Officials Look to Create North Coast Development Corp. to Direct City's Lakefront Plan
It's reasonable to be skeptical about a Cleveland lakefront development plan actually coming to fruition in our lifetime. Since 1903, there have been 16 plans, visions and proposals, with nine of those created in the last dozen years.
Keeping in mind the century-plus of fits and starts, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb's administration, in partnership with Cuyahoga County and the Greater Cleveland Partnership, is moving to create an independent entity, the North Coast Development Corp., or NCDC, to shepherd lakefront projects from design to completion.
"This has been talked about for a long time," said Debbie Berry, senior vice president of major projects at GCP. "We have a lot of opportunity in the immediate downtown and North Harbor area. We need to have a dedicated group working on this very large project with the ability to bring in revenue and negotiate with the plethora of federal, state, county and private groups that need to be part of this development."
Cleveland City Council on Tuesday, May 16, heard the proposal that would commit an initial $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding over three years to the new waterfront development authority. The NCDC would be responsible for the planning, implementation and management of Cleveland's large-scale lakefront projects.