CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam have spoken for years about the need to connect the lakefront – FirstEnergy Stadium, the Great Lakes Science Center and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – to downtown Cleveland.
On Monday they officially unveiled a vision to do just that.
At the heart of the proposal commissioned by the Haslam Sports Group is a land bridge to be built over the railroad tracks and Rt. 2 to connect Mall C with the lakefront as well as multiple buildings to be built north and southeast of the stadium.
“We appreciate the opportunity to help further Mayor Jackson’s vision for properly connecting downtown to Cleveland’s greatest natural resource, the lake,” Dee and Jimmy Haslam said. “Lakefront connectivity has long been a complicated issue for our region, and a long-term solution has been elusive. Our preliminary vision, led by a landscape architect with experience around the world, intends to create a transformational pedestrian pathway unlocking public spaces and significant development opportunities on the lakefront. It would create year-round destinations accessible to our entire region, provide direct connections to nature and result in substantial economic development while driving density and engagement in the lakefront neighborhood our community shares. We recognize that there is a long road ahead for a project of this magnitude. Still, it must start with a vision, which will be appropriately studied, vetted and modified based on input from community stakeholders.”
Preparations for the 2021 NFL Draft, which included the demolition of warehouses north of FirstEnergy Stadium, rekindled long-talked about conversations about how to finally develop the lakefront.
The City has applied to the Ohio Department of Transportation for federal funding through a Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) application. The funding would allow for the City to conduct studies and assessments, as well as a public engagement and input process, to ensure the logistical viability of the proposed plans.
TRAC finalists will be announced July 14 and recipients will be announced August 25.
“We greatly appreciate the City’s leadership and commitment to transforming the Lakefront and look forward to supporting the City as it engages in a community dialogue to understand better what is best for our region,” the Haslams said. “We support the city’s TRAC application for funding to study this initial vision and are grateful for the positive reactions we’ve received so far as we’ve shared preliminary details with stakeholders whose support will be critical for a concept like this to become a successful reality for all.”
The Browns worked closely with Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects to create renderings for the proposed project in consultation with Osborn Engineering, AoDK Architecture and CallisonRTK.
In April 2012 the city of Cleveland planning commission approved a massive development plan for the lakefront, including zoning for construction of six buildings north of FirstEnergy Stadium ranging in size from 10 floors on the west side to five floors on the east side, to accommodate FAA flight paths for Burke Lakefront Airport.
“This is all about the connectivity of Cleveland to its major asset, which is water,” Mayor Frank Jackson said in 2014. “It’s about how do we develop our waterfront in a way that maintains its public nature — so no one owns it and so it’s still accessible to the public, but also creates the economic vitality that we need to move Cleveland to the next stage.”
Renderings of the proposed development are below.
