Reconnecting to the Water

The planning work for this system of public spaces began more than a year ago. The initial catalyst was to create a plan that would connect the separately planned private and public developments slated to occur in the Flats at the time (Flats East Bank, Stonebridge, Canal Basin Park, Wendy Park). The Reconnecting to the Water plan has immense value because it will serve densely populated existing neighborhoods and provide sorely needed green space access for residents of Lakeview Terrace and Riverview public housing estates while attracting new development.

BCbD and its partners have secured a large amount of funding to execute the plan. In the past six months, BCbD has:

• Obtained a Clean Ohio Greenspace grant for $1.3 million to acquire a portion of the Lake Link Trail. An additional $2.1 million in easements was granted by the property owner.
• Secured a commitment from the City of Cleveland for $100,000 to design more pedestrian-friendly sidewalks on the Willow Street Bridge
• Obtained a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and a match from the Wendy Park Foundation totaling $236,000 to complete design and engineering for the new pedestrian bridge

The map at the top of the page summarizes the funding obtained to date and associated locations.