Now that the design is complete, many wonder why there aren’t more options and events on the city’s lakefront.
CLEVELAND – The 2021 NFL Draft is on the books, and with thousands of people arriving on the Cleveland coast for the three-day event, many are wondering why there are no more regular things to do on the edge of Lake Erie.
“Everything is set for a lakefront development in downtown Cleveland,” Dick Pace, president of Cumberland Development, told 3News. “People love to be on the water.”
Pace was involved in the development of the Nuevo Modern Mexican & Tequila Bar and the port verandas and also had the development rights for the 20 hectare property north of the FirstEnergy Stadium and prepared for the groundbreaking last year. However, he says, the mayor had a change of heart at the time.
“All that was needed was a building permit,” Pace claimed. “We had the funding, we had the tenants, and we were ready to go. It’s sad. There’s no need to put it on hold unless the mayor doesn’t want it to happen now.”
Mayor Frank G. Jackson’s office did not respond to a comment today, but City Council President Kevin Kelley (himself a candidate for mayor) says the city doesn’t want to rush through the development of a piece of land. Instead, they want a master plan for the entire area.
“I think if this great vision comes along that will bring public access to the lake, housing and green space, and really allowing people to enjoy this great asset, we will achieve it,” said Kelley.
Pace disagrees with the idea and says that waiting for the perfect plan will miss the city. He also argues that every plan involves more or less the same thing.
“They all resonate with the same thing: mixed-use development,” said Pace. “Let people live, work and play there.”
The other problem that continues to arise is the Burke Lakefront airport and how it feeds into the concept. While many wonder why the city isn’t just closing it down and building it there, Kelley says there are good reasons.
“Burke is an old landfill, and it’s a landfill that was created when they burned the garbage,” he said. “It was also a landfill.
“We looked at this and looked into this option. It’s just too soft and polluting. That’s before you even get into the FAA and airport problems.”
Regardless of how the lakefront ultimately turns out, everyone agrees that the NFL draft gave us some insight into what is possible. It’s an idea that has been in the works for a while, but now it seems the city is up to speed and may be on the verge of making a choice.
“Everyone wants this to happen,” said Pace. “It just takes political will.”
“We can definitely do more to connect our people to our lakefront,” added Kelley. “It’s a great asset and our employees deserve it.”
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