On July 22, 1796, Moses Cleaveland (Yes, he spelled it that way!) and a party of surveyors for the Connecticut Land Company made their way up the Cuyahoga River and stepped ashore on the east bank of the Flats to scan what would become the "capital" of the Western Reserve - Cleveland.
By the 1830s, the Flats became the transportation and economic hub of the region due to the siting of the northern terminus of the Ohio & Erie Canal. Decades later, the Industrial Revolution ushered in an era of heavy industry, manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. This activity fueled dramatic growth and established Cleveland as a national center of industry and commerce.

In recent times the Flats embodied everything that was undesirable about urban America (Rust Belt, environmental degradation, etc.). The "Burning River" will forever be a symbol of Cleveland's precipitous decline. What was once a civic embarrassment, is now a source of pride and economic development. The turning point was transforming the Cuyahoga River from an industrial sewer into a healthy river.

Since the 1970's, the Flats has undergone a stunning transformation from a manufacturing and distribution center to a unique, mixed-use district that combines restaurant, entertainment and even housing with industrial and transportation activity. In short, the Flats has become the region's entertainment Mecca. More than 7 million visitors patronize over 50 entertainment venues that generate over $100 million in revenues.

Good planning is the foundation for physical and economic development. In 1986, the Flats Oxbow Long-Range Development Plan was published. It received immediate recognition for its appropriateness and quality. The City Planning Commission adopted the plan as a guide for public and private investment in the Flats. The plan garnered Progressive Architecture's Urban Planning & Design Award. (In 1994 a Plan Update was published.)

The fundamental development premise in the Flats is that development is largely dependent on the implementation of public improvements that establishes a high-quality physical framework for future development - roads, bridges, parks, river channel improvements, streetscape and utility system improvements. The funding and implementation of the capital projects listed in the Plan Update is the focus of a cooperative effort among the Flats community, city, county, state agencies and private developers. Individual private development projects within this "public" framework rightly succeed or fail on their own merit.

Bottom line, this planning and implementation strategy has worked. The majority of the major projects identified in the 1986 Plan and 1994 Plan Update (representing $100 million in public investment) have either been completed or scheduled for construction. These projects have leveraged to date over $150 million of private investment in the Flats.

What's Next?
Many downtown projects are complete or have gained a strong foothold on their climb to achieve their development vision. As a result, the urban fabric of Cleveland and the Flats is reaching a level of maturity that allows us to focus our efforts towards strengthening linkages among the individual development districts.
E.g. - The Waterfront Line: A $68 million light-rail extension that links the Gateway/Tower City complex, the Flats, and North Coast Harbor (Rock & Roll Hall Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center)