CLEVELAND — Cleveland’s Planning Commission is considering ways to make West 29th Street in Hingetown in Ohio City more pedestrian-friendly through an open street concept.
“Open Street is the program that where you take an existing street that is typically utilized for cars and travel and turning it into much more of a pedestrian space,” said Cleveland City Planning Commission Director Joyce Huang.
Local businesses like Larder Delicatessen and Bakery said they welcome the idea.
“It’s going to be a lot more walkable; people are going to move around more, not worry about getting hit by cars. It’s going to be great,” said Larder Delicatessen and Bakery cashier Dave Hausman.
Huang made it clear nothing is set in stone yet besides receiving a grant of $100,000 from Project for Public Spaces.
It's a national organization responsible for funding public space projects for thousands of communities.
“A lot of cities around the world also have permanently closed streets and converted them in much more into plaza spaces,” said Huang.
One area in Cleveland that already has an open street concept is Market Avenue, which is also in Ohio City.
News 5 reported on this story last September when the city announced its permanent closure.
Verbena Free Spirited Shoppe Founder Molly Cheraso said she wants the same concept for West 29th Street in Hingetown.
“It’s just a very walkable neighborhood. There’s a lot of apartment buildings nearby, so there’s already great foot traffic,” Cheraso said.
However, Cheraso understands there are concerns from some businesses about parking.
“But we’re really talking only about a handful of parking spots; street parking spots, and there’s a lot across the street that will still be there and there’s a couple parking garages nearby,” said Cheraso.
News 5’s Remi Murrey reached out to Dean Rufus, House of Fun Owner and Jukebox Owner, and they told News 5 on the phone Friday they’re not commenting on the project until they get more details, which Huang says they plan to do with this grant money.
In addition, Huang says they will also determine what this plaza would like as an open street.
“There's a lot of open-ended parts to the project,” said Huang. “The money will go towards design towards engagement towards installation costs.”
