Almost since the day Moses Cleaveland landed in Northeast Ohio, the Lake Erie shore has been used to develop the region’s economic muscle with industry and trade. When the railroads arrived in the 1800’s industrial prosperity blossomed, but with an unwanted side effect – access barriers to the to the lake.
An edifice complex continues to this day. Ore docks, rail yards, port facilities, stadium, museums, an airport, power and sewage plants, superhighways, and private yacht clubs dot the landscape. And there are those in the community who advocate building out open land even further.
Building out every square foot of open real estate is detrimental to creating a world-class lakefront. Large blocks of connected unrestricted open public green space should be a critical objective of an overall lakefront development strategy. Undeveloped area currently exists, and major portions could be, and should be reserved for public use.
The Green Ribbon Coalition is working to set in motion a legacy movement to change the “default setting” on commercial development along the lake at the expense of open public green space for park and recreational use.