A new economic impact study released Wednesday highlights two potential redevelopment paths for Burke Lakefront Airport, aligning with Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb’s plan to close the city-operated airport.
Conducted by an outside consulting team, the study models scenarios that would transform the airport from its current general aviation role into mixed-use development. Both concepts focus on a combination of recreational, commercial, and public-use spaces designed to boost the Cleveland lakefront economy.
City officials describe the study as a cornerstone of long-term lakefront planning, projecting that redevelopment could generate hundreds of millions in economic activity. News 5 Cleveland reports that the plans could cost $600–$700 million, with a wider range of $480 million to nearly $844 million. The study also estimates that a mixed-use redevelopment could bring in roughly $2.6–$2.7 million annually in city tax revenue.
However, the aviation community is pushing back against the airport’s closure. Organizations including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), International Council of Air Shows, and the National Business Aviation Association argue that closing Burke would eliminate a vital general aviation resource.
“Airports are a finite resource, and the vast majority—including Burke Lakefront—are protected by federal law,” said Kyle Lewis, AOPA’s Great Lakes Regional Manager. “This attempt to circumvent the law is both unprecedented and unfair, and the mayor’s claim to have universal support for closing the airport is misleading.”
Officials are set to present before Cleveland City Council on April 1 and 15 regarding Burke’s future. The opening session will address airport closure procedures, with the follow-up meeting dedicated to redevelopment possibilities.
Only a politician would think spending 800+ million to get 2.7 million in return taxes per year. No mention of the fact that the airport is built on reclaimed soil (dredged) from the infamous Cuyahoga river many years ago. The EPA considers it a Superfund hazardous site. Who is going to pay for that? And who would want to build or walk along that land? The last administration in the Cleveland mayor office gave up on this idea after discovering how much it would cost to clean up the site, instead decided to make improvements for the 2016 Republican convention.
Cleveland can ask Chicago about whether the latter had measurable success redeveloping Meigs Field. Yes, it is now a park, but the entrance is largely blocked by an unsightly concert venue, and the park gets only a handful of visitors. The return on investment, aside from rentals of the concert venue, is probably negative.
If you take a look at what’s been happening to the land at meigs field, it would shock you. The whole area is getting reclaimed by mother nature. Erosion and it reverting back to the earth. Everything that was supposed to happen, never came to fruition.