2013 July

31 Jul: Engage at our On-Line Open House

We have had over 100 people attend our first two Open Houses.  Today we will be in Ashtabula and Willowick!  The complete schedule of the remaining eight open houses is listed below.  The Vibrant NEO Open Houses have also been featured in the Vindicator,The Plain Dealer, Youngstown Business Journal, the Canton Repository,  the News Herald, the Tribune-Chronicle, and Freshwater Cleveland.    As part of the Vibrant NEO Engagement Plan, we are committed to providing a variety of ways to engage you in the scenario planning process.  We know that some of you may not be able to make the open houses but your voice is still important to us.  We have created an on-line tool for you to learn about the scenarios and share your thoughts and opinions. Please visit our On-Line Open House where you can explore the alternative scenarios through video, image galleries and materials.  A comment space has been included so you can…

29 Jul: Today kicks off the next round of Vibrant NEO Open Houses

Today kicks off the next round of Vibrant NEO Open Houses where we will look at Alternative Scenarios – different potential futures for Northeast Ohio – that could result from different choices. These are critically important discussions.  The entire Vibrant NEO process is an attempt to help the residents of Northeast Ohio define what we want for the future, and then determine what choices we need to make in order to get to the future.  The first round of workshops in early May helped to define a baseline for discussion – i.e. what will Northeast Ohio look like in 2040 is we continue our currents trends.  (You can learn more about these findings here.) We gathered input from residents at those workshops, and later through ImagineMyNEO, our online planning tool which is still open for use.  That input has helped us create Alternative Scenarios that you can view and discuss at our Open…

24 Jul: Vibrant NEO 2040: Northeast Ohio’s Opportunity

NEOSCC AND VIBRANTNEO 2040 We often receive questions about what our initiative is about.  Here are thirteen facts about VIBRANTNEO 2040 and the opportunity for Northeast Ohio. Our open houses are less than a week away, join the conversation.  Details on locations and times can be found here. VIBRANTNEO IS A LOCAL INITIATIVE. NEOSCC is made up of local governments, agencies, and organizations from across Northeast Ohio that have come together to create a means to work together toward goals for Northeast Ohio that we all share.  All decisions to accept, pursue and implement VibrantNEO 2040 will need to be made at the local level, through our region’s Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Councils of Government, and our County, Municipal, Village, and Township governments. VIBRANTNEO 2040 WILL BE A VISION BASED ON SHARED VALUES. Developing VibrantNEO 2040 is an opportunity for Northeast Ohioans to explore the region’s long-term development patterns and think…

23 Jul: Check out what’s coming up this summer with All Aboard Ohio!

Join “All Aboard Ohio” on Aug. 8 for “TOD on Tap” tour!   Register today for All Aboard Ohio’s “TOD on Tap“ — an educational bar hop by rail transit in Cleveland on Thursday, August 8th, from 5-9 p.m. Come hear from developers and transit planners who are rebuilding an Ohio city by uniting higher-level transit transit services like rail and bus rapid transit with walkable, mixed use Transit Oriented Development (TOD). Space is limited, so please register early! Itinerary & Speakers 5:00 p.m. — Shaker Square, Zanzibar Soul Fusion, 13225 Shaker Square (NE Corner); Speakers: Peter Rubin, President/CEO Coral Co., and Maribeth Feke, Director, Planning & Programming, Greater Cleveland RTA. RIDE BLUE/WATERFRONT LINES (no transfer required) 6:30 p.m. — Flats East Bank, Aloft Hotel Riveria BC/Lago, 1111 West 10th Street; Speaker: Harley Cohen, Owner’s Rep, Harlan & Associates. RIDE WATERFRONT/GREEN/RED LINES (transfer at Tower City Center) 8:30 p.m. — Uptown/UC, Constantino’s Market (balcony meeting area), 11473…

19 Jul: 2013 Sustainable Cleveland Photo Contest

This post is on behalf of Sustainable Cleveland 2019… click to view full postcard  click to view flyer  From the Sustainable Cleveland website… Overview            Sustainable Cleveland 2019 is a 10-year initiative that engages people from all walks of life, working together to build a thriving and resilient green city on a blue lake. You are invited to submit up to two photos that highlight how this vision is being made a reality in Cleveland. You are encouraged to submit photos that relate to the Sustainable Cleveland celebration topics and key areas for climate action, including: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Local Foods Waste Reduction and Resource Conservation Clean Water Sustainable Mobility Vibrant Green Space Vital Neighborhoods and People Public Health Awards 1st place: $1000 cash award and framed photoAmateur category 2nd place: $500 cash award and framed photo 3rd place: $250 cash award and framed photo Youth category 1st place:…

17 Jul: Celebrating rolling successes – AMATS’ 2013 Bike-N-Brainstorms

So far in 2013, AMATS has hosted two successful Bike-N-Brainstorm rides – one in Kent in April and another in Green in June.  The agency’s Bike-N-Brainstorms are an innovative way that the agency uses to gain public insight as to what should be done to improve biking in the Greater Akron area. A Bike-N-Brainstorm is a group bike ride along key corridors so that cyclists may experience firsthand what it’s like to bike there.  At the end of their ride, group members participate in a brainstorming session with agency personnel to share their ideas as to what can be done to improve bike travel within the area. The Kent Bike-N-Brainstorm began April 20 at the new Kent Central Gateway in downtown Kent.  Sixty-two attendees braved morning snow showers to travel a 5-mile route through various parts of Kent.  The ride highlighted future bike projects in the city, such as the addition of…

15 Jul: Imagine My NEO Engagement Events Continue

We have been enjoying our visits to different areas of Northeast Ohio, and appreciate the feedback from residents so far! We will be continuing our travels and engagement in the upcoming weeks. Please look out for us at these upcoming events: (Images of a few previous events: Akron Aeros Game, Mahoning Valley River Fest, Youngstown Summer Festival of the Arts) July 18: Akron Zoo from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. July 18: Elyria Summer Concert on the Square from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm July 19: Cleveland Zoo from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. July 20: Haymakers Farmers’ Market, Kent from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. July 24: Richfield Library from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. July 24: Lemon Grove, Youngstown from 5 p.m.- 7 p.m. July 26 and 27: Burning River Festival, Cleveland from 6 p.m. – 11 p.m. July 28: Community Parade, Canton at 2:30p.m. August 4: Thistledown Racino…

11 Jul: Daisy Plants itself in Wooster

From The Daily Record by Bobby Warren  “Months of speculation regarding whether an agbioscience company would locate here officially ended Monday when the state’s tax credit authority granted Daisy Brand, a maker of sour cream and cottage cheese, incentives. Until Monday, local leaders would only refer to the pending Daisy deal as Project Cream. It all began with a cold call in May 2012. The Wayne Economic Development Council received a call from the company. There had been a search in the Great Lakes region for a new plant site because of the strong presence of dairy farms and dairy market, said Shawn Starlin, a project manager for WEDC. States that were being considered included Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Company officials did their homework, Starlin said. In determining who to call, they looked at dairy statistics. Wayne County far exceeds all Ohio counties with its production of 600 million pounds…

08 Jul: Register Now for the Vibrant NEO Open Houses!

Join us for the next round of Vibrant NEO Open Houses where we will look at Alternative Scenarios – different potential futures for Northeast Ohio – that could result from different choices. The VibrantNEO process puts you in charge of Northeast Ohio’s future. What will our communities look like, how successful will our economy be, and how much will it likely cost us if we keep our current policies and approaches to land use, transportation and development in place? What would the alternative futures look like if they change? We need your help to define what we value and what choice Northeast Ohioans want to make for our future. We can only answer these questions together!   Pick a date and location that’s most convenient for you and join us for a Vibrant NEO Open House where you can learn about and help choose among different possible futures for our region. The open house format will…

02 Jul: So What Did the Business As Usual Scenario Tell Us?

During our 1st round of Workhops, we presented the Business As Usual Scenario.  The question the Business As Usual Scenario poses is: “What will happen over the next 27 years if Northeast Ohio just keeps doing what it has been doing?” Our projection of “big picture” trends from 2010-2040 for Northeast Ohio show: Population – Northeast Ohio will experience 2.4% growth in population across its 12 counties, which equals 3,100 net new residents in the region each year. Employment – Northeast Ohio will experience 6.2% growth in employment across the 12 counties, which equals 3,600 net new jobs in the region each year. Northeast Ohio’s land usagewill change: 121,500 acres will be used for new parks and land conservancy. 92,500 acres will be used for new development. 77,100 acres of property will be abandoned. What does the Business As Usual Scenario tell us? Northeast Ohio is on pace to abandon…