North Coast Master Plan: Cleveland’s vision to connect downtown to the lakefront

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - It was early in the twentieth century when city of Cleveland leaders proposed The Group Plan of 1903.

It was the first of many plans, more than a dozen, that came and went – all with the goal, in some form or fashion, of re-developing and connecting Cleveland to its lakefront.

The 1903 Group Plan actually delivered in one respect in that it succeeded in developing what we know as the mall, the downtown park that runs from St. Clair Avenue to north of Lakeside Avenue, but did not meet its goal of connecting the center city to the lakefront.

Unfortunately that goal has never been met, in fact subsequent plans, specifically the 1946 Cleveland Lakefront Plan: Downtown Section, made the disconnect between the center city and the lakefront even worse. ‘

That plan succeeded in getting the Shoreway built.

But now there is hope, and belief, at least from city hall, that a plan is in place, the North Coast Master Plan, and will be implemented to make Cleveland a true lakefront city.

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb told 19 News by the first quarter of next year that 90% of the Master Plan will be complete.

That includes a decision, a major one, on what to do, if anything about the Shoreway.

The mayor also said that by this time next year, the goal is to have a developer picked and working through the initial stages of re-development.

‘We have a historic amount of both federal and state funding available for transformative infrastructure projects like the work we’re pursuing, not just on the lakefront but on the riverfront as well,” Bibb said.

It is the Shoreway decision that many people are watching, wondering how the area around the Stadium, Rock Hall and Science Center can be re-developed with cars and trucks zooming by at fifty miles an hour, or faster.

A land bridge has been proposed, that will be the connector to the city from The Mall, that will enable people from downtown to walk over the Shoreway and the rail road tracks to the lakefront.

The controversy comes due to the consideration being given to rebuild the Shoreway as a 35 MPH boulevard.

Slowing traffic though that area will not be popular with people trying to get to Lakewood from the east and downtown.

But there are many people who believe that transforming the Shoreway to a boulevard is a must to re-make the area as an extension of downtown Cleveland, which is ultimately the goal of the project.

The project details and the ability to navigate those discussions will be an enormous piece to determining if this is finally the plan that can connect the core city to the lakefront.

The mayor believes this is the time and this is the plan. He said the right decisions will be made to keep the project on track.

“We really have to make sure we have the right plan in place that is going to prioritize density, a walkable environment for bikes and pedestrians but also we want to make sure there is vibrancy where people feel safe to a restaurant or cafe,” he said.

Will this be the plan? One-hundred-twenty years after the first plan was introduced, it would seem it is time to finally find the elusive connection between our center city and our lakefront.