Waterfront Development Projects in Ohio’s Major Cities

Ohio’s three largest cities—Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati—have devised strategic urban developments geared toward revamping their waterfronts, with aspirations of boosting local quality of life and economic growth.

Cleveland – Lakefront Development Plan

This past June, Cleveland City Council approved legislation for its long-anticipated lakefront development project. The primary objective is to enhance accessibility of the city’s waterfront.

Dick Pace of Cumberland TCC, LCC, the developer, is expected to build about 1,000 apartments, 80,000 square feet of commercial office space, and 40,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space on 21 acres of the lakefront. The construction will occur in phases so that each section of the new development complements construction taking place in the downtown.

The plan capitalizes on existing anchor institutions, such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Great Lakes Science Museum, and the Browns stadium, to attract visitors to the lake and leaves space for future development—such as hotels, restaurants, and shops—as the phases of the project advance over time. While the city is funding portions of the project with public funds, the hope is that private investors will be drawn to the area and develop along the lakefront once the infrastructure is in place.

To accommodate affordable housing, Pace said that local public servants, such as teachers and police officers, who wish to live in the neighborhood will be granted reduced rent. He also mentioned that the project will honor a Community Benefits Agreement that assures that Pace will employ local apprentices from Cleveland’s Max Hayes High School and give homegrown firms a chance to work on the project.

Cleveland’s lakefront development project is strategically devised to generate more revenue, attract businesses, promote exposure, boost local quality of life, and increase the volume of tourism in the city.

Columbus – Scioto Greenways Project

Planning for the redevelopment of Columbus’ downtown riverfront has been underway for the past two decades, with exciting progress taking place within the last several years. In April of 2012, the City of Columbus and Franklin County—which are major land owners on the Scioto Peninsula—asked the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation to develop a strategic land use plan for the peninsula. The idea of the Scioto Greenways project was first introduced during the public process leading up to the generation of the 2010 Downtown Strategic Plan.

The Scioto Greenways project, which is estimated to cost $35.5 million and is being funded by numerous public and private partners, involves three primary components that will revamp the area around the river. Those three components are:

1. removing the Main Street Dam,
2. restoring the Scioto River channel, and
3. creating 33 acres of new green space.

The Main Street Dam was removed in late 2013, restoring the natural flow of the river and improving the ecological systems and river habitat. The riverbanks and river channel are currently under construction, but once they are completed, they will provide new recreation options and the opportunity to build upon existing investments in the area through the creation of a stunning 33-acre greenway through downtown Columbus.

This project will better connect Downtown Columbus to the Scioto Peninsula and East Franklinton by expanding on recent park investment, creating links to the existing regional bikeway system, and catalyzing further private investment in the urban core.

Cincinnati – The Banks

Downtown Cincinnati’s riverfront between the Great American Ball Park and Paul Brown Stadium is in the midst of a  transformation. The Banks development project is turning 18 acres of undeveloped riverfront land along the Ohio River into a dynamic mixed-use “Live, Work, Play” destination.

The Banks project is part of a riverfront strategic development plan that was originally unveiled in the ‘90s. The development will incorporate residential units, office space, as well as dining, leisure and entertainment venues and will connect Cincinnati’s downtown to the waterfront via a 45-acre Riverfront Park.

Atlanta-based companies Carter and The Dawson Company, along with their capital partner USAA Real Estate Company, have been leading the development as a joint venture since 2007. The City of Cincinnati partnered with Hamilton County to provide infrastructure for the site, including a multi-modal transit facility, parking garages, street grid improvements, and utilities.

In late 2009, Phase I construction began by adding luxury apartments and street-level restaurants that opened in 2011, and further street-level retail that opened throughout 2012 and 2013. Ongoing development, which will include more residential, retail, hotel and office sites, will be completed in phases throughout a ten to fifteen year time frame.

The project is expected to add around $600 million in investment and around 1,000 permanent jobs to the local economy, according to a recent study. Already, the development is attracting new national retailers and residents to Cincinnati, which demonstrates the power of waterfront redevelopment as an asset for local quality of life and economic growth.

The waterfront revitalization projects in Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati are expected to increase property values, encourage private investment, and contribute to vibrant communities, while improving connectivity between these cities and their beautiful water assets.

The Launch of the Northeast Ohio Green Map

When I arrived at my desk after the launch party for the Northeast Ohio Green Map, there was a letter waiting for me. I opened it with some degree of excitement (my name and address were handwritten – always a good sign) and found inside a thank you note from one of the attendees of the event that attracted dozens interested in mapping the region’s sustainability assets online.

The note, the turnout and the feedback at the launch party made me feel as though what we are working on here is, in fact, needed and rejoiced as a tool for community asset mapping in Northeast Ohio. What an extraordinary feeling to have after working on something that you believe in.

During the event, the back room of the Treehouse shrank as people continued to pour in during the presentation, and I was relieved that the bar didn’t have as limited a supply of beer as we had of Edison’s pizza.

Click to view the presentation

Origin and Future of the Collaborative Campus Project

Eleven months ago, over seven hundred people from diverse sectors and industries came together for three days to talk about making Cleveland a more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable city over the course of the next ten years.  Those three days were named the Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Summit.

During the summit, participants divided into over twenty-one working groups in which they would address vacant land, transportation, local food systems, education, healthcare, renewable energy, business innovation and much more.  One of those working groups came to be known as the Collaborative Campus.

Although almost a year has passed since the original summit, many groups have struggled to find the resources necessary to move toward immediate action.  The Collaborative Campus Project, however, is underway.

The Collaborative Campus Project

The Collaborative Campus Project is a partnership between Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), Cleveland State University (CSU), Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA), and Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) to link the pursuit of “world class sustainability education” to the context of a sustainable neighborhood.  They came to the realization that healthy neighborhoods strengthen institutions as much as institutions strengthen their surrounding communities.

Brite Winter Festival

Hi.  This Saturday, from 5-10pm, the Brite Winter Festival is taking over Hart Crane Memorial Park and it’s my opinion that you should be there.

Here’s what’s going down:

Song for the Innerbelt Bike Path

Check this out.

Click here to read more about this important issue.

“Hope, Seeds and Concrete”

This movie by Heifer International demonstrates how they are working towards bringing urban agriculture and sustainable food system education to cities around the US.

Here in Cleveland, the movie Polycultures describes our local food system that is doing similar things to jump start urban agriculture.  Here’s one of them.

Transforming Cleveland’s Public Square

If you ever come to downtown Cleveland, you know that Public Square is a bit dodgy.  One of my close friends is literally afraid to walk across Public Square at night because of the characters that line up along its four quadrants, waiting for buses (or not) while cars whiz by.  Even during the day, the people who spend quality time in Public Square are homeless.

And this is the focal point of our city.

But things are changing.  Hopefully.  Tonight, at CSU’s Maxine Goodman Levine College of Urban Affairs, local nonprofits ParkWorks and Downtown Cleveland Alliance are hosting an interactive public forum on three designs for transforming Cleveland’s Public Square.

The three proposals will be presented by James Corner, urban designer and landscape architect with James Corner Field Operations and the Kent State Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative. The forum will provide an opportunity for participants to view the plans, ask questions, share their ideas and discuss ways to make Public Square a gathering place connecting Cleveland’s downtown.

Transforming Public Square: Three Strategies for Enhancing Cleveland’s Civic Core

January 21, 2010 (today)
5:30 – 7:30 PM
Cleveland State University, Maxine Goodman Levine College of Urban Affairs Atrium (1717 Euclid Ave)

Additional information on the proposals is available the Downtown Cleveland Alliance’s website.

To see the designs, 

The Strength that Will Carry Momentum Forward

The following video by Graham Veysey summarizes the proceedings of the Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Summit hosted by Mayor Jackson.

I have heard multiple Clevelanders state their frustration about the lack of visible results that have come out of the Sustainable Cleveland 2019 Summit so far.  But what I say to them each time is that this is a 10 year project.  And we are responsible for the results.

Innerbelt Bridge Access for Everyone

A message brought to you from GreenCityBlueLake, Ohio City Bicycle Co-op, Cleveland Bikes and Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative:

“The Ohio Department of Transportation plans to build a new, $450 million I-90 bridge through downtown Cleveland.  Although all of us should be able to use it, the existing plans do not include pedestrian and cyclist access.  We need your help to change this.”

“Thirty highway bridges across the U.S. have safe and attractive bike and pedestrian amenities on them.  It can happen in Cleveland with your input.”

Let your public officials know you support access for all on the new bridge.  Here are three ways you can help:

1. Learn more about the issue, including important public hearings and who to contact, by logging on to www.gcbl.org/innerbelt
2. Send your comments in support to bridge@greencitybluelake.org and we’ll forward them to decision makers.
3. Or call ODOT Innerbelt Project Manager Craig Hebebrand at (216) 581-2100.

This is not just another road building project, this is an urban redevelopment.  To read more about why bicyclist and pedestrian access to this bridge is critical for creating a more sustainable Cleveland, and for a history of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s fight against the community’s request for a separated bike/pedestrian lane on the bridge, I highly recommend that you read GreenCityBlueLake’s articles on the subject.

We need your help to support this once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve Cleveland’s inner city quality of life and sustainability.

SustainLane’s Local Action Challenge – Most Active Cities

Cleveland is currently the second most active city in the nation on SustainLane’s Local Action Challenge.  With a whopping 284 points, we are beat only by Colorado Springs (which currently has 686 points).

SustainLane is hosting the Hopenhagen Local Action Challenge to empower people to be more environmentally responsible on the local level.  Cities set up their own challenges and residents take pictures of themselves completing the challenges for points and prizes.

The challenges that Cleveland has set up for itself include: Change a Light Bulb (or two), Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (& Compost), Use Less Water, Adjust your Thermostat, Spread the Word, Calculate your Carbon Footprint, Drive Less, Eat Lower on the Food Chain, Plant a Tree, and Buy Efficient Appliances.  These are all incredibly doable and we still have time to complete more challenges before the end of the contest!