The city of Cleveland released two studies looking at the economic impact of Burke Lakefront Airport last week as officials consider what to do with the municipally operated air terminal situated along the lake just east of Downtown.
The economic studies looked at a few different scenarios when it came to keeping or getting rid of the airport, Jeff Epstein, Cleveland’s chief integrated development officer, said Monday on the Sound of Ideas, Ideastream Public Media's public policy radio show.
“We looked at a minimal development scenario with a bunch of sports fields, a few small buildings,” Epstein said. “We looked at a maximum development scenario that had a couple of hundred apartments, a hotel and some commercials. Then we looked at a hybrid, where we kept the airport and did some development in the western half.”
The maximum development scenario is projected to have a $92 million impact, when the current impact is only $77 million, according to Epstein.
“This was an exercise, not to say this is what’s going to happen but to say ‘Hey, if we look at the cost-benefit of closing Burke, could this make sense?’” Epstein said.
The economic impact of the airport is relatively small, Epstein said.
“It’s about $76.6 million a year based on some assumptions about the businesses that are there,” Epstein said. “We believe that the vast majority of that, close to $67 million will remain in Cuyahoga County if Burke were to close.”
Though there might be a lot of advantages to the airport closing, the Airport Layout Plan Narrative Report said there are some disadvantages as well.
“There are a lot of non-airport related businesses that are located there, so obviously they like the lakefront location,” said Steven Litt, a former art and architecture critic at the Plain Dealer. “The city, I understand from reading these reports, would like to negotiate some of the leases with the companies that use the airport.”
The release of the reports is the most recent happening in a conversation that’s been ongoing for more than two decades, Litt said.
“This has been a staple of discussion,” he said. “I would say under this administration, led by Mayor Bibb, the city has pushed this conversation on the lakefront further than at any time that I can remember. So, we’re getting closer.”
Bibb called the studies “crucial to understand the feasibility and potential benefits of transforming Burke Lakefront Airport into a space that better serves our community,” in a media release.
“The findings have reinforced my long-held belief that closing Burke is both possible and economically advantageous for Cleveland,” he said.
No final decision on what to do with the airport has been made.