Housing Analysis for Cleveland Lakefront Development

The Center for Housing Research & Policy conducted this survey and analysis of housing on Cleveland’s lakefront for the Cleveland Lakefront Partners, which is composed of the city of Cleveland, Cleveland Tomorrow, the Greater Cleveland Growth Association, and the Cleveland Neighborhood Development Corporation. The report includes both the results of the survey of residents in the multi-county Cleveland region and a comparative study of waterfront populations in the cities of Milwaukee, Chicago, Portland, and Baltimore. The survey results showed that at least 6,000 and possibly up to 9,000 middle and upper-income households would be interested in living on the lakefront if housing were available. Planners have determined that altering the location and configuration of the city’s Shoreway would make available land that could accommodate 10,000 units of new housing. If five percent (10,000) of Cleveland’s households lived on its lakefront, that percentage would be well within the range of the waterfront populations of comparable cities (Portland, 9.7 percent; Chicago, 7.1 percent; Baltimore, four percent; and Milwaukee, 1.8 percent). The report’s results have played a significant role in the city of Cleveland’s plans for lakefront redevelopment