The city of Cleveland is using community feedback to finalize plans for the North Coast Lakefront, expected to be released January 2024.
The master plan includes renovating 20 acres of land north of the Cleveland Browns Stadium and creating the North Coast Connector, a land bridge that will allow people to reach the Lake Erie lakefront by walking or biking. The connector will link Downtown to the lakefront including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center.
James Corner Field Operations, the landscape architecture firm leading the project, presented a 60% draft of the North Coast Master Plan Monday. It addressed ideas shared in the 4,000 surveys collected since the city started asking residents for input in May. Among the top priorities submitted were lakeside dining, festivals, arts and culture events and a sand beach.
These priorities are manifested in the master plan through its vision and values, said Lisa Switkin, a partner at James Corner Field Operations. The plan heavily emphasizes green spaces and sustainability, water access and preservation, community spaces and economic development.
The presence of a market, boutique hotel, and several small businesses will promote economic growth, and a multi-model transit hub will help people access the lakefront through a variety of ways, Switkin said. She added that a sense of community will be encouraged through activity areas such as places for children to play, basketball courts, an ice rink, an amphitheater and more.
Other features are connected to the area’s history.
The lakefront area is native land, Switkin said, and the wetland highlighted in the most recent iteration of the plan is designed to provide ecological healing to the land.
The goal of the project is to create a feeling of interconnectedness between the city and the lake, said Cleveland Director of City Planning Joyce Pan Huang.
During the Q&A following the presentation, some residents questioned how the project will be paid for.
Huang said the city is prepared to apply for federal and state funding in addition to pursuing fundraising and grants.
Community members wanting to share their feedback before plans are finalized can do so online throughout November.
