Impact Statement
The Euclid Beach Neighborhood Plan will create an expansive, publicly-accessible lakefront park on Cleveland’s east side. The project began with the acquisition of the 28-acre Euclid Beach Mobile Home Community (EBMHC). In 2019, Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek urged Western Reserve Land Conservancy to purchase EBMHC and ensure the fair and equitable treatment of its residents. After a lengthy community engagement process, local civic leaders recommended transitioning residents out of EBMHC into affordable housing within area.
In December 2021, at the urging of Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek, Western Reserve Land Conservancy purchased the 28-acre Euclid Beach Mobile Home Community (EBMHC) on the eastern edge of Cleveland in the North Shore Collinwood neighborhood. EBMHC sits between three public parks managed by Cleveland Metroparks: Euclid Beach, Villa Angela, and Wildwood. For nearly 75 years, city officials have been recommending closure of EBMHC and consolidation of the three parks into a single unified public greenspace along the shores of Lake Erie, Northeast Ohio’s greatest natural resource.
In April 2022, a diverse and inclusive steering committee was formed to manage a Master Planning and Community Engagement Services effort to determine the future of the 28-acre Euclid Beach Euclid Beach Mobile Home Community and its relationship with the surrounding 139 acres of public lakefront property in the Greater Collinwood neighborhood.
OHM Advisors are recommending the Housing Resource Group partners with the Euclid Beach Mobile Home Community residents to transition residents into affordable housing by Sept. 1, 2024. At that point, Cleveland Metroparks will begin consolidating the properties and consider construction of a new beachfront pavilion, turning a neglected shoreline into a world-class destination.
The new park, approximately 135 acres, completes a vision that has been discussed for nearly 75 years. Prior to EBMHC, Euclid Beach Park was a local amusement park that operated from 1895 to 1969. During that time, seasonal workers would be housed on temporary concrete pads during park operating seasons. When the park closed, a long history of commercial and residential development along Lake Erie began, but with little consideration of a master planning process that accounted for the need to preserve Lake Erie access, create public greenspaces, and entice businesses into the Collinwood neighborhood. On five separate occasions over the last 75 years, city officials, nonprofits, and park systems recommended closing EBMHC and consolidating the properties into a single space.
The vision of a unified lakefront space and a revitalized Collinwood neighborhood is now becoming a reality.
