FOR CONSIDERATION - CUDC Quarterly 2:2 - Spring 2002

A New Street on the Lakefront

Late last year, Cleveland Tomorrow and the Greater Cleveland Growth Association released a proposal for turning Cleveland’s Shoreway into a "Lakefront Boulevard." The goal of the project is to allow connections to the lakefront by removing the barrier the current freeway presents. This plan showed two important things, that the project is feasible from an engineering point of view and that the removal of marginal roads and ramps would free up a lot of valuable land for new uses. But the initial plan–perhaps not wanting to get ahead of things–shows flat green expanses on all of these sites. In fact, not all of this land is suitable for the same use, and at least some of it will need to be redeveloped in ways that add to the city’s tax base

What mix of uses belongs on the lakefront and what form should those uses take so that they begin to bind the lakefront back into the fabric of Cleveland? These issues will need to be studied thoroughly to achieve maximum economic benefit (which the city desperately needs) and maximum public access to the lakefront (which everyone wants).

There will certainly be some new parklands, and this means that the new road will need to be coordinated with a re-launching and expansion of the Cleveland Lakefront State Park. Edgewater Park shouldn’t be the only model for the new parks, though its heavy use suggests that this type of park has an important role. Also we shouldn’t be transfixed by the example of Chicago. The orientation and landscape of Chicago’s lakefront differ markedly from Cleveland’s. Shouldn’t the design solutions differ as well?

The term "boulevard" has already been attached to the proposed street, but that may be premature. While the new street will most likely have a landscaped median, it passes through a variety of environments, ranging from the glittering object buildings of North Coast Harbor, to warehouse buildings near the bridge approaches (which will still be elevated), to industrial and port activities on Whiskey Island. In addition, the new road will be at the crest or foot of the lakeshore bluff for much of its length. All of this suggests that the lakeshore "drive" should be more specific and memorable than a typical boulevard. Can we hope for signage, lighting and public art that work with the industrial and commercial parts of the lakefront, highlighting shipping and the like? Would it be possible to use vegetation native to the Lake Erie shore to reconstitute aspects of the natural lakefront?

It ought to go without saying, but the new street needs to be multi-modal. Traffic will still be heavy and potentially quite fast, even with the new intersections and signals. Will thought be given to ways in which the automobile can accomodate other forms of transit, especially the cyclists who will certainly flock to the new route?

Finally, the major justification for downgrading the Shoreway is access, but even with the freeway gone, there will be substantial obstacles to lakefront access. In many areas rail lines must be crossed. Also, the terrain is far from level. The design challenge at each of the new access points is different, and it will take some real invention to make each of them convenient, safe and delightful. Fail in this and the whole massive enterprise begins to look pretty questionable.