CLEVELAND — Back in March, News 5 shared the plans for a new outdoor entertainment space to utilize the city's lakefront. With summer here, that space has since opened, and amid a wide offering of events for the community to enjoy, one of those takes place on the basketball courts each Wednesday evening.
The nonprofit North Coast Waterfront Development Corp. began work in the spring to build the North Coast Yard, an installation made of shipping containers and fabric-covered Quonset huts.
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North Coast Yard, located just behind Huntington Bank Field, the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, used to be just a parking lot facing the shores of Lake Erie.
The North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation took in public feedback over a three-year span and, about a year ago, began the plans for North Coast Yard.
“Three years of public feedback that we solicited to full develop our lakefront. Folks wanted to see recreation down on the lakefront. They wanted to have a beer, we put a bar down here. They wanted to have food, which is really important and, again, areas to rest and really enjoy Lake Erie," said Zoe Toscos, the director of project management for North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation.
After paving the gravel parking lot, the group installed classic shipping containers around the outdoor space. One of the shipping containers converts into a full bar with a rotation of local breweries serving up beverages throughout the summer. There's a stage for live music and DJs to perform. Along the water sit picnic tables and spaces to relax, perhaps even grab a bite to eat from one of the circulating food trucks that are scheduled throughout the summer.
But the most prominent fixture of the space is the basketball courts at the heart of North Coast Yard. The asphalt courts with movable hoops might seem simple, but it's the views that make it a surprisingly unique location to get some shots up.
The view from one direction, Lake Erie and the boats passing by. Late enough, the sunset throws warm colors across the water. The other view, the Downtown Cleveland Skyline. The setup is reminiscent of the outdoor courts in bigger cities.
“Everybody watches the street ball like Rucker Park and Dyckman and we finally have something like this that we could potentially use just like that," said Nik Postoloski, the owner of the P League.
The P League is a local group offering basketball leagues for men and women. Postoloski found out about North Coast Yard and saw a chance to give his league a fresh and exceptional place to play, with the added hope of drawing people out to watch basketball in a way they do in cities like New York or Los Angeles.
“I wanted to bring the spirit of street ball back to Cleveland and I think this is the perfect chance to do it," Postoloski said.
After submitting an application to the North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation, Postoloski's league was approved to host their games every Wednesday evening. It was the perfect fit for North Coast Yard.
"P League is a really good example, too. He found out about it pretty late in the game and we’re like ‘’Alright, what can we pull off super quickly to make this all happen,'" Toscos said.
The feedback has already been positive in their first week playing on the North Coast Yard courts. Some said the views remind them of NBA 2K. Others enjoyed the feeling of playing in a big city.
“My boy Nik said we’re doing an outdoor league and I just got back from L.A., they got Venice League out there. I don’t know if we’re calling it Lake Erie League, but that’s where we’re out. We’re on the water, we’re hooping, it’s a good time," said P League player Chance Williams. “When you’re growing up in Cleveland, all you want to do is be downtown as much as possible so now we get to do that, play basketball and have a good time.”
The good times have been underway for a week and will continue throughout the summer. The P League Summer Slam Series takes place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Wednesday at North Coast Yard, located at 515 Erieside Ave.
Postoloski hopes the community will come out and enjoy the urban hoops offered each week. He also hopes some notable names in Cleveland, like Booby Gibson, Myles Garrett or Shedeur Sanders, might swing by to check it out.
"Just want you guys to come by and enjoy good basketball. The stars will be out ,so you'll never know who you'll see here. It's going to be a safe environment so I hope to see everybody here," he said.
And while there's that big city feel behind the project, at its core, the space is uniquely Cleveland—and marks a tangible and concerted project in this current wave of lakefront development for the city.
“It gives us a little taste of what some other cities have as they develop their lakefronts for sure,” Toscos said.
To learn more about North Coast Yard and the other events held at the space, click here.
