Third Annual Ohio Rail/Transit Summit March 7th In Columbus

Sometimes one thought leads to another and that is what happened to get me to this post. First, All Aboard Ohio is having their Third Annual Ohio Rail/Transit Summit in Columbus tomorrow. It's a morning chock full of information, judging from the agenda, and an afternoon of lobbying for The Ohio Hub Plan ! If you can attend, it's still not too late to sign up (you can even do it on the website through paypal). If you have followed the news (or just stopped at a gas station today), you know prices are on their way up again. We need improved public transportation and we need the Ohio Hub Initiative.

While I was on All Aboard Ohio's website, I noticed their link to Better World Club. Thus my 'second thought' for this post. Remember the Un Cola (7Up)? Well, Better World touts itself as the auto club to join, as opposed to that triple A one lol. They donate 1% of their revenue (yearly? monthly?) to support of environmental causes. They provide gas purchase discounts and check this out, discounts on purchases of hybrid cars? Okay, I'm signing up for their regular email newsletter called Kicking Asphalt. I can't resist.

How can you not get excited about transportation issues. Peace Out - 3C - The Transportation Geek

Train Song Medley

Free Wireless Internet Connection to Be Provided by City of Cleveland

I think it's great, free wireless. As a matter of fact, a company is doing just that now for the city of San Francisco. All individuals will have to do is supply the router. The story is here.

Makes me think we might actually be on the cutting edge if we are getting it during the same year as a large California city :-) Peace Out - 3C

April 7, 2007 Update:

Read these links to see the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission Weblog and the Sun News report by Ken Prendergast that Mayor Jackson's plan to provide the free wireless service City-wide was approved by the Public Utilities Commission and a Council Committee. So far there have not been any 'down sides' noted in putting this plan into action, and the provider who wins the bid to do this is not going to be franchised with the City of Cleveland. Check it out.

The John V. Oblak Power Transfer Station is For Sale

I do not plan on putting up my listings here on my blog; but this is such a unique property, I wanted to feature it. In 1924 the trolley cars were running strong in Cleveland, and this building was one of the power transfer stations scattered around the City, helping to keep the trolleys running.

I love the fact that the re use of this building has been for a bronze sculptor and his crew. Ron Dewey is a sought after bronze artist who has life-size and larger than life sized pieces around the country. Here in Cleveland, he is the creator of the bronze ball player at Jacobs Field, and was commissioned to do bronze statues of Ben Sefanski and his wife (on the corporate headquarters property for Third Federal Savings and Loan). It's a bustling workplace, also used as a living space by one of Ron's workers. I guess the time has come for him to consolidate two work studios into one....and this is the smaller of the two. So it's for sale! There is even a 15 ton crane inside the building that adds spectacular architectural detail you don't always find. Anyway, I am enclosing a link here so you can view more information about this brick beauty of a building. Peace Out - 3C

(photo taken by Carole Cohen 2007©)

Is Transit Oriented Development in Cleveland The Wave of the Future?

Are we ready for Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in Downtown Cleveland - and Northeast Ohio in general? There is an article in Crain's Cleveland today about the Euclid Avenue design and it's focus on the new RTA stops there. The 'hope' is to attract mixed use development on Euclid Avenue (shops, office, housing). Joseph Calabrese (RTA) seems to think this is an idea that has 'come.' Certainly I've noticed a shift in thinking. Back in the 70s when people sat in lines at filling stations, waiting to fuel up, they may have thought fuel rationing was an aberration. Now, everyone looks in their wallet and sees how much of their monthly money is going towards transportation costs.

The Center for Transit Oriented Development is located in California - you know, where they began eating organically and eventually all other States followed suit? Is TOD an idea that our State, and specifically Cleveland, will embrace wholeheartedly? The Center for Transit Oriented Development did studies (which can be read here) and they are predicted that Cleveland will experience a 62% increase in the numbers of people living near public transportation -- by the year 2030. 2030! We can't wait that long! Anyway, I digress. W. 25th Street's RTA station is already in the works for a housing development on a triangle of land near the Station and across the street from The Market. I'm anxious to see this unfold and play out. Will people really be rushing to purchase a home near the Station so they can give up their car? The recent studies claim that Clevelanders interviewed are anxious to cut one car out of their daily lives (most families have at least two). So we'll see if there really has been a major paradigm shift in thinking. I'm excited, but I try not to get too excited since things progress so slowly here. Peace Out - 3C

Staying Engaged In Our Communities

I thought I was going to do a synopsis of my findings at the Transforming Cleveland community meetings, and at some point I will. But instead I find a need to do a different kind of post. How do we stop the 'disconnect' between government, the non profit development corporations and businesses and homeowners in our communities? It's not a new phenomenon.

The Planning Commission (and therefore Mayor Jackson and the rest of the City staff) seem to be doing a good job updating Cleveland's master plan and even initiating efforts that are moving some of these plans forward. Mayor Jackson had an aggressive Five Year CIP for Cleveland which he unveiled in January. Our individual neighborhood development corporations are working their butts off to make things happen and improve the communities they represent.

What I keep thinking - and what people continually said at the last meeting is: we like the plan, we've seen others, what is being done to move things forward? We need jobs, not more plans to figure out how to get jobs. We need schools that satisfy the communities so residents want to stay there and send their children there; we need community involvement. It's not an 'us' and 'them' situation.

There are many people working on the grassroots level to either be the squeaky wheel, or get projects completed. I keep going back to the schools. This may sound radical, but I wonder how things would go if we fired the School Boards and our schools became coops of the neighborhoods in which they reside. Some of the ideas brought out at the Saturday meeting at Gunning Recreation Center (by Robert Brown, the Planning Director), were interesting. Making some of Cleveland's schools magnets by expanding on the theme of 'specialty' schools. The School of the Arts already does that. Max Hayes does that. Now apparently there is a push for a school with a focus on teaching 'design.'

The discussion at both of the Connecting Cleveland meetings I attended was lively. A recap will follow, maybe even tomorrow. These meetings showed me that I can't afford to be disconnected, I have to be engaged, as others are, about what is happening in The City of Cleveland. Peace Out - 3C (photo property of Carole Cohen, 2007©)

Cleveland's West Side Home Sales February 2007: Part Two

These home sales stats are for two more 'sections' of Cleveland's West Side. They cover sales during February 2007, and they will be compared to sales for February 2006. This is Part Two. My previous post contains sales figures for the other two West Side areas of Cleveland.

The following home sale statistics include the Clark Metro, Tremont and Ohio City communities.

February 2007: 32 Homes Sold. They were on the market an average of 94 days. The Average Ask Price was $76,184 and the Average Sale Price was $71,487. The average price per square foot was $38/sq. ft.

February 2006: 33 Homes Sold. They were on the market an average of 103 days. The Average Ask Price was $80,053; the Average Sale Price was $80,586. The average price per square foot was $57.
*There are 641 homes or condos for sale in this area.


The last area for home sales I want to cover in this post includes the Old Brooklyn and South Hills neighborhoods.

February 2007: 27 Homes Sold. They were on the market an average of $87 days. The Average Ask Price was $90,163. The Average Sale Price was $87,310. That brings the average price per square foot to $65.

February 2006: 19 Homes Sold. They were on the market an average of 86 days. The Average Ask Price was $102,784 and the Average Sale Price was $98,171. The average price per square foot was $79.

* There are 236 homes/condos for sale as of today in this West Side area. Peace Out - 3C

Homes Sold February 2007 For Cleveland Ohio's West Side...Part One

It's the weekend, and February is history, so it must be time for sales stats. Here is information on the City of Cleveland West Side sales figures for February 2007 - and I am comparing them to February 2006 information. Our computer system breaks the areas up into four sections. I will do two sections here and two in the next post. The first section includes but is not limited to: Kamm's Corners, and homes South of Puritas and West of 130th.

February 2007: 21 Homes sold with an average time on the market of 100 days. Average Ask Price was $126,286, the Average Sale Price was $122,027. The Average Sale Price Per Square Foot was $85/sf.

February 2006: 17 Homes sold with an average time on market of 74 days. Average Ask Price was $109,199, the Average Sale Price was $105,041. That averaged out to $85/square foot.

The next area includes but is not limited to: the Baltic Road area, and homes between Lorain and Puritas.

February 2007: 28 Homes sold with an average time on the market of 78 days. Average Ask Price was $65,178, the Average Sale Price was $61,330. That comes to $49/square foot.

*There are 289 homes for sale right now in this area.

February 2006: 27 Homes sold and were on the market an average of 74 days. Average Ask Price was $71,962, the Average Sale Price was $68,860. That comes out to $50/square foot.

*There are 404 homes for sale in this area right now.