The Observation Deck

Indeed, the Downtown Commercial area of Lakewood is in very poor health.

Oh, if only Lakewood's downtown had some type of anchor.

One that brought in 1500 jobs and $250 million dollars/yr in economic activity!

Despite the many warnings from fellow citizens, Lakewood's voters approved what you are seeing here.

Why do some people have absolutely no forsight?

The chickens have in deed come home.

The next stimulus package will focus on infrastructure repairs throughout the United States. It is currently projected at 2 trillion. Some have called for a “Marshall Plan” for U.S. public health infrastructure. After viewing the images from Ward 2 and noticing the empty storefronts, its pretty evident that Lakewood needs stimulus dollars. When the next package comes out, Lakewood’s current leadership needs to push Congress to have those public health/infrastructure investments made in Lakewood.

After the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Obama and Congress were looking to quickly fund “shovel-ready” projects. With that in mind, I know of a huge site in the center of Lakewood that is shovel-ready. Lakewood should position itself as a leader in public health and healthcare technology. Lakewood’s leadership should also start developing a list of shovel-ready projects.

What would Lakewood’s wish list look like?

Nadhal

1) Community controlled hospital built with large provider

2) EPA project

3) Savannah Farris's Peninsula Project

1 = Health for community in all times
2= Health well being of community
3) = over $900 million in economic development with an expenditure of around $20 million

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Nadhal Eadeh wrote:The next stimulus package will focus on infrastructure repairs throughout the United States. It is currently projected at 2 trillion. Some have called for a “Marshall Plan” for U.S. public health infrastructure. After viewing the images from Ward 2 and noticing the empty storefronts, its pretty evident that Lakewood needs stimulus dollars. When the next package comes out, Lakewood’s current leadership needs to push Congress to have those public health/infrastructure investments made in Lakewood.

After the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Obama and Congress were looking to quickly fund “shovel-ready” projects. With that in mind, I know of a huge site in the center of Lakewood that is shovel-ready. Lakewood should position itself as a leader in public health and healthcare technology. Lakewood’s leadership should also start developing a list of shovel-ready projects.

What would Lakewood’s wish list look like?

Nadhal

The current stimulus package designated $100 Billion for new hospital construction and capacity. Mr. Eadeh is correct in his assessments.

The Hospital site will be vacant for years.

The current plan is for retail, restaurants and a hotel. The plan never made any sense but it makes even less sense now.

Bill Call wrote:The Hospital site will be vacant for years.

The current plan is for retail, restaurants and a hotel. The plan never made any sense but it makes even less sense now.

Sad, but true.

But now they can blame it on the economic impact of the pandemic, which according to top economists, will push us into a severe recession, perhaps even a depression.

But the fact remains that this project was in trouble far earlier than right now. Carnegie did not want to move forward without more money and “incentives” from the city. They had no signed anchor tenant, or any tenants. The pandemic will be a convenient excuse for why they can’t deliver.

My neighbor tells me all the “OneLakewood” signage on the fencing around the site has been removed.


Hmmm. They trying to tell us something?

Maybe Fitzy knows something he ain’t telling us.

It looks like the shovels have already been through.
now it needs a lot of pipes and concrete.

Bridget Conant wrote:My neighbor tells me all the “OneLakewood” signage on the fencing around the site has been removed.


Hmmm. They trying to tell us something?

Maybe Fitzy knows something he ain’t telling us.

Perhaps they came up with a much more creative name. Knowing these people, probably something cool like, "OnELakewooD," or "One_Lakewood," or "One Lakewood" where the space is capitalized!

Funny, the entire group is powered by some of the most lack luster thinking available in this community.

Twenty Years of trying, and they always come up with a Strip Mall.

Now they came up with the very hole in the ground they warned us about if we did not transfer funds immediately to the new non-profits.

Of course the very people telling us to hurry, because it would be a huge hole, now sit on the boards of those non-profits.

Lakewood, you know I am not a big "I told you so guy" but damn you sure give a person a lot of opportunities to say it.

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It's just a damned shame that all of that foresight came true. If I was quarantined, I'd want to write a thank-you letter to each and every person who supported the big hole in the ground.

Downtown Lexington KY demolished an entire city block of historic buildings when a develop promised a big, TRANSFORMATIONAL multi-use development.

Four years later, they had a nice grassy field to look at.





Eight years later they had a hole in the ground after a second developed backed out after digging the hole and getting no further. The city sued to have them fill the hole after pulling out and leaving it.