Betting on a Downtown Resurgence

At least two plans have been proposed for a casino hotel adjacent to the upcoming Medical Mart. We've got Jeff Jacobs and Dan Gilbert tossing their names and influence into the ring. The way the story is being played out, we've only got one thing to do: Choose which of the two casino hotel plans we like better.

There is another option, of course: Decide that you don't want a casino hotel downtown at all.

If you select the latter option, you may be confronted with puzzled looks, as some might question, "Don't you want downtown to thrive?" Well naturally we all do, and it's high time that something new and exciting headed downtown. When the Medical Mart is built, there will be a great need for more hotels, restaurants and attractions.

But do we really need a casino to boost our popularity and viability? Will Cleveland actually make money with a casino? It's not necessarily a safe bet.

According to an August, 17, 2009 post on gamblingplanet.org, Las Vegas and Atlantic City have seen their revenues drop during the last few months. Detroit's Greektown Casino-Hotel is bankrupt. A Wall Street Journal article recently reported that 2008 revenues were down for two-thirds of the states that have legalized gambling.

Here's another potential problem with building a casino hotel next to the Medical Mart: It may discourage visitors from discovering the wonders of the city.

We all know that not enough attention is given nationally to the historic and cultural treasures around Cleveland. And if visitors are too busy stuffing quarters into a slot machine or betting on a game of poker, they're not going to find out about them. Think of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance Hall, The Rock Hall, The Great Lakes Science Center. What about Little Italy, Tremont, Ohio City? How about that lake that doesn't get enough use? Don't we want to flaunt what we've already got?

Perhaps this is naive. Not everyone who comes to Cleveland--and possibly no one who comes in the dead of January--is going to want to traverse the city looking for things to do. There certainly could be a chunk of people who would rather spend a few hours in a casino than getting blown up East Ninth Street trying to get to The Rock Hall. But isn't it possible to build something besides a casino next to the Medical Mart to will attract visitors and get them to send positive reports back to their home towns/countries?

A casino hotel may very well be on its way to Downtown Cleveland. In that case, the Medical Mart may want to consider a special wing for products and services that help gamblers break their habit.

Medical Mart, Schmedical Mart?

Driving forces behind the proposed Cleveland Medical Mart addressed fans and foes at an informational meeting in Cleveland Heights last Tuesday. I did not attend the meeting, so I don't know exactly how many attendees were for the project and how many were against. The Plain Dealer published an article that stated the concerns of several people who oppose the Medical Mart idea (http://www.cleveland.com/medical/index.ssf/2008/09/taxpayers_voice_skepticism_in.html).

The Sun Newspaper also has an article today quoting objectors.

One person said the question wasn't where the mart should be built, but whether it actually needed to be built at all. The same person stated that medical conventions are no longer necessary because of modern technology.

Others were concerned about the lack of taxation without representation, and expressed a desire to have a referendum on the mart put on the ballot.

The latter idea fits in with the democratic society in which we live, especially since taxpayers have already begun to foot the bill for the Medical Mart. 

The other concerns expressed at the Cleveland Heights meeting leave me trembling. Here we stand in a city that even many residents believe is dying, yet there is opposition to a plan that would generate revenue, jobs and credibility.

Cleveland is a world leader in biotechnology, and home to some of the most amazing hospitals and researchers on the planet. A Medical Mart would complete the package. Just as the Merchandise Mart draws people from around the country and around the globe to Chicago, the Medical Mart could do the same for Cleveland. 

Although modern technology is amazing, there still exists a need for people to meet face to face and to see products in person. And as these people gather at a mart, they need places to stay, eat and shop. Thus the greater impact to the community.

Understandably, some people may have a fear that the Medical Mart could fail. But opposing its construction creates two other fears that are perhaps even more dangerous: 

* The fear of trying something new

* The fear of doing anything at all

I grew up in a town that had those fears, and the results were devastating. When the steel mills closed in Youngstown, many people waited anxiously for them to return. Years were unfortunately wasted hoping for the city's once-great industrial power to return. New ideas for business never really materialized, although small strides were made along the way. Today, Youngstown is making a go of it with a business incubator and other efforts, but so much time has elapsed that older folks who remember the "good old days" of the steel mills sometimes feel Youngstown's time has come and gone.

Cleveland has a lot going for it, but it needs a lot more. The city needs a major attraction that can generate jobs, draw in visitors and stimulate the local economy. Fred Nance of the Greater Cleveland Partnership believes that a convention center for the "fastest growing industry in the country" would be a boon to the region.

Fear of the unknown is understandable. But if we don't do something new, if we don't do anything at all, we have a bigger dilemma to address: How can Cleveland grow its economy and go from being a fast-decaying city to the renaissance city it was just 10-15 years ago?

Personally, my biggest fear is that if the Medical Mart is rejected, many people may see only one other way to bring jobs and business to Cleveland: casinos. And that has me trembling all over again.