CLEVELAND — Cleveland just won a $69 million federal grant for its ambitious lakefront plans — money to reimagine the Shoreway and build a land bridge linking Downtown to the water.
With Friday's award, the city has raised $150 million from federal and state sources for major lakefront infrastructure investments. Officials hope to start construction in 2027 on the first phase of the $450 million project, which also will include a new bus-and-rail transit hub.
I sat down with Mayor Justin Bibb just a few hours after the funding announcement to talk about the future of the lakefront, the importance of the federal grant and where the land bridge might lead if the Browns depart for Brook Park.
The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Michelle Jarboe: When did you find out about this grant?
Mayor Justin Bibb: (U.S. Transportation) Secretary (Pete) Buttigieg was in Cleveland a few months ago at the City Club, and we had a chance to talk about what his priorities were for his last few days in the Biden-Harris administration. And he mentioned that he was still very excited about a potential of investing more resources into our vision for the lakefront.
So when we got the email from Congresswoman Shontel Brown earlier this week, I immediately was running up and down the office with a lot of joy and excitement.
Jarboe: This seems like it puts you on track to start construction in 2027. Is that right?
Bibb: We intend to have shovels in the ground in 2027.
And what I'm excited about more than anything is the fact that this project, the first phase of this project, is going to give Clevelanders real hope and real excitement to see something tangible happen, to better connect the heart of our city to our lakefront.
And I think it's important to mention all the great work that led up to this moment from past administrations who've had big visions and big plans. This is just a continuation of that work and a continuation of that progress.
There's more work to do, but this is certainly an amazing milestone for the city, the region, the state and the entire country.
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Jarboe: I know this was a very competitive grant process. Why do you think this project resonated with the federal government?
Bibb: When we had the chance to give Secretary Buttigieg a tour of the site, and when he saw the magnitude of our lakefront, he mentioned to me very clearly that, in his eyes, this was one of the most underdeveloped coasts in America. I think when he saw the magnitude and the scale of what's possible, that got him excited. And that got his team excited.
And the fact that we were able to secure permanent local funding through our Shore-to-Core-to-Shore Tax Increment Financing district, that was a big plus.
The fact that we have broad alignment from the state and the county was a major bonus for us as well. This is Ohio's moment. This is Ohio's time. This is Cleveland's moment. This is Cleveland's time.
All those things, I think, played a role in us securing not just one major federal investment but two major federal investments in just one year.
Jarboe: This grant program is called Reconnecting Communities. So, how do you see this project reconnecting Cleveland?
Bibb: For a long time, our waterways in Cleveland had been a dividing line in our city, dividing East Side and West Side, dividing us around racial lines from the Black, white and Latino community in Cleveland. And I think this project is a symbol of community healing, a symbol of racial healing, and a symbol of us righting some of these historic wrongs that have plagued Cleveland for far too long.
When you think about the impetus for the Shoreway, it's one example of what happened in this country when we intentionally built structures to divide people based on class, based on race, based on geography. And we all know what happened because of that. We were one of the most segregated cities. And we still remain, to this day, one of the most segregated cities in the country.
For this project to be a symbol of healing and a symbol of a more unified Cleveland gives me a lot of excitement and a lot of hope that Cleveland's best days are ahead.
Jarboe: What happens next? As you acknowledged, this is a big win, but you've still got a ways to go.
Bibb: We're going to continue to work with the Trump-Vance administration and Senator (Bernie) Moreno and Congresswoman Shontel Brown and whoever Gov. DeWine appoints to the U.S. Senate here over the next couple of days to make our case to the federal government that we need more investment to make this vision a continued reality.
We're gonna continue to work with our state delegation to continue to support this investment as well too.
We're going to be engaging a development firm later this year to lead the process, either one master developer or a consortium of developers. And we want to continue to make our case to the residents that we want their input and ideas.
Jarboe: What do you see as the biggest challenges to making all this happen?
Bibb: I think we've already addressed one of the biggest challenges ... making sure we secured federal and state support. I didn't anticipate being able to receive over $150 million in just one year.
I think it's a testament to the great advocacy support we had, not just from my leadership team here at City Hall, but we had great support from the county executive, great support from City Council, and great support from the business community. It's a prime example of what can happen in Cleveland when everybody is aligned.
Jarboe: Some viewers might question whether we need a land bridge without the stadium on the lakefront, especially since the Haslams were early advocates for all of what you're doing now. What would your response to that be?
Bibb: First, I want to just thank Jimmy and Dee Haslam for the vision that they originally had for our lakefront plan. When I was then a candidate for mayor, I was excited about the Haslams’ vision for the lakefront. And our administration, since day one, we took the baton from their planning efforts, and we put our foot on the gas to accelerate that plan.
I'm just excited about the fact that, with or without the Cleveland Browns, we are going to develop a world-class amenity and a world-class asset, and a lakefront that Clevelanders – folks all across the region – deserve.
If the Browns come back to the table and end up staying on our lakefront, I'll be thrilled and excited. But my team has already explored a multitude of ideas to make sure that we are using … North Coast Harbor 24/7, 365 days out of the year. Because we can do it, and other cities have done it. You look to Chicago, Minneapolis, the list goes on.
Not only am I excited about what we have in store for the lakefront, but ... we have shovels in the ground right now for the first phase of a nearly $4 billion transformation of our riverfront, too, thanks to the generous support and partnership with Dan Gilbert, the Cavs and the Bedrock team.
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There's so much momentum right now in our city. Folks from all across the country are betting on Cleveland, are investing in the heart of our city. And maybe the Haslams will change their mind and bring that vision back to reality and stay on the lakefront.
Jarboe: How does it feel to be at this moment where you’ve got these big victories going on, but then this question mark (about the stadium)?
Bibb: To me, it’s no longer a question mark. I'm someone that's always thinking about Plan B, Plan C and Plan D. We always knew this could be a possibility.
Just like the Browns have to run their business and scenario plan, as the CEO of this nearly $3 billion corporation with over 8,000 employees, I have to scenario plan, too. It makes just good business sense.
So there are a number of ideas, from music venues to a museum venue to encouraging NASA to look at that site. There's gonna be folks who want to look at the site where Browns stadium currently is, and I'm excited to showcase what that site can be – with or without the Cleveland Browns being downtown.
Jarboe: And the case for the land bridge – it sounds like you believe it's just as strong with or without them.
Bibb: Absolutely. You look at what these connecting assets have done across the country now, as someone who lived in New York City, and what the High Line did to better connect parts of New York. That changed many parts of New York City.
The fact that we got the same designer in Field Operations, who did the High Line, to design our new land bridge excites me.
Because everybody wants to be around water right now. ... This is going to make the entire urban experience better for Clevelanders, better for tourists, better for businesses, and it's gonna make our city more connected for the next generation.
Jarboe: What do you want the average Clevelander to know about this?
Bibb: That this city has been fighting to make sure that every Clevelander gets a world-class lakefront that they deserve. And that's what we really saw in the broad community engagement that we've done over the last several years. I don't care if you live in Glenville or Mount Pleasant or West Park or Detroit Shoreway. People want to be proud of the assets that we have in our city, and we are one step closer to making that vision a reality.
