Cleveland leaders begin building a vision for the Flats future after years of stagnation

CLEVELAND - Cleveland Councilman Joe Cimperman moderated an initial planning meeting Monday night regarding the future of Cleveland's Flats. More than 40 of Cleveland's elite leaders attended to begin looking for a master vision for the future.

The task is to connect the six different land use entities into a shared vision. This includes residential, commercial, recreation, industrial, maritime and nonprofits.  They plan to develop a comprehensive strategy that builds on the momentum of Cleveland's new casino, new interstate bridge, skate park, towpath trail and the soon to be announced aquarium in the Powerhouse.

The Gund Foundation and the Cleveland Foundation have agreed to fund this planning process.

Infrastructure challenges and funding were identified as big hurdles to overcome.

There will be a resurgence of development beginning in the Flats. The President of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance Joe Marinucci adds, " What type of opportunities we have in the flats, what type of challenges we have in the flats, and how is it we as a community can come together and really help accelerate those opportunities so that we are leveraging the type of investments that is going on now not only in the flats but also in downtown Cleveland."

The process of getting everyone working together continues with a large stakeholder's meeting at Windows on the River in the Nautica Powerhouse Feb. 22.  This is an open call for the Flats community to connect ideas for future development.