Community Engagement Process To Begin for the Watterson-Lake Site in Gordon Square

Oct 20, 2021

Cleveland (Oct. 20, 2021) - Councilmember Jenny Spencer has allocated $12,000 from her Casino Revenue funds towards a community engagement process for the 2.383 acre Watterson-Lake site in the Gordon Square Arts District.

Currently, the former Watterson-Lake Elementary School property is owned by the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), but ownership will transfer to the City of Cleveland in 2022. The school, located at 1422 W 74th St., closed in 2019.

The City will release a Request for Proposals (RFP) in 2022 to solicit redevelopment proposals from private and non-profit developers.

The goal of the community engagement process, set to begin in November 2021, is to get community feedback in order to identify shared values and prioritize unmet needs (for example, filling current gaps in the housing or retail market). The findings of this facilitation and engagement process will be integrated into the structure and content of the City’s RFP.

“The Watterson-Lake site is a unique opportunity in the Gordon Square Arts District, due to the size of this publicly-owned parcel,” says Councilmember Spencer. “As part of this process, our goal is to engage as many Ward 15 residents as possible, maximizing participation from a diverse cross-section of the community, with explicit engagement of residents, businesses and property owners in immediate proximity to the development site.”

This site is located 0.25 miles from the heart of Gordon Square within the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, and borders the Cudell neighborhood.

The Cleveland City Planning Commission is partnering with Councilmember Spencer to support and structure the engagement process. Free By Design, LLC has been selected as the engagement process facilitator.

More information about the Watterson-Lake site redevelopment and community engagement process can be found at www.WattersonLakeCle.com.