Roller skates, food trucks and lake views — Cleveland’s lakefront is finally getting the spotlight. This summer-long celebration is just the beginning of the city’s long-awaited lakefront revival.
Cleveland’s North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation is launching North Coast Yard, a summer pop-up that marks progress toward a vibrant and equitable waterfront. Executive Director of the NCWDC, Scott Skinner, says it’s a key step in showing Cleveland residents and stakeholders that the city is moving forward on lakefront development.
“We are transforming the Downtown lakefront into a space that is accessible and open to the general public,” he says.
This seasonal project is preparing to bring life to the lakeside with engaging events, local food and drink and plenty of space to unwind. Located lakefront on the city-owned lot next to the Steamship Mather, north of the Browns Stadium, the yard is part of Cleveland’s North Coast Master Plan.
Opening weekend is June 13 through 15, kicking it off with a pop-up roller skating rink, food trucks and a lakefront bar Friday with fun, family-friendly activities all weekend long. “When I think of summer in Cleveland, I think of all of the unifying activities that bring people together from the suburbs, west and east sides to celebrate, engage and have a good time,” says Rhonda K. Brown, Senior Strategist Arts, Culture and Creative Economy in the mayor’s office in the city of Cleveland.
The free space offers local food and drink vendors on the weekends, live music, yard games, sports leagues, special programming and more throughout the summer. “It’s important for Cleveland residents — and for folks who are visiting Cleveland — to have free ways to use this space in a way that benefits them,” Skinner says.
The North Coast Yard is built on part of the 25-acre lot, primarily utilized for 10 to 12 days out of the year for the Cleveland Browns' home games, and left vacant for the remainder of the year. “This is publicly owned land,” Skinner says. “This belongs to Cleveland residents.”
The yard is partially constructed from temporary materials, such as shipping containers, designed to be stored during the winter months. The project will include several community-built elements, allowing residents the opportunity to leave their mark.
The yard operates from dawn to dusk daily, June through August, and is fully funded by the NCWDC, and $1 million in ARPA funds from the city of Cleveland, Skinner says.
“We have been working for many years and many administrations to activate the lakefront, and we are really excited that we are moving in such a positive direction with the activation of the North Coast Yard,” Brown says.
Cleveland’s newest waterfront destination is an opportunity to test the space with Clevelanders for what the permanent public space and programs are going to be as long-term waterfront development projects move forward, Skinner says. “This project is tangible and can allow us to start to achieve the goals of our organization, which are creating the Downtown lakefront that Clevelanders deserve,” he says.
View the calendar of upcoming events here.
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