VisionQuest
Phase 2: East Bank of the Flats (Old River Road/W. 10th to Front Ave)

My high school wrestling coach used to say, “The day I stop yelling at you is the day I stop caring about you.” With that in mind, come on Cleveland. Seriously, what was the strategy behind pumping millions of dollars into the revitalization of Warehouse District? Then not developing some of the city's best property attached to the Warehouse District?

Thankfully there's now a project slated to overhaul the East Bank, online at http://www.FlatsEast.com. It looks amazing. There's ton of good stuff in this project essential to a Waterfront. There's a riverside park, residences with balconies, roof gardens, and a hotel.

Flats East Bank will also offer a movie theater, entertainment complex, office buildings, and an underrated key aspect of transforming into a major city; a downtown market.

Right now if you live downtown, it's fifteen minutes in a car or twenty minutes on a bus to the nearest market. Sure there is Constantino's on West 9th but that place is more for, “crap I forget to get something at the market,” than actual market shopping.

Problem is the new Flats East Bank is slated to open next summer but it doesn't even look like construction has started. I'm also scared about some of the words that are being tossed around on the master plans.

Things like galleries, boutiques, specialty shops, European inspired hotel, Class A office buildings, and corporate headquarters are not comforting.

First off, I don't know what the exact plans are. I'm assuming the plans are to make this section upper class like Manhattan. But has anyone thought, “How do we plan to sell this?” Come move to Flats East Bank it's nestled between a polluted river and a mine attached to a shipyard? The Flats East Bank project should be stopped until there's an agreement on the development of Pekar Ports and a real environmental river plan.

Pekar Ports doesn't have to be residential. Flats East Bank in theory could cover that. Pekar Ports can be a park or Cleveland's new home for museums. It just has to be something else than what it is right now. This project will be a failure unless construction starts on Pekar Ports before Flats East Bank is operational and there are some real insurances on a blue river.

Second, the biggest mistake Cleveland could make would be building a six figure district. Meaning, you have to make at least $100,000 to get into the food court. Be patient and let this evolve naturally.

Keep close to half of the apartments reasonable so young adults can afford them. These are the people you are trying to retain. Compose it so they don't want to leave. Make a couple restaurants people can afford to eat at once a week. Offer discounts to under 30 young adults when they attend live entertainment at the Flats East Bank.

Third, how many restaurants and bars does an area attached to the Warehouse District need? Cleveland's economy can't revolve around people eating and drinking. We got to get creative because too many restaurants and bars in an area means one thing; boarded up buildings.

For the love of God let's try to do this thing right. That's all I'm asking. Because there's one more minor problem that will also indirectly affect the success of Flats East Bank. Nearly every building on Old River Road next to Flats East Bank has a “For Sale” sign in the window.

Does anybody know the Flats East Bank project exists? Why isn't there complete chaos on Old River Road? Everyday there should be an incident where an owner charges out of a building wielding a broom, pushes back crowds of potential buyers while shouting “Attica! Attica!” I mean I would enter the Octagon with Brock Lesnar for any one of those properties.

Overall I like the Flats East Bank plan. I just hope they don't allow the project to be completed without addressing the need for Pekar Ports, a clean river, and investors for Old River Road.

But I got one more thing to add for this phase. Something the East Bank development committee didn't include because they didn't count on me to solve the Cuyahoga River freight shipping problem. A pedestrian only bridge that connects Old River Road to the Nautica Flats. Remember Waterfront's are in the business of walking not driving and connecting not separating. And it helps my agenda for Phase #3.

Log in to Cool Cleveland next week to read Phase 3 of VisionQuest, part of the Sixth City series by Jeff Biasella.

by Cool Cleveland correspondent Jeff Biasella, a 24 year old creative writing/popular culture graduate of Bowling Green State University living the post-grad dream in the Warehouse District.
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