Metroparks Projects to Transform Downtown Riverfront

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There’s no slowing down the Cleveland Metroparks next year — at least according to updates recently shared with the public. Several projects are under way or proposed that will drastically change the downtown Cleveland riverfront over the next five years. New details and lingering questions paint a picture of what comes next for the Cuyahoga River.

If the pace of riverfront development in Cleveland feels overwhelming, it’s likely due to the dozen or so proposals for boardwalks and new parkland at any given point in time. One constant in all of those plans, however, are the Cleveland Metroparks.

This article will break down all of the Metroparks’ major projects sequentially in order of earliest anticipated construction date. They were outlined at a public meeting held in late-October.

Close to wrapping up construction are renovations to the Historic Coast Guard Pier and Station, accessible from Wendy Park. Phase 1’s $6.9 million-worth of renovations to the pier by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are complete and Phase 2 improvements to fencing and utilities are under way, expected to be complete by the end of 2025.

The current juggernaut of riverfront development is next — Irishtown Bend Park (ITB). With all bulkheads now in place, the $65 million stabilization phase is nearly complete as crews finish moving dirt in preparation for the future park.

Within walking distance of the trendy Ohio City and Hingetown neighborhoods, ITB will be one of the largest public riverfront spaces in the entire midwest and feature some of the best views of downtown Cleveland. Critically, it will complete the missing link of the Centennial Lake Link Trail that weaves its way from the Towpath Trail in Tremont to Wendy Park.

Construction of that missing link is technically a separate project from the rest of ITB and it is the next to step up to the plate. At a cost of $6 million it is both further along in the design process and will start construction in Spring 2026.

A year later in Spring 2027, the public will have access to an expansive new portion of the riverfront. The rest of the $40+ million park is also in the design process and is expected to begin construction right after the trail opens in Spring 2027, lasting until Spring 2029.

The park will feature several programmatic elements such as lawn space, historical education, children’s play areas and potential retail. It will also be easily accessible via the newly-opened MetroHealth Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Line on West 25th Street which is due to begin operations the year before in 2028.

The next project in the pipeline after the ITB trail kicks off in 2026 will be the complete revamping of an iconic downtown loop. Starting in June, the Memorial Bridges Loop will begin construction and be complete after only a half a year in November.

This 3-mile loop crosses over the Veterans Memorial Bridge, travels down West 25th in Ohio City, traverses the Hope Memorial Bridge and completes itself via Ontario and Huron downtown — a popular scenic route for local runners. The $1.7 million project will provide critical bike and pedestrian infrastructure with shared-use paths, buffers from car traffic and general infrastructure improvements.

And while the top of the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge sees improvements with the memorial loop, the underside of the bridge — once used to carry streetcars across the Cuyahoga River — is expected to see improvements as well. With a $7 million budget, planning is currently underway to transform the below decks of the bridge into a pedestrian-friendly linear park with plentiful views of the Cuyahoga River.

The timeline for completing the project however is not currently known. Another critical, yet nebulous project is in the works just underneath the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

That would be the complete redesign of Canal Basin Park. The three phase project costing $15 million features improved riverfront boardwalk access, children’s play areas, ample programming for community events and recreation as well as a nod to the historic Ohio & Erie Canal that used to cross through this portion of Columbus Peninsula.

Designs for Canal Basin Park were originally revealed in October of 2024 to get community feedback and refine the park’s design. Project representatives from the City of Cleveland and Pittsburgh-based urban designers Merritt Chase then received conceptual approval from the City Planning Commission for their plans back in January 2025, but word has been quiet on the project ever since.

Current indications are that the project is still moving forward in the schematic design phase, but at a very slow pace.

In the meantime however, the Metroparks are quickly proceeding with a redevelopment vision on Columbus Peninsula just to the south of Canal Basin Park. After acquiring several industrial and commercial properties on the East Bank earlier in 2025, the Metroparks announced a partnership with Ceres + LaPine Development LLC to help coordinate the development and with Sandvick Architects of Cleveland for potential historical renovations to existing buildings.

Sandvick has extensive experience with historical renovations, including but not limited to the famous Cleveland Arcade, The Athlon, The Bingham and recently-opened Bell Apartments, all in downtown Cleveland. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) also chipped in, selling their properties under the Cuyahoga Viaduct to the Metroparks for redevelopment into future green space.

The Columbus Peninsula project is currently listed as “pending development” on their development map — meaning it is likely farther ahead in planning than other proposed riverfront projects. The specifics of the mixed-use project are still under wraps.

Other projects currently being considered by the Metroparks are boardwalk improvements along the rapidly-growing Scranton Peninsula, directly adjacent to The Collins and Triton apartments. Hundreds of new apartments are bringing new residents into the heart of the city and additional connectivity is critical to supporting any future development.

Further upstream, Bedrock’s multi-billion dollar investment to the Tower City area is well underway with the construction of the joint Cavs-Cleveland Clinic practice facility, the Global Peak Performance Center, as well as public realm improvements of their own including new boardwalks and a kayak launch. Metroparks is in talks with that development group to construct a trail connecting the Cavs training facility to the Towpath Trail in Tremont via West 3rd Street.

And finally, the Cleveland Soccer Group’s stadium proposal is reportedly still in the works — despite a competing stadium proposal revealed by USL and Cleveland State University last month — that would see Metroparks-owned land converted into a stadium for men’s and women’s professional soccer as well as what Metroparks has now identified as “park improvements” around the stadium site.

All in all, 2026 will be a big year for the Cleveland Metroparks, kicking off several projects that will transform the riverfront forever. Other projects however, are still in the planning stage limbo with some question marks. The hope is those projects are able to add to the blistering momentum of Downtown Cleveland’s riverfront.

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