Irishtown Bend

West Creek Conservancy, LAND studio, the Port Authority, and Ohio City Inc. (among many others) are working to transform Irishtown Bend into an urban park connecting Ohio City to downtown and Lake Erie. Because the scale of the project is such that it will take years to complete, the partners are implementing shorter-term interventions on the hilltop along West 25th Street.

Progress has been made in regard to the stabilization of the hillside. In July, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $9 million grant to the Port to install bulkheads necessary to protect the river from a landslide. In addition, a $1.8 million commitment was made by Cuyahoga County to fund the relocation and reconstruction of Franklin Avenue—a key component of Irishtown Bend Vision Plan.

In June of 2019 , LAND studio and West Creek Conservancy completed the transfer of over 15 acres of land and two buildings from CMHA (including multiple parcels from private property owners). These transfers give the project partners site control over all but 1 parcels within the future park’s footprint. The former CMHA structures have been removed and the site is temporarily graded/seeded.

The Port has contracted with Osborn Engineering to fully engi¬neer the hillside as well as the re-alignment of Franklin, in a multi- year process. Once that work has established the new grading contours of the hillside, project partners can begin turning the Irishtown Bend Vision Plan into schematic plans for the park.

Scott Cataffa of Plural (formerly with CMG) will develop a Phase 1 design plan for the neigh-borhood park along the upper bank of Irishtown Bend parallel to West 25th Street between Detroit and Bridge Avenues. To date, support for hilltop design work has been secured from the Tecovas Foundation, Dominion Energy, the Fred A. Lennon Charitable Trust, and the Louise H. and David S. Ingalls Foundation.