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Land Use, Transportation, and Urban Design Issues (Maps [.jpg])
In preparing
the Lakefront Plan, the City of Cleveland has taken a major step in the
process of not only improving the access to and general utility of the
shoreline but also in the direction of reestablishing linkages within
the city that were destroyed by barely restrained industrial growth, highway
construction, and community disinvestment over the past century. To implement
the plan will take a massive effort from all sectors of the community
- it is a project regional in scope and too costly for any one entity
to undertake - and a determination to follow through in a project that
will take a generation to complete. At present, the lakefront problem
has more questions than answers:
· What should be done with the existing buildings and land?
· Where should the highways be routed?
· Will there be a demand for more housing close to the lake?
· How will the project affect me and my neighborhood?
· Who will pay for it --and how?
· Will the next governor or mayor have the political will to see
it through?
Good planning and design can answer some of the questions, effective political
leadership can answer more, but the definitive answers will come from
the people of the city and region who will build, pay for, and live with
the results of the Lakefront Plan.
Of major
concern is the use or reuse of Burke Lakefront Airport - an enormous tract
of mostly vacant land in the center of the city - and the land vacated
by the reconfiguration of the West Shoreway. The issues regarding the
future of Burke fall into one of three scenarios:
1. Keep the current Burke configuration, improve the facility, and focus
on increasing usage and profitability of the air operations;
2. Reconfigure Burke with new runways and a new terminal, create parkland, commercial, and residential areas for a new district in the city, and link the area more completely with the rest of the city;
3. Close Burke and convert all the land to parkland, residential, and commercial uses.
All of these options recognize the site as an asset to the community, but diverge on what is the highest and best use for the land and facilities. Assuming that an airport will remain on the lakefront, I have chosen to concentrate on the second scenario in that it makes the best use of the land, increases access to the shoreline, and builds new linkages with the downtown area. As this will be the first new district constructed in the city in nearly 50 years, it is important that it include all of those features present in a stable and successful community - housing, shopping, recreation, employment, and transportation options.
Terrain
and Transportation Features
As can be seen in the terrain and transportation map, the downtown area
of Cleveland is essentially a featureless plain with the shoreline, the
Cuyahoga River valley, and the "Bluffs" area on the north edge
of the CBD the only prominent geographic features. Of these, the Bluffs
figure prominently in the design aspects of this plan - they are geologically
stable, offer the opportunity to create vistas and linkages, and present
ideal building sites for luxury residences that will benefit from proximity
to the city center and airport, and be more desirable for the dramatic
lake views offered by the location.
Also shown are the substantial obstacles to development represented by
the concentration of highways and rail lines in the area between the city
and the airport - a physical and psychological barrier that is a true
impediment to development of the waterfront and the successful operation
of the airport and the other attractions in the area. Practically speaking,
the transportation network as it presently exists, has served to wall
off the downtown area from the rest of the city, isolated the waterfront
from involvement in the life of the city, impaired the operation of the
airport due to poor access, and encouraged the movement of people through
and out of the city without adding anything to the urban fabric.
Central
to the study of transportation issues relating to Burke Lakefront Airport
is the Innerbelt reconstruction project currently being studied by the
Ohio Department of Transportation. In whatever form it takes, the project
will be massive and have a pronounced effect on the life of the city both
during and after construction. In relation to the Burke project, these
aspects of the Innerbelt project are most important:
· Conversion of the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway to a boulevard
with signaled intersections;
· Reconfiguration of the "Trench" to improve flow and local access;
· Realignment of the Innerbelt curve @ E. 30th St. to improve flow and safety.
The Shoreway portion of the project offers the most opportunity to enhance development opportunities on the lakefront as well as removing a substantial barrier to restoring linkages with the downtown area. Additionally, the boulevard offers opportunities to build a wide range of housing types in a broad price range, increase the population density to make public transportation more effective and desirable, provide opportunities for convenience retail to make use of more affordable sites, and open up large areas to commercial development with additional employment in the district. Relocation of the runways and terminal at Burke will make several hundred acres available for non-residential uses - parks, commercial sites, and light industrial - that presently aren't possible due to so much ground being consumed with the freeway, the marginals, and surface parking. Finally, relocation and redesign of the rail roads and RTA Waterfront Line will make the area more desirable, livable, and profitable.
Land
Use and Aviation Considerations
The following map indicates one possible land use plan for the site once
the Shoreway is reconfigured and the new airport layout is complete -
10 -15 years hence - and takes into consideration certain limitations
imposed on uses due to the restrictions imposed on an area by airport
operations.
Burke is a reliever airport for Hopkins International and possesses instrument
landing capabilities. The FAA regulations for this type of airport mandate
certain buffer areas be maintained for the airspace which is quite large
in order to provide the margin of safety deemed necessary for safe air
operations. Noise is another consideration in airport operations - aircraft
are noisy and an adequate buffer is necessary for successful development
in proximity to an airport. These factors preclude residential development
in a substantial portion of the tract, but moving the runways to the north
and east will allow residential areas to occupy almost 200 acres along
the boulevard, on the west perimeter of the present airport, and on the
bluffs. Areas closer to the airport are suitable for commercial and aviation-related
uses since they are less impacted by noise levels and the size of the
structures will further shield the residential areas from the nuisance
effects of air operations. Of necessity, Aviation High School will be
demolished to make room for a new terminal and support services while
at the same time enabling the demolition of the present terminal. Completing
the land use plan is a viaduct over the relocated rail lines - primarily
a promenade on the bluffs with limited vehicle access - relocation and
extension of the waterfront line to follow the railroad right-of-way and
link with the rest of the light rail system near the Midtown Corridor,
and construction of street extensions from downtown to the new boulevard
at regular intervals to create linkages between the new district and downtown.
These features,
especially the extension of the city street grid to the lakefront and
the creation of the viaduct/promenade offer several unique and exciting
design opportunities. As previously mentioned, the bluffs are a virtually
undeveloped terrain feature offering the opportunity to create vistas,
develop an upscale urban neighborhood in the center of town, provide a
population base to support retail in the district as well as in close
areas in the downtown area, and develop nodes at regular intervals to
encourage a pedestrian environment. The promenade can also serve as an
area of interest - mixing small cafes and specialty retail with residences
and workspaces - that would be unique in the region and the nation.
Viaduct/Promenade Concept
Mixed
Use Development
After reconfiguring of the Shoreway and relocation of the airport are
complete, the centerpiece of the project can be started - the creation
of a new district on the lakefront. As can be seen in the site map, housing
along the boulevard connects retail nodes where the city street grid links
with the boulevard and the viaduct. The ramps coming down from the top
of the bluffs are shown as S-curves to satisfy two design needs - create
a more gentle, more pedestrian, slope, and shift the nodes to points where
they are ½ mile apart, or ¼ mile from the center of each
residential cluster to encourage walking and bring the district into a
more pedestrian scale. It is envisioned that the structures at the nodes
will have ground floor retail with office and live/work spaces on the
upper floors. In order to stay within airspace restrictions while not
blocking the views from the bluffs, structures along the boulevard will
be limited to 50' height. To maintain scale and a good edge, maximum rather
than minimum setbacks will be specified, and sidewalks will be wide at
the nodes - 20' should suffice - to encourage commercial activity and
open-air dining.
The setback for the apartment blocks should be minimal - possibly no larger
than a 4' planter to separate the public and private space - while the
setback for the townhouses should not exceed 10' to take advantage of
the social interaction as well as the effect of "eyes on the street."
The townhouse lots should be narrow - 30' -- to encourage height and depth
while maximizing the density of the development. All parking will be in
the rear, along with private courtyards and other open spaces - gated
for the use of residents and public parking on the south side of the RTA
line.
The overall
effect of the design is to create multiple transit-oriented and pedestrian-oriented
developments in the district which will be unique in the region. A rough
estimate of the density of the project is 8 units per acre, or 1600 new
housing units. In a project of this size, it will be possible to include
affordable housing with market rate housing with the gap financing coming
from either the tax increment or from exactions from the market rate developers.
Since infrastructure and basic city services will be in place as part
of the boulevard construction, site preparation and construction will
be the most important financing issues for this development. Proximity
to the large park area, downtown, the harbor, the marinas, and the airport,
combined with an eminently livable urban environment should put a premium
on property in the district, increasing the tax base, adding another dimension
to downtown living, and creating a desirable destination for those relocating
to the area from other major metropolitan areas.
Summary
As with most projects, timing is everything, and this is especially true
with this development. Success in developing the waterfront is contingent
upon a great many things happening in the right order, on time, and done
well. The transportation issues come first since the reconstruction of
the Shoreway creates the core for the future development of the district
- without a residential street, there will be no residences or residents.
Rerouting the rail lines, linking with the city grid and construction
of the promenade need to be completed at the same time in order for the
first residential units to be built and the process of creating the TOD's
to begin. Optimistically, this could occur in about 8-10 years based on
the ODOT estimates.
At 10 years, the new fill area will be ready for the relocation of the runways and the new terminal should already be built. At 12 years, the vacant airport property will be available for development and the rest of the residential construction can begin, and probably continue for 10-15 years, during which time the commercial and retail components will be established and mature, and the parkland and marina will be a source of great enjoyment for thousands of residents. Those residents will probably be our children and grandchildren - after all, it has taken a generation to realize this vision - but we will have left them a better city and a better way of life.
