I have always been envious of Chicago's continuous parks/trails along the Lake from North to South, as opposed to our mostly private yards, industry, and airport. My pipe dream would be a multipurpose trail from Edgewater Park to Wendy Park, over the river (maybe on the rail bridge?), down to North Coast Harbor, and then into a great East Side Edgewater Park in place of the airport, continuing and terminating at that lakefront park near MLK Blvd. I recognize that that is mostly fantasy at this point but it's my 100 year dream. Point is, if Cleveland ever gets the growth and prosperity to justify closing Burke for redevelopment, at the very least the land closest to the lake should be reserved for a park.

 

Currently, we just have too much open space already, as awesome as the fantasy of this lakefront 'hood would be. It would cannibalize progress elsewhere. We should leverage the airport for its strengths.

Just curious, does anyone know why Rickenbacker (LCK) is not included in the report?

 

It appears that LCK is listed as "Not an FAA facility," as is Wright Patterson AFB and dozens of other small muni or county airports. I'm assuming because it's partly a military airport?

 

I'll check the charts but most likely because of the above or it's a non-federal tower.

BKL is more than likely here to stay.  It may seem a bit redundant now but considering the time and effort needed to build a new runway anywhere, the FAA is loath to remove capacity.  Also, BKL is a decent facility and could and has handled limited scheduled airline service.  Right now and for the immediate future, CLE is nowhere near capacity - in fact it never has been.  But, should the economy of the metro really move up, an operation like BOS is not out of the question.  If that happened, BKL would really be a necessary reliever.  If shut down, it would be next to impossible to add runway capacity at any nearby airport.

I have always been envious of Chicago's continuous parks/trails along the Lake from North to South, as opposed to our mostly private yards, industry, and airport. My pipe dream would be a multipurpose trail from Edgewater Park to Wendy Park, over the river (maybe on the rail bridge?), down to North Coast Harbor, and then into a great East Side Edgewater Park in place of the airport, continuing and terminating at that lakefront park near MLK Blvd. I recognize that that is mostly fantasy at this point but it's my 100 year dream. Point is, if Cleveland ever gets the growth and prosperity to justify closing Burke for redevelopment, at the very least the land closest to the lake should be reserved for a park.

 

Currently, we just have too much open space already, as awesome as the fantasy of this lakefront 'hood would be. It would cannibalize progress elsewhere. We should leverage the airport for its strengths.

 

It wouldn't be crazy impossible to work out a deal with the FAA to have a bike path around the outer perimeter of the field to allow for access east to west.  Just need money for fencing!

BKL is more than likely here to stay.  It may seem a bit redundant now but considering the time and effort needed to build a new runway anywhere, the FAA is loath to remove capacity.  Also, BKL is a decent facility and could and has handled limited scheduled airline service.  Right now and for the immediate future, CLE is nowhere near capacity - in fact it never has been.  But, should the economy of the metro really move up, an operation like BOS is not out of the question.  If that happened, BKL would really be a necessary reliever.  If shut down, it would be next to impossible to add runway capacity at any nearby airport.

 

Hopkins operation is long way off from non-legacy hubs like Boston Logan or Seattle/Tacoma or even the Southwest focus city "hub" at Baltimore/Washington.

 

I know the FAA wants to keep capacity but most of Burke could be shifted to Hopkins and Cuyahoga County. I'm sure some city pols somehow still see Burke as a future cash cow. I don't know if this will ever be the case. I think Burke and Hopkins should be run by a regional entity and not the city. Clearer heads would prevail about what to do with Burke IMHO.

 

I just added a response to that beltmag article. Here it is:

 

 

Yes, a park on the lake is nice. But you’re missing the larger argument. The number one priority for Cleveland is growing its economy with new/additional businesses and jobs. Burke is something that ATTRACTS business. Discounting for military, general aviation, and flight school operations, Burke is the 6th busiest airport in state (counting Cincinnati as part of Ohio, though its airport is in Kentucky). It serves a critical business need that supports the economy of the city and the region. Your argument is also based on the belief that that the capacity that United took out of Hopkins is not and won’t be replaced by other airlines, which in fact is not true at all. In fact, the adding of capacity by other carriers has already begun and is continuing.

 

A particular ‘falsehood’ in your article that must be addressed. You stated: “Flight operations at the four airports in the area – Burke, Hopkins, Akron-Canton, and Cuyahoga County Airport – have all dropped by big numbers in the past decade or so. In 2000, those four airports had about 615,000 flights, including about 332,000 at Hopkins. Last year, those four combined for about 287,000 flights. That is a drop of more than 50 percent in about 15 years. In other words, we have extra airport capacity in the region. So closing Burke would have little effect on overall airplane service infrastructure system.”

 

False—Cuyahoga County has much less field capacity than the other three airports. In fact, many businesses in the eastern suburbs that would love to fly their corporate flights out of the County Airport can’t and must use Burke. Remember, the runway at BKL is about 1,000 feet shorter than NY LaGuardia. County is a small airport. Akron-Canton is also not a ‘replacement’ for Burke. People who pay thousands of dollars for a business flight for, say a 40 minute flight from NY to Cleveland certainly are not going to want to then spend 60 minutes in a car to reach Downtown Cleveland. At best, you can make the argument that Hopkins can take some Burke traffic, but you can’t say Cuyahoga County or Akron Canton is a viable replacement for Burke.

 

And this was humorous: “This will be a long-term process; it might be a decade before Cleveland starts seeing dirt being moved. But no private developers are going to come forward and lay out potential plans unless Cleveland lets the world know it is open for business.” Yes, after the city destroys one of its best business assets.

 

Ultimately, your premise is one of defeat: “Cleveland will not grow again to be a mighty city and lets just deal with the loss and start deconstructing economic engines of the past.” Airports, in the global economy, are drivers of local economies. Though you make evident that you don’t realize this, but Burke does indeed play an essential role in Cleveland’s economy and the future prosperity of this city—and that, for those that understand this, perhaps they are the “naysayers” you cite in your article—is why the 6th busiest commercial airport in the state should not be closed. Closing Burke is irreversible and will cause irreparable harm to the city. If anything, it should be better leveraged than it is right now to grow the city.

 

If you want downtown lakefront property to develop without killing the city, then revive and lead the effort to move the port to E 55 and use that land as your downtown lakefront park. Now that was a plan that made sense. But don’t lobby for eliminating assets that help our economy grow.

 

http://beltmag.com/numbers-now-say-burke-really-no-longer-needed/

Good idea Pugu.  I just cross-posted my ideas from above as well.  Will see if he prints them as he did yours.

The only point of keeping Burke open is as a public sacrifice to a few very wealthy individuals who like being able to hop on a plane within a couple of minutes of their office.  I seriously doubt this keeps anyone's office in Downtown, let alone Greater Cleveland, but there it is.  I wish the Burke supporters would at least be honest about that instead of spewing a bunch of nonsense about it being an economic engine.

 

Closing Burke would kill the city?  That's some laughable BS. 

The only point of keeping Burke open is as a public sacrifice to a few very wealthy individuals who like being able to hop on a plane within a couple of minutes of their office.  I seriously doubt this keeps anyone's office in Downtown, let alone Greater Cleveland, but there it is.  I wish the Burke supporters would at least be honest about that instead of spewing a bunch of nonsense about it being an economic engine.

 

Closing Burke would kill the city?  That's some laughable BS. 

 

Might as well kill the waterfront line too, since it only exists to take a few commuters around to Tower City, and maybe some Browns fans 8 days a year.  Most days it rides back and forth with an operator and no passengers.

 

I jest of course, but your post is somewhat accurate.  Burke is not an economic engine.  But it COULD be.  Upthread someone suggested to put someone other than Ricky Smith in charge of this.  I agree 100%.  Find a young, energetic, aviation-minded person with a slant for economic and urban development, and put them on the task of making Burke into a useful tool.    It is one thing downtown Cleveland has that nearly all the surrounding eastern and midwestern cities do not:  a downtown airport.

 

 

^Yup I don't get all the hate for Burke. People are so passionate about closing it down... So let's close it down and put a bunch of ppl out of work. Brilliant. Now what?

 

Edit: Or how about this. Let's close down the county airport so those companies that left Cle for the east side have to use Burke again. Shifting all of the county traffic to BKL makes much more sense.

You think anyone is located Downtown or on the Eastside because of Burke/Cuyahoga County? 

 

Why do we need to kill the waterfront line?  It isn't sitting on a few hundred acres of waterfront property.

 

I'm all for determining the best use of the waterfront, but we should consider the options with Burke and without Burke.  It's all opinion at this point because nobody has done the detailed study, but I doubt that the options with Burke are as good as the options with something else on the waterfront.  There's probably a good reason those other cities don't have Lakefront/Downtown airport, and that's because it's an awful, awful use of such prime land.  I certainly don't hear them crying that they need their version of Burke, and Chicago tore theirs out.

The only point of keeping Burke open is as a public sacrifice to a few very wealthy individuals who like being able to hop on a plane within a couple of minutes of their office.  I seriously doubt this keeps anyone's office in Downtown, let alone Greater Cleveland, but there it is.  I wish the Burke supporters would at least be honest about that instead of spewing a bunch of nonsense about it being an economic engine.

 

Closing Burke would kill the city?  That's some laughable BS. 

 

No...Burke is open because of runway capacity.  Burke has two parallel runways capable of handling most aircraft.  i agree it's in a bad location but nevertheless it's there.  County airport is too constrained to be a viable alternative plus there's the NIMBY issues as a result of it's location.  It's mentioned that Chicago closed Meigs field but Meigs was less necessary because the Chicago area has MDW which provides significant capacity.

 

Always remember that it is extremely difficult to add runway capacity even at existing airports.  The legal/environmental process is laborious and expensive.  Look how long it took Hopkins to get the approval to build the new 6L/24R a decade ago.  You can argue that BKL may be excess capacity today and not really needed but the FAA is looking well beyond the present and considering the fact that once removed, the runway capacity at BKL will next to impossible to replenish.

 

I don't think that BKL is going anywhere for at least the next decade - or longer.  Perhaps a new airport to replace CLE or a major re-design of CLE with additional runway capacity (those plans actually exist on paper) will make BLK redundant.  But for the time being it's here to stay.

 

 

 

 

  It's mentioned that Chicago closed Meigs field but Meigs was less necessary because the Chicago area has MDW which provides significant capacity.

Also, it's noteworthy that Meigs was closed quite illegally because Richie Daley ordered city crews to vandalize it.  He wanted to put a park there and guess what it would be named?  (hint:  not Meigs).  He stranded planes on the ground, forced emergency diversion of planes in the air, and should have been tossed in jail.

 

It's still not redeveloped, twelve years later.

You think anyone is located Downtown or on the Eastside because of Burke/Cuyahoga County? 

 

Why do we need to kill the waterfront line?  It isn't sitting on a few hundred acres of waterfront property.

 

I'm all for determining the best use of the waterfront, but we should consider the options with Burke and without Burke.  It's all opinion at this point because nobody has done the detailed study, but I doubt that the options with Burke are as good as the options with something else on the waterfront.  There's probably a good reason those other cities don't have Lakefront/Downtown airport, and that's because it's an awful, awful use of such prime land.  I certainly don't hear them crying that they need their version of Burke, and Chicago tore theirs out.

 

My point on the Waterfront line was to address your concern for a large investment for few people.  And the Waterfront line fits that category.  Probably even more so, as there were 70,000 operations at Burke last year, so extrapolating there were probably 100,000 people traveling through there, plus another 50,000 at the airshow?  The Waterfront "Ghost Train"....?  Not so much...

 

As mentioned upthread, I'm all for redeveloping it if a plan existed, with financing, to do something meaningful with it.  But we're coming up on 15 years of the Flats redevelopment and it's still chugging along to a finish.  I wouldn't expect to see 450 acres redeveloped in my lifetime....

 

 

Waterfront Line carried 250,000 last year. But I realize your point. Both the Waterfront Line and Burke could do better with more supportive development (ie: Geis lakefront office complex for Burke, Flats East Bank additional phases & Multimodal Hub for Waterfront Line).

Burke itself isn't the problem for a "disconnected waterfront." Its footprint lies from roughly east 13th through east 55th. If you look at the the original lakeshore here and the development along the original banks it's all industrial use. Burke is no more of a problem to a disconnected lakefront than 1000s of buildings in these neighborhoods which do nothing to interact with the lake. Let's say that over the past century we didn't put any dredgings into the lake to expand the lakeshore in this area and the lake was at its original shoreline today? Regardless of Burke being there or not, the lake would still be disconnected.

 

Closing Burke and redeveloping it as a new (and massive neighborhood) is just something unrealistic for Cleveland. The acreage of Burke is like recreating the entire central business district of downtown and placing it again 2 miles to the northeast. Cleveland would have to be a city facing explosive growth to even consider that as a possibility. Even if this were to be turned into a park, we're talking something like 5-10 Edgewater Parks fitting into this acreage. This would also be a completely flat park with no lake views unless you were actually standing on the edges.

 

I'd say that redeveloping Burke is at least 30 years off. When every vacant lot downtown has infill and old historic neighborhoods have no more buildings to convert AND the lakefront area around Browns stadium has been fully developed ... maybe then ... we can discuss creating brand new neighborhoods in the lake bed.

 

I think focusing on redeveloping the waterfront that actually touches downtown neighborhoods is much more critical to creating a cohesive downtown that once again interacts with the lake, ie FEB and Browns Stadium area.

Waterfront Line carried 250,000 last year. But I realize your point. Both the Waterfront Line and Burke could do better with more supportive development (ie: Geis lakefront office complex for Burke, Flats East Bank additional phases & Multimodal Hub for Waterfront Line).

 

Based on RTA's numbers.  A recent Channel 3 "study" found it much lower (but a topic for another thread). 

 

Agreed with you otherwise KJP--we have these tools in our kit.  Now how is the city going to use them?

Let's be a leader, not a follower. 

 

The USA's first downtown, urban airpark.  Residential living with your plane and office in walking distance.  There is a parking lot in front of the terminal that sits mostly empty 350 days a year.  I see a couple mid-rise, high-end condo buildings there (with room to still keep plenty of parking), with direct access to the ramp to get to your plane.

 

An example for suburban and rural planners:

 

http://livingwithyourplane.com/2005/11/15/building-a-residential-airpark/

 

 

 

 

Let's be a leader, not a follower. 

 

The USA's first downtown, urban airpark.  Residential living with your plane and office in walking distance.  There is a parking lot in front of the terminal that sits mostly empty 350 days a year.  I see a couple mid-rise, high-end condo buildings there (with room to still keep plenty of parking), with direct access to the ramp to get to your plane.

 

An example for suburban and rural planners:

 

http://livingwithyourplane.com/2005/11/15/building-a-residential-airpark/

 

 

That's thinking outside the box.  I like it.

 

One other concept, and they might be compatable.  You have an international container port, an airport that can handle the biggest freight planes (they land a C-5 for the air show), a major rail line, and an interstate highway all within a couple square miles(?).

 

How rare is that?

Let's be a leader, not a follower. 

 

The USA's first downtown, urban airpark.  Residential living with your plane and office in walking distance.  There is a parking lot in front of the terminal that sits mostly empty 350 days a year.  I see a couple mid-rise, high-end condo buildings there (with room to still keep plenty of parking), with direct access to the ramp to get to your plane.

 

An example for suburban and rural planners:

 

http://livingwithyourplane.com/2005/11/15/building-a-residential-airpark/

 

 

That's thinking outside the box.  I like it.

 

One other concept, and they might be compatable.  You have an international container port, an airport that can handle the biggest freight planes (they land a C-5 for the air show), a major rail line, and an interstate highway all within a couple square miles(?).

 

How rare is that?

 

Not a bad idea....but the C5's the land at the airshow are empty.  I think to get any amount of freight in or out the runways at BKL are too short.  Event the 737 and 757's landing there are only carrying 50-75 people on charters....

Let's be a leader, not a follower. 

 

The USA's first downtown, urban airpark.  Residential living with your plane and office in walking distance.  There is a parking lot in front of the terminal that sits mostly empty 350 days a year.  I see a couple mid-rise, high-end condo buildings there (with room to still keep plenty of parking), with direct access to the ramp to get to your plane.

 

An example for suburban and rural planners:

 

http://livingwithyourplane.com/2005/11/15/building-a-residential-airpark/

 

 

That's thinking outside the box.  I like it.

 

One other concept, and they might be compatable.  You have an international container port, an airport that can handle the biggest freight planes (they land a C-5 for the air show), a major rail line, and an interstate highway all within a couple square miles(?).

 

How rare is that?

 

Not a bad idea....but the C5's the land at the airshow are empty.  I think to get any amount of freight in or out the runways at BKL are too short.  Event the 737 and 757's landing there are only carrying 50-75 people on charters....

 

That's true, but they probably weigh more than a full plane normally used for freight.

Let's be a leader, not a follower. 

 

The USA's first downtown, urban airpark.  Residential living with your plane and office in walking distance.  There is a parking lot in front of the terminal that sits mostly empty 350 days a year.  I see a couple mid-rise, high-end condo buildings there (with room to still keep plenty of parking), with direct access to the ramp to get to your plane.

 

An example for suburban and rural planners:

 

http://livingwithyourplane.com/2005/11/15/building-a-residential-airpark/

 

 

Cool idea!

 

 

One other concept, and they might be compatable.  You have an international container port, an airport that can handle the biggest freight planes (they land a C-5 for the air show), a major rail line, and an interstate highway all within a couple square miles(?).

 

Which led me to this idea a few years ago when the port was considering moving. I wondered why they couldn't be combined.....

 

 

Revetment at BKL, damaged by Hurricane Sandy, finally funded by FEMA for repairs.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/02/burke_lakefront_airport_gets_5.html#incart_m-rpt-1

 

Revetment at BKL, damaged by Hurricane Sandy, finally funded by FEMA for repairs.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/02/burke_lakefront_airport_gets_5.html#incart_m-rpt-1

 

This would be a perfect time for the city to tag on a bike path and fencing around the perimeter, to connect the E9th St Pier with the 72nd St Park.

^or a perfect time to expand the airport using the fill area to the northeast of the runways.

Yep, then we can have two undercapacity airports in Cleveland.

^The last thing you want is an airport that is at capacity.

It's the last thing either of those airports are ever likely to be.

^Hey, never say never! The city is on its way back up. I was partially joking about the BKL runway expansion, though I do strongly believe that its current potential is far from being met. With current runway lengths, we could have plenty of 737 service to the entire eastern half of the US.

One view...

 

Numbers Now Say Burke Is Really No Longer Needed | Belt Magazine | Dispatches From The Rust Belt http://t.co/wvwpZgUbos

One view...

 

Numbers Now Say Burke Is Really No Longer Needed | Belt Magazine | Dispatches From The Rust Belt http://t.co/wvwpZgUbos

 

I think that view was already posted...

 

Numbers Now Say Burke Is Really No Longer Needed: There are times when Mark Twain was right, that… http://t.co/5T0l6gPrdP | @belt_magazine

As you get older, everything old is new again!

 

Cleveland National Air Show Poster Contest

 

"The Cleveland Hopkins Airport Temporary Art Exhibition Program is calling on Northeast Ohio's young and aspiring artists for its upcoming poster contest for the Cleveland National Air Show. So grab your favorite art supplies and create a poster that captures the excitement of the Cleveland National Air Show!

 

All public and private school students, youth groups and individual youth artists in the age groups shown below are invited to submit two-dimensional (2D) works of art for consideration.

 

There is no cost to participate as an artist. Youth artists interested in submitting a piece must complete the entry form and submit any digital/original samples by Friday, March 27, 2015 at 5 p.m."

 

http://www.clevelandairport.com/news/events/cleveland-national-air-show-poster-contest

 

CLEVELAND -- Superhero's will have a new home at Hopkins International Airport and Burke Lakefront Airport.

 

The Greater Cleveland Film Commission will display posters of the Cleveland-filmed "The Avengers" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier." The film commission hopes the display will make its mark with travelers showing Cleveland as a production destination.

 

http://www.wkyc.com/story/news/features/2015/04/30/hopkins-airport-to-showcase-avengers-posters/26623443/

Tonight (5/14) at BKL, 4-7pm.

 

 

from the PD (though you could probably only find such a story if really tried hard to find it [and knew it was there]):

 

"CLEVELAND, Ohio -- What projects should unfold in coming years at Burke Lakefront Airport?

 

You can head to the airport tomorrow to weigh in.

 

The city of Cleveland's Department of Port Control is hosting a public information session and airport layout plan update at the existing Burke terminal, 1501 North Marginal Road in Cleveland. The open house is from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.....

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/05/burke_lakefront_airports_propo.html

 

 

^Did anybody here attend? If so, anything to share?

Interesting tweets....

 

Will Tarter ‏@WillTarter  3m3 minutes ago

TIL Half billion dollars worth of aircraft at Burke Lakefront Airport during the NBA Finals. -Commissioner Khalid Bahhur @CBCmagazine event

 

Michael Deemer ‏@MDeemer  2m2 minutes ago

Burke Lakefront Airport: home to 8 start ups & tech companies. $46.5 million economic impact. Employs 300 people. #dtCLE

 

Michael Deemer @MDeemer

@cavs NBA finals run brought over 300 jets to downtown's lakefront airport. #dtCLE.

Interesting tweets....

 

Will Tarter ‏@WillTarter  3m3 minutes ago

TIL Half billion dollars worth of aircraft at Burke Lakefront Airport during the NBA Finals. -Commissioner Khalid Bahhur @CBCmagazine event

 

Michael Deemer ‏@MDeemer  2m2 minutes ago

Burke Lakefront Airport: home to 8 start ups & tech companies. $46.5 million economic impact. Employs 300 people. #dtCLE

 

Michael Deemer @MDeemer

@cavs NBA finals run brought over 300 jets to downtown's lakefront airport. #dtCLE.

 

They had to close down a runway for extra parking space for Game 6. 

 

Interesting the economic development stats--and I think it could be much better if the City actively used it to attract companies. 

 

Should be interesting to see the new Landmark Aviation building take shape. 

 

And as I've stated upthread, use the extra space on the airport to our advantage.  We should build Mid-rise condos in the parking lot.  We should dedicate a greenway bike/running trail around the outer perimeter of the field for lake access.  And we should re-open Aviation High school!

Sure the mayor was corrupt, unethical and frankly an all around lousy person, but he also had balls of steel to illegally seize an unnecessary downtown airport. Unfortunately it wasn't Burke.

 

And now Northerly Park opens tomorrow.

 

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Northerly-Island-Park-Opens-Friday-Chicago-323896021.html

 

http://chicagoist.com/2015/09/02/new_northerly_island_park_has_a_lon.php#photo-8

 

Sure the mayor was corrupt, unethical and frankly an all around lousy person, but he also had balls of steel to illegally seize an unnecessary downtown airport. Unfortunately it wasn't Burke.

 

And now Northerly Park opens tomorrow.

 

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Northerly-Island-Park-Opens-Friday-Chicago-323896021.html

 

http://chicagoist.com/2015/09/02/new_northerly_island_park_has_a_lon.php#photo-8

 

 

One of the worst actions by any government in recent memory.  Daley did it mainly to name the park after his mother (which he eventually did with another park).  As it stands, the laws changed as a result and any city trying a reprise would get nailed much harder.

 

No testicular fortitude involved at all.  If you want an example of that, there's this guy:

 

http://www.friendsofmeigs.org/html/news/2003-07-28_emergency_landing.htm

 

Daley of course took it as a personal insult.  He really is a body part close to the ones mentioned earlier.

Sure the mayor was corrupt' date=' unethical and frankly an all around lousy person, but he also had balls of steel to illegally seize an unnecessary downtown airport. [b']Unfortunately it wasn't Burke.[/b]

 

Really? You want that kind of actions taken by government to be done here in Cleveland? Say what you will for Jackson, but at least he understands the importance of Burke.

Absolutely in support. Daley did the city a huge service by unilaterally (even if illegally) gifting Chicago such a massive public amenity. There was a trade off of course and some people were upset, but far, far, FAR many will benefit in the long term.

 

If White (Campbell and Jackson are too weak to take such a gamble) had gone the same route, Burke could have become such a wonderland for the city. Instead it's just a massive waste with zero point zero value for 99% of the region.

Absolutely in support. Daley did the city a huge service by unilaterally (even if illegally) gifting Chicago such a massive public amenity. There was a trade off of course and some people were upset, but far, far, FAR many will benefit in the long term.

 

If White (Campbell and Jackson are too weak to take such a gamble) had gone the same route, Burke could have become such a wonderland for the city. Instead it's just a massive waste with zero point zero value for 99% of the region.

 

Aside from the fact that Jackson is weak, there is plenty of other land on the lakefront that hasnt yet become a wonderland that isnot an airport.  When we run out of developable land on the lakefront, then this statement might make sense. 

^^But why Burke?  If we're looking for more greenspace, we have Dike 14 which was added to the city's lakefront within the past few years, giving Cleveland an extra 77 acres of greenspace.  Let's say, for example, that Cleveland were to have gone the same route as Chicago.  Burke is (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) over 400 acres.  Honestly, what would you expect to happen there at this point in the city's declining history when we have acres of unused surface lots downtown?  If it's greenspace, why can't we better utilize what we currently have instead of bulldozing an underused asset?

Side stepping all of the controversy for a moment, it's worth checking out what Chicago did with naturalizing the shoreline at Northerly. It's very beautiful. I believe they're doing the same reclamation in Toronto. Regardless, this is what we should be doing in Cleveland north of Burke and all around the breakwalls. Reclaiming the natural aesthetic is important for wildlife and it provides a worthwhile option for dredge material. 

Ultimate Air Shuttle is adding twice daily service to BKL from Lunken Airport (LUK) in Cincinnati. The flights will be Monday - Friday and will cost $379 for a round trip. They have a special going on right now where you get one round trip ticket free with a purchase.

That's great news. Pretty decent schedule. It allows someone who lives in either city to leave in the morning, spend the day for business in the other city, then leave in late afternoon at 515 or 600pm for the short trip back.

 

Flight Schedule

Monday — Friday

7:00 AM Depart from Cincinnati (LUK)

7:45 AM Arrive in Cleveland (BKL)

8:10 AM Depart from Cleveland (BKL)

8:55 AM Arrive in Cincinnati (LUK)

 

5:15 PM Depart from Cincinnati (LUK)

5:55 PM Arrive in Cleveland (BKL)

6:20 PM Depart from Cleveland (BKL)

7:00 PM Arrive in Cincinnati (LUK)

 

Pricing Information

$199 One Way

$379 Round Trip

 

https://ultimateairshuttle.com/destinations/cleveland/

Looks like some ground breaking will be done this month.

http://www.wkyc.com/story/news/local/cleveland/2015/09/04/some-development-around-burke-airport---take-off/71726650/

Great news.  I really think with all the available land on the lakefront, the city should be pushing Burke as an asset.  Why do we always have to settle for something less?  Let's push the best of both worlds.  A downtown airport to push tech/medical industry developments, condos in the parking lot, and a greenway around the outer edge connecting the 72nd St marina with North Coast Harbor.    This isn't a stretch people!

Great news.  I really think with all the available land on the lakefront, the city should be pushing Burke as an asset.  Why do we always have to settle for something less?  Let's push the best of both worlds.  A downtown airport to push tech/medical industry developments, condos in the parking lot, and a greenway around the outer edge connecting the 72nd St marina with North Coast Harbor.    This isn't a stretch people!

 

And one of those high-speed monohull catamarans departing several times daily from the west end of the airport to Port Stanley, met by bus and fast rail connections to and throughout Ontario -- Ohio is Ontario's second-largest trading partner state in the USA. So Burke becomes an intermodal transportation center! :)