The Bulk Storage Problem
Making Sense of Land Use in the Valley
by Ryan Mackenzie
CUDC Quarterly, 3:2 - Summer, 2003

More than 150 acres of precious urban riverfront in Cleveland are dominated by the industrial storage and distribution of bulk materials. Gravel, limestone, cement and other materials are brought from across the Great Lakes by ship and offloaded by conveyor to sites scattered along several miles of precious Cuyahoga edge.

Much of the material is loaded onto dumptrucks, and all too often those heavily-loaded vehicles wend their way through neighborhood streets in search of a direct route to the region’s interstate highway system. The residential nuisance of noise, vibration and dust, the danger of heavy trucks on local streets, and the rapid deterioration of the roads themselves create perpetual quality-of-life complaints in neighborhoods such as Tremont, Ohio City and Clark-Metro.

The businesses and the city have tried for years to develop a proposal for a dedicated truck route. This new road would whisk truckers along the river from their scattered origins to the interstate network without requiring any travel through residential neighborhoods.

New industrial-strength roads don¹t come cheap, however, and this "West Bank Connector" would compete for limited state and federal funds with a variety of other civic infrastructure priorities, including proposals to "boulevard " the Shoreway and to soften the community impact of the Innerbelt freeway.

Meanwhile, there is an alternative that would address much of the truck traffic problem. Rather than attempting to serve many scattered bulk storage sites along miles of riverfront, why not consolidate bulk materials storage in a single location in close proximity to direct highway access? With the end of steel production on ISG’s west bank property, there may be an opportunity to do just that.

Several shipping companies own their riverfront land, and could stand to profit by selling or transforming it into more lucrative and community-enhancing development. But sending ships farther up our crooked river would undoubtedly increase transportation costs for some, while others may be unwilling to trade their land ownership for the uncertainty of a dock lease.

The social, economic and environmental benefits to the community could be immense. What kind of deal might compel these owners to relocate?

Ryan Mackenzie manages transportation projects for Ecocity Cleveland. He is also president of the Cleveland Waterfront Coalition. There is more on this topic at www.ecocitycleveland.org.