The Mart is on the Mall

For now at least. (CLICK HERE for official site).

The highly anticipated and of course doubted, Medical Mart is planned to be built downtown, on the historic Mall site.

There is much debate about the site choice for the mart at odds with two other sites that were proposed...lets examine. I don't believe that any site would be a bad choice for this project, because it will be vital to the downtown and regional economy as long as it gets built. However, did the Commissioners and Jackson make the right choice?

The Flats- Since construction has been halted on the $522 Million (muh ha ha ha) Wolstein development plan; Not to mention, the party vibe (eh ehm Christie's Cabaret) and scenic space in the flats/river area, how well would a medical mart mesh in that type of area? For the long term visions of the flats and the medical mart respectively, I do not believe that the two can reach their full potential sharing the same space. Do Flats developers need anything else holding up their huge plan?

Tower City (Space owned by Forest City Enterprises)- Tower City is desgined partially underground, which would have made it easy to connect these two structures together and eliminate some work for the construction of the mart. Nevertheless, this was still not the most cost-efficient option. Many would argue that heightened cost in the long run would pay off since a medical mart/convention center must be connected to a hotel and ammeneties like dining and retail(which of course TC is). The downside to building near TC, is that the foundation and land is not pristine and may not be able to withstand its current structure, let alone a new structure, bearing down on it.

Bottom Line: The Mall location is in very close proximety to two beatiful hotels: The Marriot at Key Tower, and the Crowne Plaza. Also for about a $3 cab ride or 6 minute walk, there is also the Holiday Inn on Lakeside Ave. at a reasonable distance. The Galleria, one block away, has a food court, and causual dining resaurant. If you head west down St. Clair, you'll run into many upscale dining restaurants on W. 6th St. If Cleveland wants to be a real city, people are going to have to step out of their cars and invest in a good pair of shoes. If this is too steep of change, why not try the free RTA Trolley provided by Dollar Bank. The Trolley could also add a stop or line to accomodate the larger number of local commuters the mart will attract. This project should be praised for getting off the ground and picking a site that is practical and economical to fit the needs of our (hopefully) growing city. Remember, as a city changes and evolves, so must the community and its people.