjoy all the wonders of lakefront living in Lakewood while helping to pay our taxes. All of Lakewood would further benefit by gaining access to the lake with trails, a marina, amphitheater, splash park and beach.

sharon kinsella wrote:Urban industrial, hot stuff. Recycling, environmentally friendly, sustainable doesn't necessarily look the way the architectural review board thinks it should. At least I'm for something more cutting edge elegant than that Chicle mess down by the 98th street rapid.

Sharon

Of course you are right. But it also makes me think of burnt orange, avocado, and Dan Akroyd in The Couch
Trip with his "Inner City Jail Urban Chic" comment.

FADS are hard to figure out. Quality living is not. There is ZERO sense in trying to be cool. Let's get it right
for a long time.

Bret / Rhonda

I really want to make sure everyone understand something. Savannah's Peninsula paid for itself. If done correctly
the sales and lease from the property pay for the peninsula, the harbor, the marina, the amphitheater,
the school buildings, the park, etc.

Get it. Build that and it works. Pick one or two pieces and all we did was throw money away. This was the
best most thought out plan I have ever seen for Lakewood. EVER.

Bryan

I am in complete agreement with your post. All I was saying is if they raised everyone to the same level,
the incentive to live and work here returns. I am not sure the schools or the library can wait.

Bret Callentine wrote:It's insane that we don't exploit one of the most beneficial resources any city could ever hope for.

YES IT IS INSANE, but those that are leading us will NEVER LOOK AT THAT SINGLE MOST
OBVIOUS ANSWER. So we close schools and get taco places from the dreamers. If they
really cared about Lakewood and not themselves, it would be discussed in depth!

In the last election, some amazing things happened, they will never tell you, and they
will marginalize the whys and the hows, but the center of the city realized they could
vote, and thereby have an impact.


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