Downtown section of Mayor Burke’s 1946 Cleveland Lakefront Plan

MASTER PLANS

Numerous neighborhoods, districts, and/or organizations throughout the city have developed master plans and/or proposals to guide their future growth and development. Below are some of these plans. We will continue to add to this page over time.

Airports

Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL/KBKL)

2021: An Airport Layout Plan (ALP) Update for BKL was released in two parts:

May 2021: BKL Airport Layout Plan (ALP) Update Narrative Report: Working Paper #1: Inventory & Forecasts, May 2021

July 2021: BKL Airport Layout Plan (ALP) Update Narrative Report: Working Paper #2: Facility Requirements - Draft, July 2021

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE/KCLE)

2022: The Department of Port Control has yet to release the full draft Master Plan for Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The master plan is currently under review with FAA. The City has, however, released only a “Master Plan Update” presentation in November, 2022: CLE Master Plan - Update.

2025: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Sustainability Management Plan. Plan to guide Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) toward a resilient future with a commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The plan consists of 84 actions that support 26 objectives across six key focus areas. These objectives provide a framework for the integration of sustainability into planning, design, construction, operations, maintenance, and business processes across all airport departments.

Brooklyn Centre — see “Old Brooklyn”

Campus District Innerbelt Cap Connector Project

June 2022: Campus District, Inc., on the eastern edge of Downtown seeks to connect Central with Downtown with the “Innerbelt Cap Connector” project. June 14, 2022, 80 pages.

Case Western Reserve University

2015: Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), releases its 2015 Master Plan, 165 pages.

Earlier, 2005 CWRU Master Plan.

Central — See “Kinsman and Central”

City of Cleveland Citywide Plan

While much has changed in the past 25 years, the City’s last citywide plan was published in 2007. The City’s citywide plan from 2007, Connecting Cleveland 2020 Citywide Plan, is unfortunately only available as pdf by individual sections instead of one comprehensive document (despite the irony of being a comprehensive plan and all…). Here are individual sections:

2007: Summary Document

Individual Chapters:

2007: Population
2007: Housing
2007: Retail
2007: Economic Development
2007: Recreation and Open Space
2007: Sustainability
2007: Arts and Culture
2007: Education and Community Service
2007: Transportation and Transit
2007: Safety
2007: Opportunity and Equity

City of Cleveland Vision Zero (Roadway Safety)

The City’s Vision Zero Action Plan was adopted by City Planning Commission on September 2, 2022. The Plan is comprised of several documents:

Vision Zero Action Plan 2022
Appendix A. Strategies and Actions List
Appendix B. Countermeasures Toolbox
Appendix C. Existing Conditions Analysis
Appendix D. Stakeholder Framework
Appendix E. Community and Task Force Engagement

Cleveland Public Library

2019: Presentation to the Capital Committee of the Cleveland Public Library Facilities Master Plan, February 19, 2019.

Cleveland State University

Cleveland State University (CSU). Master Plan, developed by Sasaki, completed in November 2022, is a 10-year, $650M plan, comprised of three districts within the campus and a new 5,000-seat multi-use arena at the corner of E. 25 and Payne Ave.

November 2022: Cleveland State University Campus Master Plan, Presentation to the Board of Trustees, November 22, 2022, 58 pages.

Earlier, 2014 Master Plan: Part 1 (page 1-89) and Part 2 (pages 88-105).

Cuyahoga Riverfront

February 2025: Master Development Plan for the Cuyahoga Riverfront. Commissioned by Developer Bedrock Cleveland for Bedrock and the city of Cleveland; prepared by: MKSK + BIALOSKY, and adopted City of Cleveland Planning Commission on February 7, 2025, the plan’s Vision Statement begins: “The Cuyahoga Riverfront will be a neighborhood where community and optimism thrive and opportunity abound. It is where people from all over Cleveland can access and rediscover the Cuyahoga River, writing its next chapter as a recreational and economic resource….”

Downtown Lakefront

Over the years, there have been many plans to transform the Downtown Lakefront.

April 2012: On April 20, 2012, The City Planning Commission approved the Cleveland Downtown Lakefront Plan for development of the waterfront between West 3 and East 18 Streets. The plan calls for new mixed-use commercial development north of Cleveland Browns Stadium, infill development at North Coast Harbor to include new arcades and walkways, and new office development between E. 9 and E. 18 Streets linked to the benefits of Burke Lakefront Airport. April 2012 Plan. The plan is currently officially active on the City’s website.

Other Plans:

2004: The 2004 Waterfront District Plan was a bold plan which included moving the Port of Cleveland from its current location to a new island north of Whiskey Island. The current port land would then be used new residential development. Land north of Cleveland Browns Stadium would offer new commercial and residential development as well as a lakefront park and promenade. A new ferry terminal would be immediately to the west. New residential and commercial development would be constructed immediately south of Burke Lakefront Airport. Additionally, the plan called for new museums, trails, beaches, and marinas along the lakefront between Burke Airport and Rockefeller Park. 2004 Waterfront Plan.

2023: A new, Downtown Lakefront master plan is currently underway by the firm James Corner Field Operations. Not yet released/complete.

Here is a good brief historical overview of various Lakefront plans from 1903 to 2021.

Duck Island

Feb 2014: Duck Island Neighborhood Plan. Document of the Tremont West Development Corporation developed by The Kent State University Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative.

Dunham Tavern Museum Master Plan

June 2021: Master Plan for the Dunham Tavern Museum and grounds at E. 66 St. and Euclid Avenue in Hough, 161 pages.

Fairfax

The Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation (FRDC) develops five-year Strategic Investment Plans for the neighborhood. The current and previous plans:

December 2022: Fairfax Strategic Investment Plan, 2022-2027
January 2014: Fairfax Strategic Investment Plan, 2014-2019

Fairview Hospital

September 2025: Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital North Campus Expansion - Final Design Approval, September 5, 2025 by City Planning Commission. Document covers conceptual and schematic design including signage plan, lighting plan; material, color and finish samples and lists; and final landscape and streetscape plan. 47pp.

Kinsman and Central Neighborhood Plan

March 2016: Building Stronger Neighborhoods: Kinsman & Central Neighborhood Plan. Plan and study by Burten, Bell, Carr Development, Inc.

Little Italy

2005: Little Italy Master Plan, July 5, 2005, 122 pages.

Midtown

November 2019: Carnegie Avenue Master Plan. Land use and transportation plan for the Carnegie Avenue Corridor in Midtown.

Old Brooklyn / Brooklyn Centre

2009: Old Brooklyn/Brooklyn Centre Neighborhood Master Plan, 2009. Two Neighborhoods: Preserving Our Past, Planning Our Future Together. Plan commissioned by the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation and funded by a city of Cleveland Community Development Block Grant.

Parks & Recreation

May 2025: The City of Cleveland’s 15-Year parks master plan to guide the future of the city’s neighborhood recreation centers, parks, pools, golf course, and other facilities. Plan led by Philadelphia-based OLIN, a landscape architecture firm, as the lead consultant for the study. The plan was adopted by the City Planning Commission on May 2, 2025. Full Parks and Recreation Plan (364 pages) and Executive Summary only.

Transit

June 2021: Red Line Realignment: A New Subway Plan for Downtown Cleveland. A 1.7-mile realignment of the RTA Heavy Rail Red Line between Tower City and East 34 St. to provide three Downtown subway stations—at E. 9-Prospect, E. 17-Euclid, and E. 22-Community College Ave—would transform Cleveland—not just Downtown, but the entire City and Region.

Union Miles

April 2004: Union Miles Neighborhood Master Plan. Plan by the Union Miles Development Corporation and The Urban Design Center of Northeast Ohio,

University Circle

April 2025: University Circle Inc. (UCI) announced it is developing a new master plan for University Circle, called Connecting the Circle, and has hired Sasaki as lead consultant.

October 2015: Moving Greater University Circle: Transportation and Mobility Plan, October 2015. Study sponsored by the city of Cleveland and funded by NOACA and the George Gund Foundation; project consultants: Nelson\Nygaard, City Architecture, TMS Engineers, Inc., and Bongorno Consulting.