On mixed-income housing I could not believe my eyes upon reading "Radical mixed-income housing project in Ohio City" [in the 5/19 Cool Cleveland] (see article here.) Let me get this straight: in 1997 they tore down the crime ridden eyesore that was Riverview Estates to clear the land for upscale housing worthy of the desirable downtown location. Now, the plan is to put those people from Riverview back in the very same spot in brand new, tax-exempt housing right next door to proposed housing that runs $400k per unit. With this sort of urban planning going on, is it any wonder why people are fleeing this city? "Mixed-income" housing is not a unique concept for Cleveland, it has become the standard for every neighborhood here. Take it from someone who lives in a mixed income neighborhood, this is not progressive... it is a social experiment gone bad. Every Cleveland neighborhood bordering downtown (including my own Archwood Denison neighborhood) has been flooded with public housing in recent years with the closing of housing projects such as Riverview. And with each passing year, quality of life in those neighborhoods diminishes for the people like me, who actually have an invested interest in them. Why should anyone bother investing more money into their property when it is surrounded by increasing crime, vandalism, drug and gang activity? My wife and I fit the ultimate demographic of the kind of people that city leaders say they want to retain in Cleveland: We're educated, middle income, family-minded, members of the "creative class" who like to be involved with our community. We both have good jobs but when we come home from a day's work, we feel as if we live in an insane asylum. Summer has barely begun and there have already been several incidents where we had to call the police in the middle of the night. Sadly, as a result, we can't wait until we can move out of Cleveland. from Cool Cleveland reader Kenn Louis kenn@rabblerouser.com (:divend:)