CLEVELAND — Cleveland’s lakefront nonprofit wants your opinion on what should replace Burke Lakefront Airport, if Mayor Justin Bibb’s administration succeeds in a quest to shut it down.
The North Coast Waterfront Development Corp. announced Monday that it’s taking public feedback through an online survey. The survey is likely to be open for 90 to 120 days.
It asks respondents to suggest ideas – and to weigh in on a list of possibilities, from an outdoor movie theater to sports and recreation facilities, trails, urban farming, housing and a Ferris wheel. The survey notes that Cleveland has 18.5 miles of lakefront, but most of the shoreline – about 85% of it – isn’t publicly accessible.
Nonprofit leaders and city officials also plan to solicit input about remaking Burke at community events and neighborhood meetings over the next few months.
Scott Skinner, the North Coast nonprofit’s president and executive director, said it’s important to include residents’ views in the conversation about Burke. “The survey results will help to inform decisions about the future of Burke and could help shape a vibrant, accessible, economically impactful waterfront,” Skinner said in a written statement.
Last year, Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne started the process of asking Congress to legislate a closure.
RELATED: Bibb, Ronayne say it's time to close Burke Lakefront Airport
They argue that there are better uses for lakefront land than a city-owned airport that serves private jets, flight schools and medical-transport helicopters. They say it’s the right time for a closure, since Cleveland is working to bring development to the downtown lakefront and make it easier for people to reach the water.
Opponents of a shutdown, meanwhile, argue that Burke still plays a valuable role in the aviation system – and that the city could do a lot more to make the airport successful.
RELATED: Aviation groups, tenants protest Cleveland's push to close Burke
Last month, Cleveland City Council’s transportation committee kicked off a series of public hearings on the pros, cons and complexities of closing Burke. There are two more meetings scheduled.
RELATED: Cleveland City Council digs into the dirt at Burke
On April 1, council will look at the regulatory routes to closing an airport. An April 15 hearing will focus on the real estate market and the viability of redeveloping the site.
By closing Burke, the city could free up roughly 450 acres of lakefront land, between the airport and containment facilities where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers periodically dumps clay and silt dredged from the Cuyahoga River. Preliminary research shows most of the land could be repurposed for low-slung buildings and recreation.
RELATED: 'Can we close Burke? We think we can.' Cleveland makes case for airport shutdown
On March 4, Bibb and Skinner will be part of a panel discussion about the future of Burke at a free event hosted by Ideastream Public Media.
The other panelists will include City Councilman Charles Slife, the head of council’s transportation committee, and Ned Parks, the president of the Northeast Ohio Pilots Association.
Michelle Jarboe is the business growth and development reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @MJarboe or email her at Michelle.Jarboe@wews.com.
