Time to gobble up East Cleveland? (Cleveland Heights, Warren: college, incomes, live)

[5Lakes]

I think it would be a good move in the long term for Cleveland. East Cleveland is right next to University Cicle, is served by the red line, and has some of the best building/housing stock in the area (of what has been mainained anyway). East Cleveland was built as a very desirable area and would still be one if Cleveland was not so disfunctional. It certainlay has much better bones than Hough does and I think it would be a more natural area of the expansion of University Circle's developement. I think someday parts of East Cleveland may be poised for gentification given its attributes, although this will be a very long time from now.

[Johddavi]

Personally, I would love to see some serious financial investment in East Cleveland, maybe a light rail line run down Superior through East Cleveland to the edge of the hill connecting to the Heights. I think it would you'd be surprised at the turnaround time of that neighborhood with a commitment from Cleveland proper. Invest in Superior/St. Clair, with its proximity to Collinwood and N. Collinwood and we might just see a large swath of that area start to pull itself back together within a decade or so.

[Urban Peasant]

This initiative sure is so interesting to follow. My two cents is that there is more to the story than simply Cleveland lending a helping hand to a tiny distressed neighbor. I don't think any city mayor or councilman would be crazy enough to just do that. How is anyone not sure that this could amount to a land grab that could end up benefiting Cleveland and hurting the remaining residents of East Cleveland. I sense an ulterior motive here. Perhaps a big corporation or institution wants cheap land to build on. It may not happen overnight but they want the land to fall into the hands of individuals who are willing to support their motives.

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by Johddavi

Personally, I would love to see some serious financial investment in East Cleveland, maybe a light rail line run down Superior through East Cleveland to the edge of the hill connecting to the Heights. I think it would you'd be surprised at the turnaround time of that neighborhood with a commitment from Cleveland proper. Invest in Superior/St. Clair, with its proximity to Collinwood and N. Collinwood and we might just see a large swath of that area start to pull itself back together within a decade or so.

Who is going to be riding/supporting a Superior Avenue light-rail line through East Cleveland?

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by Johddavi

Personally, I would love to see some serious financial investment in East Cleveland, maybe a light rail line run down Superior through East Cleveland to the edge of the hill connecting to the Heights. I think it would you'd be surprised at the turnaround time of that neighborhood with a commitment from Cleveland proper. Invest in Superior/St. Clair, with its proximity to Collinwood and N. Collinwood and we might just see a large swath of that area start to pull itself back together within a decade or so.

If Cleveland needs to expand its transit system, I suggest having an East 9th Street streetcar to the lakefront with a spur west along St. Clair, past Convention Center, over to Ohio City. Cleveland needs a north-south connecting street akin to what's happening on Euclid Avenue; I think it should be 9th Street despite all the dead-lobby buildings from Euclid to Lakeside.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by Kamms

If Cleveland needs to expand its transit system, I suggest having an East 9th Street streetcar to the lakefront with a spur west along St. Clair, past Convention Center, over to Ohio City. Cleveland needs a north-south connecting street akin to what's happening on Euclid Avenue; I think it should be 9th Street despite all the dead-lobby buildings from Euclid to Lakeside.

It'd be nice to have something that went south through Tremont, maybe all the way to Old Brooklyn or something.

[Johddavi]

[quote=Kamms;32434441]Who is going to be riding/supporting a Superior Avenue light-rail line through East

It should be in conjunction with a prolonged commitment to rebuilding these east side communities. Poo poo it if you like, but they're doing so great things with Over-the-Rhine in Cincy, a neighborhood that not too long ago was statistically the most dangerous urban neighborhood in the country. Developing Superior from downtown through East Cleveland, annexing E. Cleveland would benefit communities proximate to the area. It's about connecting these neighborhoods, making the east side less disjointed. Right now it is far too easy to ignore the neighborhoods and communities in NE Ohio that are struggling. I drive through East Cleveland on my way home from work and I'm embarrassed that the region which I love has allowed our neighbors in East Cleveland to be left behind for so long and allow a huge chunk of the area to just collapse. Frankly, I like to think Clevelanders can do better than to let communities in the region to fail as horrifically as many of the east side communities have.

[Kamms]

[quote=Johddavi;32440567]

Originally Posted by Kamms

Who is going to be riding/supporting a Superior Avenue light-rail line through East

It should be in conjunction with a prolonged commitment to rebuilding these east side communities. Poo poo it if you like, but they're doing so great things with Over-the-Rhine in Cincy, a neighborhood that not too long ago was statistically the most dangerous urban neighborhood in the country. Developing Superior from downtown through East Cleveland, annexing E. Cleveland would benefit communities proximate to the area. It's about connecting these neighborhoods, making the east side less disjointed. Right now it is far too easy to ignore the neighborhoods and communities in NE Ohio that are struggling. I drive through East Cleveland on my way home from work and I'm embarrassed that the region which I love has allowed our neighbors in East Cleveland to be left behind for so long and allow a huge chunk of the area to just collapse. Frankly, I like to think Clevelanders can do better than to let communities in the region to fail as horrifically as many of the east side communities have.

Can you think of any other city in the U.S., and Cleveland is one of, if not thee, poorest city, considering to annex a dysfunctionally poor adjacent suburb? East Cleveland had a proud history; why is it the regions fault for East Cleveland residents electing corrupt and inept politicians? Wasn't a convicted murderer (female) the mayor or at least in the mayoral election a few years back? Cleveland should not annex this fiscal disaster known as East Cleveland.

[Johddavi]

Shouldn't even be a separate suburb in the first place, nor should CLE Heights, S Euclid, Uni Heights, Shaker Hts, Warrensville Hts, etc. To any out-of-towner driving through the east side, the idea that these communities have any genuine distinction from one another other than artificial and historical political structures, and are not just neighborhoods within what is in actuality Cleveland, is laughable. Don't even get me started on Bratenahl. The utility of the artificial Balkanized political superstructure of NE Ohio cannot be done away with soon enough. If East Cleveland is the first domino to fall, so be it. The quality of life for the entire region will improve, except for those of us who enjoy living in fear of our neighbors and like paying absurd rates of tax for duplication of services.

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by Johddavi

Shouldn't even be a separate suburb in the first place, nor should CLE Heights, S Euclid, Uni Heights, Shaker Hts, Warrensville Hts, etc. To any out-of-towner driving through the east side, the idea that these communities have any genuine distinction from one another other than artificial and historical political structures, and are not just neighborhoods within what is in actuality Cleveland, is laughable. Don't even get me started on Bratenahl. The utility of the artificial Balkanized political superstructure of NE Ohio cannot be done away with soon enough. If East Cleveland is the first domino to fall, so be it. The quality of life for the entire region will improve, except for those of us who enjoy living in fear of our neighbors and like paying absurd rates of tax for duplication of services.

That's a completely different issue 'shouldn't even be a suburb in the first place'. Cleveland annexed many townships etc 100 years ago; West Park/Rockport, Old Brooklyn, Collinwood, even Ohio City in the 1800s. Many of the suburbs you list were areas Clevelanders fled to really beginning the '50s to escape Cleveland and its growing racial population and subsequent strife and declining services, including the schools. Now these same areas are in decline as the sprawl out of Cuyahoga County continues. Not sure how the quality of life for the entire region will improve if Cleveland absorbs East Cleveland given that the region is currently in decline.