Dan Gilbert’s Foray Into Cleveland Could Transform the City’s Waterfront

Cleveland City officials have been getting their first look at a large waterfront development project proposed by Bedrock, the development company owned by Cleveland Cavaliers and Rocket Mortgage owner Dan Gilbert. Gilbert has made his development reputation with massive investments in the city of Detroit.

Steven Litt wrote two articles in February detailing the master plan for bedrock’s expansion of the Tower City Center on the Cleveland waterfront. The project proposal includes a 12-acre park on the Cuyahoga River. The first of the two articles followed the project’s debut at the Cleveland City Planning Commission. “The Cleveland project, launched by the company in 2021, could ultimately involve 3.5 million square feet of construction on 35 acres with 2,000 housing units and 1.4 million square feet of non-residential space,” reports Litt. Litt also reports that the project earned praise from the commission.

More details on the details and design process for the plan can be found in a Planetizen feature published in February, focusing on the plan’s potential to reshape Cleveland’s waterfront as a key piece of a 15-minute city.

The second article by Litt also places the project in context of the city of Cleveland’s larger efforts to create public open space on its waterfronts. “After more than two centuries of growth and shrinkage that have shaped and reshaped its skyline, Cleveland could be embarking on an exciting new stage in its physical development,” writes Litt in the paywalled article. Litt includes a rezoning effort discussed in an article in March 2021 among the measures the city is leveraging to increase the residential population and amenities on the city’s waterfronts.