Regardless of whether or not New York City can move on building their own medical based product center should be besides the point. Cleveland's own Medical Product Center (or Medical Mart if one were to be so inclined) deal is still burdened with a seemingly hidden agenda and frightening indecision. The county commissioners, regrettably with an obviously horrible track record when it comes to attempts to revitalize downtown Cleveland, are currently saddled with making a decision in an abhorrent vacuum of any relevant input.
Cleveland has a sad history of turning it's back on large scale masterplans that may have at least created the backbone for a coherent urban plan. As the current economic "crisis" (to mild a term to state it without the quotes) have already put an incredible burden on Wolstein's flats projectenough to perhaps make it an impossibility, Cleveland needs to re-evaluate our goals.
We are currently paying for the Medical Mart, a complex and ideal that makes fiscal sense in theory. Our main burden is finding a suitable site that works for the city and not just a quick fix that may please a few old friends or private investors. I would hope that in lieu of the County's recent debacles they would make their options and reasons for choices a little more transparent. It may be too late to get the proper input from the proper authorities (urban/city planners, convention/tourism/hospitality experts, financial/tax experts, etc. for a project of this scope and nature (I don't really think it is, I just find it extremely sad that this input was lacking in the first place) but it isn't too late to start listening to actual experts now instead of the fellas from the local bar.
I mean, just hearing how quickly New York City is moving on this should be pointing out the obvious. That without the right people in the right places our decision making process is unduly, ridiculously elongated and inherently flawed.
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