Cleveland residents met with Mayor Justin Bibb and leaders of the North Coast Connector Project Thursday to share their ideas on the best way to improve access to the city’s lakefront, and ways to bridge the divide.
The mayor’s town hall, the first in a series of open discussions with residents, is a part of Cleveland’s North Coast Lakefront Connector Feasibility Study, which aims to find ways to improve resident mobility and access to the Lake Erie shoreline.
“For a long time, our lakefront has been the dividing line in our city: East Side, West Side, Black, white,” Bibb said. “And I truly believe that as we write this next chapter in Cleveland story for our lakefront, we have an historic opportunity to finally get it right.”
The transformative master plan spans 150 acres around North Coast Harbor, approximately bounded by East 18th Street, West 6th Street, Lake Erie and Lakeside Avenue, according to the city’s request for proposals.
At least 60 acres are reserved for the Lakefront Connector project which proposes a park-like pedestrian land bridge that would stretch over the Downtown Cleveland’s railroads and Shoreway to connect Mall C and City Hall to the lakefront.
The project would allow residents and visitors to access some of the city’s landmarks, like the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and FirstEnergy Stadium, by biking or walking while also creating more greenspace for community gatherings and economic development.
“As the mayor mentioned, reconnecting Cleveland to the lakefront is a top priority for this administration,” Cleveland’s Chief Strategy Officer Bradford Davy said. “The impetus for this project is now to fully and finally, finally realize all of these visions and collect our downtown to our lakefront, open up more land, more equitable opportunity, and more ways to access our water, not just downtown, but also throughout our neighborhoods.”
During the town hall, attendees were able to view four potential plans for what the project could look like. The first, option A, showed the area with no change.
Option B proposes the land bridge over the Shoreway, maintaining the road as a highway.
"Traffic pretty much operates the same, except pedestrians and bicyclists have this new land bridge that they can make that connection," Project Manager for Cleveland's Office of Capital Project Annie Pease said. " The land use doesn't change that significantly, outside of the bridge itself would be an incredible new park and greenspace."
Option C proposes the land bridge in the same location, but would convert the Shoreway below into a boulevard with intersections, traffic lights, crosswalks and driveways.
"[The Shoreway] would function and look more like streets on the city grid," Pease said. "This would change how traffic operates and would also change the land use adjacent to that boulevard."
Option D proposes the same land bridge but with the Shoreway removed entirely, meaning a very different traffic pattern in the area, which provides more land for other uses, Pease said.
After viewing the options, those in attendance had 45 minutes to work with members of their table along with a table lead to answer a questionnaire and discuss which option would work best. They could also consider combining parts from each option.
Table lead and Cleveland resident Nickol Calhoun said the participants at her table came from a variety of backgrounds, which allowed them to discuss a range of thoughts and experiences.
“We all started from different walks of life and different pathways,” she said, “and it was really wonderful to see them all come together and really express themselves in a … candid way.”
Calhoun said her table favored option C, which proposed building a land bridge and converting the Shoreway to a boulevard.
“You can actually activate the street and have people walking on the streets, enjoying the streets,” she said. “And then enjoying the programing that would come along with some type of business opportunities and development opportunities that will come along with that.”
Malek Abumeri, a Cleveland resident who said he came with an open mind to see what the solution could look like, said his table also leaned toward option C “to have more greenspace, more walkability,” “but at the same time … balancing that with traffic and connecting an east and west side of Cleveland,” he said.
When the city decides on a solution, Abumeri said he hopes they will find a solution that benefits a variety of residents, from commuters and downtown residents to those on the East Side and the West Side.
“So, [I’m] just looking to get something done so we can utilize Shoreway, … increase economic development and actually utilize the Shoreway to its fullest potential,” he said.
Cleveland resident Jeff Barge said his table questioned what would be at the end of the bridge, and if visitors would even use it.
“On Twitter everyone says downtown is deserted, so I don't know who's going to be crossing that bridge if there's no people downtown,” he said. “I would love to see huge fountains and huge water features and even a big ferris wheel.”
Barge said he felt inspired to see so much motivation put into this project, and hopes to see it applied to other areas of the city.
“It’s great to see such ambition,” he said. “I’d love to see it focused on other areas of the city, too, and have us convene and figure out what to do with Slavic Village and Collinwood, and keep it going.”
The city’s divide with the lakefront began in the mid-1800s, Davy said, with the construction of railroad tracks between Cleveland and Lake Erie. Since then, the city has tried to figure out a way to solve the problem.
“There's many, many ways that we can achieve this goal,” Davy said, “but we most certainly need your help and your thoughts in how to do it.”
The idea for improved lakefront access with a land bridge was proposed to city council by Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee in May 2021 and Cleveland began its feasibility study that fall. The city began it’s search for a consultant team in September 2022 to help bring its master plan to life, and stopped accepting requests for proposals on October 17.
As part of the study, there will be five listening sessions during the month of November from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Those interested in attending can register online at clevelandnorthcoast.com.
Calhoun encouraged Cleveland residents and those living in the city’s suburbs to come out and have their voices heard by an administration that she said is willing to listen.
“One thing about this administration is they're showing that they're different,” she said. “So, come out and talk about your lake. And that's really what Mayor Bibb is talking about. It's our lake.”
The dates and locations for the upcoming town halls are:
November 10, 2022
Zelma George Recreation Center
3155 Martin Luther King Jr Dr., Cleveland, OH 44104
November 15, 2022
Collinwood Recreation Center
16300 Lakeshore Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44110
November 16, 2022
Saint Joseph Academy
3470 Rocky River Dr., Cleveland, OH 44111
November 17, 2022
Estabrook Recreation Center
4125 Fulton Rd., Cleveland, OH 44144
November 29, 2022
Church of Christ at the Blvd.
8837 St. Clair Ave., Cleveland, OH 44108
