Bill Call wrote:1. Grants (gifts of money) to homeowners who rip off that old siding and paint the house with period colors. The City should go to the homeowner and not wait for the homeowner to go to the City.
This is actually being done by Hilary. One of the problems have been that people think LA is going to turn them
over to the city. They leave a note offering to talk about help. I believe they are also catching them coming
through Pat Carroll's court.
Bill Call wrote:2. Not every fourth floor walk up without parking is a treasure. Tear them down. Pass a street congestion tax of $500 per unit per year for rentals without at least one off street parking place per unit.
Not sure how many 4 unit rentals are actually in Lakewood. But there has to be a way. Slowly buy them up
and make your pocket parks, or off the street parking with them. I am all for charging Landlords more money
by a lot more than you are talking.
Bill Call wrote:3. Seek a change in emminent domain law for commercial buildings. The owner of the Phantasy turned down $2 million because he thought it was worth $5 million. Fine, let him pay taxes on the $5 million instead of the $600,000 he pays on now. This town is hurt by carpet bagging building owners.
In full disclosure, they are friends, and I have a special place in my heart for the buildings, and would someday like to
go back and finish what I started. It is so close inside to be where it needs to be. That said, John cannot afford
to keep the place up. And yes it possibly should be judged on what it is worth, but surrounded by empty buildings
how much is it really worth? But the building should be brought up to code, and made to stand to the same
standards as the rest of the city. The fire damage should have been fixed in 30 says not 400! But there is more
there than meets the eye, and change in ownership could be anytime now.
Bill Call wrote:4. Concentrate all subsidies and effort in one section of one ward at at time. It's nice to do a house here or there but no one notices. People need to notice.
Which area? and while you are deciding with what money, and with what plan? Birdtown? While the city is
making strides there the "Birdtown Plan" is nothing more than busy work and college dreams. I am not sure
how much impact is in making Bi-Rite move their signage from the left side of the building over the door
to the right side of the building. Do we really need bird houses on yellow poles in front of every house? A
concept piece at best, but glad to see Kent State in Lakewood, good Urban planning department, unlike CSU.
Bill Call wrote:5. Green Lakewood. I won't pay one penny more in taxes to finance another round of raises. I will pay substantially more in income taxes for a fund that would finance land purchases to build a few more parks. The Rockport area comes to mind.
The next census is merely 10 years away. Are we looking for less people or more? If we are speaking of
land banking, I would lean towards community gardens over green space. Let's not forget we have over
2,000 acres of green space. I think taxpayers and consumers would be more valuable.
Bill Call wrote:6. Encourage construction of work/live space. The end of the office building does not mean the end of the need for a place to work.
This is Lakewood's potential gold mine. Live work space. I have said this for years. Lakewood is filled with
Lawyers, designers, photographers, consultants working out of their homes pulling in 6 figures. With the
emerging fields of collaborative software and Software as a Service platforms, more and more and more will
be working from home and should be encouraged to do so. People that work at home LOVE walkable communities
They love pocket parks, and coffee places. They love restaurants where they can meet clients. We need to stop
thinking of these people as the dregs of the earth and embrace our future. This is one of the reasons we had
pushed for a large fulfillment zone be built on Berea Road. Why our next business should be MicroCenter, not
another food place.
Bill Call wrote:7. Buiild the peninsula project but concentrate on Lake access for boating, swimming and recreation. Your idea to seize Clifton Park is the perfect liberal solution
, seize what someone else has instead of creating more of it.
Bill, yes I am a flaming liberal, but please note you have offered to grab more right now in this letter than I
ever had. I have zero interest in grabbing anything but opening the beach to the public to raise our property
values and start a program of utilizing our lakefront.
But the peninsula The first thing to come our of the plan is a beach, and marina. It would take over a decade
to build it, as you have to use dregings, that do not come from the Cuyahoga as it is too polluted. (This was
the level of study done by Savannah. Then as the property is developed and sold off, it pays for the
amphitheater, the school rooms, the new parts of the park. I have to say that was a real eye opener for me.
How quickly "movers and shakers" poo-pooed the idea. Simple the best most complete study this city might
have ever seen. Many of the ideas presented did not reflect those of the person presenting, but were added
because others saw the need, or it made sense. I think over 200 park users and professional around the
country were interviewed for that project. But why even think of $500,000 in new property, we have a taco
place coming to Lakewood.
Bill Call wrote:8. Narrow Madison Avenue to expand the sidewalk to allow for more outside eating space. The current plan is too timind. Add parking by (see #2). Madison is underdevelped and is being held hostage by guys like Calini.
Yes
Bill Call wrote:9. Build a movie center complex. People leaving the show might be tempted to stop and get something to eat or shop at the local shop.
I believe a dead business. As much as it pains me, I am not sure it can happen anymore in a city of this
size. Looking into various scenarios for the three theaters in town, all looked bleak. Ideas that come up or
worked in other cities, just would not have the same impact here. What has been looked at: movies, dinner
movies, live entertainment, museum, 70mm movies, art films, specialty films. The only one with any legs
is live entertainment.
Bill Call wrote:10. Build a hotel near the hospital.
yes
Bill Call wrote:11. Support the lite rail project only on the condition that Lakewood get 5 stops and that those stops include enough parking and on the condition that the City doesn't give up any City land or park land and that we get a bucket of money for development otherwise forget it.
I could see two, but question what is the need. Originally championed by "train freaks" it would run from
downtown to Lorain. I saw this as a pipeline to desperate 2nd story guys that could work the suburbs even
without a driver's license. I always liked Ken's idea of from the Flats to the Put-In-Bay Ferry. Call it the
"Whiskey Train" and keep the drunks off the roads. A stop at Cedar Point would be nice for families.
Bill Call wrote:12. Hold the schools accountable. If they use the new funds for another round of raises KATIE BAR THE DOOR!!!
If there is one thing coming out of the last year of school board debacles it is at least two groups willing to
start over site of the School Board. While they are good people their decisions over the past decade leave
me scratching my head and wondering who they hell they are getting such bad ideas from. Garfield is a
perfect example, and let's hope the vanity of one or two Lincoln alumi do not allow it to happen again. The
schools spent millions over what was needed to incorporate a wall of the old Garfield into the new building.
Millions, for one wall. When ti was done those that fought for it could not tell that wall from the rest of the
building as architects had done such a good job matching the feel of the old Garfield. Millions, get it millions.
I would also push for over site of the city as well. It does not hurt anyone getting more eyes involved in what
is going on. Would bring better transparency and accountability to everything.
Bill Call wrote:13. Lein on CAC for our fair share of the loot being collected for the Arts Council. Peanuts and pennies are not acceptable.
And where does this money go? To who? What is the big program needing this? The Beck? LA's recently
acquired(taking the high road here) music nights?
When we deserve it, we should get our fair share.
Bill Call wrote:14. Lean on Mental Health Services to either end their homeless resettlement plan or include Crocker park. Isn't the purpose of Crocker park to proivde a real city environment?
Agreed times 10. We should also look for our regional brothers(not) to do their fair share for Section 8.
Bill Call wrote:LAST BUT NOT LEAST: RESTORE CLIFTON PARK!!! LET RR RESIDENTS USE I-90.
DEAD END WEBB AT CLIFTON AND ALLOW RUSH HOUR PARKING ON LAKE!!
DO THE CLIFTON AVENUE IMPROVEMENTS!
Bill
A couple questions. Would you restore the original boundaries? If so, this could be a winner. Not sure we can
close the bridge, but would be in favor of it. Why not allow parking on Clifton and Lake during Rush Hour
anyway? Seems like a huge waste of our police's time to ticket and tow Lakewood residents out of the way
for others driving through the city. Keep it tight and congested. Besides Rush hour no longer exists in
Cleveland, a friend driving in from the East last week pasted Eddy Road called and said, "What happened to
Cleveland? On the Shoreway doing 60 at 8:30am past Eddy Road, no traffic." I answered Cleveland broke its
promise to be a hub city. They have lost their way, and are now more worried about the region then their own
asses. I would hate for Lakewood to be next.
As for the Hospital, it is being improved.
Bill
Finally, thank you for showing up and not giving into the hype. Lakewood can still have
open discussions about our future and what is going on. We do not need to give up our
right to be heard as a single voice in this, our community.
.