Toledo-China relationship; impressive, very impressive (2013, broker, hotels)

[Cleverfield]

Just happened across a very interesting article in the New York Times about Toledo's burgeoning relationship with China, and the investments that the chinese have been making in the city. I have to say I'm very impressed that a city like Toledo was able to broker such relationships. Kudos to you guys. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/27/us...ewanted=2&_r=0

[GuestZero]

Oh, brother. Cleverfield, it's nothing. Literally, nothing. These hotels change hands all the time. It's become so bad that you can find hotels that have sign-tarps put over the previous signs.

And the so-called Marina District continues to sit, unused. We call a portion of it the "Road to Nowhere" since that's what it literally does for you... you can drive down this finished road, merely getting from Main Street to Front Street. And you get a great view of the mostly demolished power plant, which some people have compared to a portion of wartime Baghdad for how it looks.


The Chinese "investment" in the so-called Marina District is clearly part of a parking strategy. Chinese folks with a lot of money constantly offshore their money to get it away from their government. So nothing of any note is going to happen to the so-called Marina District, since it's really like a big bank account for the Chinese. It's just going to sit. All those previous plans of some $200 million multi-use development in the area are farcical. Pure fiction. And if you'd bother to drive around East Toledo, where that land is properly associated with, you'd understand exactly why: Poor people, minorities, dilapidated housing and closed businesses. Not quite the South Side of Chicago, at least, but bad enough as it is.

[residinghere2007]

Great article.

Hopefully the powers that be in Toledo can get the ball rolling on their projects. I am not a pessimist in the fashion as the above and am a native Toledoan that lives outside of the state now (but I own property in Toledo and visit regularly) but I would love to move back.

Many of you don't know how great Toledo is and unfortunately it seems that for a city that people outside of it see as "liberal" there is just not enough progressivism in Toledo that can push to get things accomplished.

I live in Atlanta currently and our mayor has also courted the Chinese and sought investment and we have gotten some money and there are a few projects going on here that are exciting. Toledo has so many wonderful features already compared to other cities of similar size and even larger cities that the powers that be do not capitalize on. Personally, I feel it has to do with the pessimistic attitude of many of the city's inhabitants who don't see what a great place they live in because they are just used to it. The fact that there are sidewalks in Toledo on practically every street in residential neighborhoods is something I greatly appreciate now when I "go home" and the fact that there is a beautiful river along with a lake on its northern boundaries....it is just crazy how people (including my friends and family members) down the place when it is really unjustified in most respects.

Toledo is in desperate need of "new meat" so to speak and innovative ideas but most importantly, action. They also need to spend some money and get some things built/going there to make some excitement for residents. I hope it will happen and that I will get to move back and bring some of my own optimism with me. I am aiming to get back there permanently within the next 2 years.