Old River Road on the east bank of the Flats used to be Cleveland’s Bourbon Street. Bars and nightclubs lined the road, and pleasure boats docked four and five deep along the back patios of the clubs, clogging the Cuyahoga River.

A few years ago, however, the party died out as the scene of youthful drunkenness lost its charm and other areas of downtown began to compete with higher quality nightlife. Many bars closed, leaving the area with boarded-up buildings and a fraction of the vitality it once had.

But the Flats East district, framed by historic bridges near the mouth of the river, remains a spectacular urban location. Now, one of the nation’s leading developers, Scott Wolstein, CEO of Developers Diversified and a Greater Cleveland native, wants to realize its potential by turning it into a $225 million mixed-use neighborhood. The project, while early in the design phase, is planned to include 331 units of housing, 255,000 square feet of retail and entertainment, and a 450,000 square foot office building. And it will have many environmentally friendly features, from green buildings to pedestrian friendly public spaces (see link below for details on the green design elements).

Many government agencies — including the City of Cleveland, Port Authority, ODOT, and the Regional Sewer District — are assisting the project with financing or infrastructure investments. The Port is also helping with eminent domain proceedings to acquire a few remaining parcels of land. If this land acquisition process ends up in court, the planned 2009 opening of the development could be delayed.

Plan drawings
Aerial view (larger version)
Site plan