Lake Erie Town Hopes Waterfront Trail Will 'Put it on the Map'

The Euclid City Council voted to build a trail on the Lake Erie waterfront that Cleveland.com calls "innovative and nationally significant."

One notable aspect of the project, according to reporter Steven Litt, is the deal the city made with neighboring property owners "to allow public access along the waterfront in their backyards in exchange for publicly financed improvements aimed at halting erosion." The city also voted to issue a $2 million bond for the trail's first phase.

The three-quarter-mile trail would begin at the fishing pier at Sims Park, with public access to the waterfront provided by stairway on a parcel owned by the city. When completed, the eastern half of the trail would lead to a proposed paddle beach. 

Part of a master greenway plan for Cleveland, the lakefront project represents ambitions to raise property values in the suburban area facing "increasing poverty, loss of jobs and a shrinking tax base." It could become a model for other cities in the region, Litt suggests, pointing to previous coverage in Next City.