Dear Roldo--Thank you for sending me my FREE copy of Who Really Governs?  What an eye-opener.  Take advantage of the offer, people.  We have been taken for a ride by big business/aka Greater Cleveland Partnership, foundations, et al, for too long.  The Opportunity Corridor is the last straw.

 http://www.efficientgovnow.org/proposals/
 

From today's PD--how does this figure into REAL transformation of NEO, when also in the PD today--the Opportunity Corridor is made the REAL priority for $$$ interests in this town, while Cleveland School of the Arts orchestra is allowed to fall apart?  Shame.

What exists between Cedar as a north boundary and I-480 as a south boundary and all area East of the river to East 116th Street?

Define the area as Newburg and that then requires a comprehensive inventory.

Housing, Commerce and industry.

Comparing that to other areas, as defined by the historic township boundaries.

What exists in the area and what is missing?

What are the demographics of the area, what is the income and employment levels? What are the largest and who are the employers?

That area does not have any interstate within it, but it has commuter and commercial rail traversing it.

That area may have the highest concentration of federal housing projects in the city?

This if anything is an opportunity to call for a more comprehensive study of the land use of that area. The rail to be studied and comprehensively. Study green space and seek out opportunities to expand it, study the infrastructure, sewer and water, the electric supply grid. Define and develop industrial clusters, define commercial zones, define the residential areas…

That requires a comprehensive application "CAD" and linked to all related data feeds. It does not exist look at the google maps, were are the options for show only rail and rail stops, show only water lines, show the electric grid, show only public works it is incomplete.

That $20M in federal money is being applied at the wrong point on the line, it is not being used to create a comprehensive method of review and analysis. That method and or tool could be universal across all areas and based on township boundaries as districts. Those areas large enough to establish economically self sustaining districts, sustainable diversity of people and goods and services.

Invite Google to come to Cleveland as a application developer of Urban Planning application software. All funding of computer applications linked and resulting in a comprehensive tool.  A regional system.

Will that corridor include a central trunk for the power grid? The telecommunication grid, water lines, sewer lines, will it offer a more naturalized water shed? Will it integrate rail?

What is now and then what comes after, did anything improve? It is all measurable, if you had the tools. The purpose is to empower the economically disenfranchised, to get them self sufficient. That area is highly subsidized and not generating revenue that would directly support it's needs.

People apposed to regionalism cannot see the larger picture, the subsidizes are coming through a larger cycle and loosing much value when they return.

All the money coming in and all the money going out, that is about parcel by parcel and then in collectives of defined districts. All operating under the same system.

woodland, cleveland , oh

There is a power shift going on Roldo--please comment.  If we swap out Hagan for Cimperman and Rokakis becomes de facto mayor of Cleveland via land bank and CDCs, where does it leave us?

BTW--I received a call last night on my opinion of local politicos, specifically ward reps--some outfit called SJC Strategies, supposedly based in Fargo, ND.  My guess is the call was funded by Cleveland City Council...deciding who to float in Ward 14.
 

What kind of questions did they ask?

  I asked the guy for a return phone number...he gave me a whole Fargo line...I thought, for sure, it was a prank from someone...but the fact that the number was undisclosed was pretty fishy.  I thought maybe you...!   Were you bored last night ? :)
 

Nothing really new. But interests me because last I heard, Cummins was still undecided about where he would run, and I know that Cintron and Santiago are actively ramping up their campaigns. And, yeah, it would be interesting if the Council Leadership Fund is spending the money to decide whether to back or nudge a candidate in that race.

I'll see what I can find.

Thanks for telling us about it, Laura.

Thanks Henry for following up on this story--

Could you follow up on CDC's acquisition of HUD houses/per councilperson and what will happen to these houses ?

Also--check-out NRP/Housing Trust Fund projects scattered throughout the city (and some suburbs Lakewood)--slated to tie-into our combined sewer system.  CDCs are quietly were the demo planning and sweetheart deals for developers are being made.

when time allows. If something is worth reporting, I report it. If you have a specific tip, that might help. But plowing through every CDC and every council member takes time.

Here's a story for you--Henry.  Cummins should have polled residents on collaborating with an outfit like NRP BEFORE he paved the way for this developer to get a demolition, property, zoning variances and city land transfers on the public dime.  He is not the only councilperson in the city doing this.  Santiago comes to mind.  

Council folks are puppets for the larger scheme operated by developers who manipulate the CDCs to capitalize on federal and state monies and tax credits.  Residents lose out and developers cash in.  How much of this same strategy has been used in the development of the "Opportunity Corridor" route? Oh sure, it's all sunshine, right? I am supposed to be comforted by the "sunshine" measures to protect the public from possible graft and corruption a la the land bank?  No one questions the involvement of Gus Frangos and Board of Revision's Gary Paulenske in the structuring of the land bank?

The PD needs to ask: how many African-American families in the proposed corridor have been strong-armed to sell their homes for devalued prices to the Cleveland Clinic?   Developers are hounding Denison residents to sell along the proposed NRP project site--so I imagine the same tactics are being applied throughout the City of Cleveland.  Where's the sunshine on these stories? 

UPDATE 8/23/2009- the PD ran a link to the projects competing for federal economic stimulus funds--the request for the Opportunity Corridor is $350,000, 000--text copied from the table:

There are two primary outcomes that will be achieved as a result of this infrastructure investment. Improved mobility from the Interstate system (I-490 at East 55th Street) to University Circle (Carnegie Avenue at East 105th Street) will support on-going economic development that can occur with the addition of 3.3 miles of urban arterial roadway. The project will also improve access from the Interstate system (I-490 at East 55th Street) to the “Forgotten Triangle” (between Kinsman, Woodhill, and Woodland) to encourage economic redevelopment at the neighborhood level.  The development of this corridor could yield up to 210 acres of adjacent development potential.         The University Circle area is the second largest employment area in the City of Cleveland, with Downtown Cleveland being the largest.  This area is home to University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Institute of Art, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Botanical Gardens, and many other cultural, medical, and educational institutions.  With over $1 billion in planned improvements and limited land available for development in the University Circle area, there is a need to improve access

RUN your own search here--I searched Cuyahoga County--by zipcode "The Opportunity Corridor" is listed as 44104.  This ran in February 2009, but I just stumbled upon it.  What projects have been awarded????

No surprise as http://blog.smartgrowthamerica.org/ reports Ohio and other dumbass states continue to ignore reality:

Road repair winners and losers

Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and Vermont committed to making their existing networks safer and more effective for their residents. Each of these states put 100% of the stimulus money they chose to spend on roads towards maintenance work.

Nevada, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Oklahoma all spent over 90% of their stimulus road budgets on repair as well.

In contrast, Ohio, Florida, Arkansas, Kansas, and Kentucky were inflexible, out of balance and out of step with what will keep their residents safe and moving into the 21st century. Each of these states committed less than half of their stimulus road budgets on maintenance. Kentucky committed 88% of its road spending to new roads.

hey guys, while you're at it see if you can find out who got raises at TWDC from the West 25th Street deal made when TWDC took over the contract that Santiago proposed.  I underastand that the first round was to end on June 30 and that TWDC was to be paid $23,000.  They probably alll got a raise.

I guarantee that nobody else benefitted from the $23,000.

 they "ran out of toner" on...