Cleveland Metroparks wants to join forces with two Cleveland-area development firms working in partnership to preserve, restore and redevelop historic properties on a key portion of the Columbus Road Peninsula, just downhill from Downtown Cleveland along the Cuyahoga River.
The regional parks district said Thursday in a news release that it’s seeking a partnership with Ceres + LaPine Development LLC to reimagine roughly 15 parcels on the west side of the Columbus Peninsula, a once bustling industrial landscape outlined by one of the Cuyahoga River’s several oxbows.
Ceres + LaPine Development is a partnership of Ceres Enterprises, a Westlake hotel developer, and LaPine Legacy LLC, of Gates Mills.
At its meeting on Aug. 21, the Cleveland Metroparks board will consider entering a lease agreement with Ceres + LaPine Development to enable an application for Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit that would help pay for the development project, the news release said.
The credits would "help facilitate the potential reuse and redevelopment of the existing structures along the river,’’ Cleveland Metroparks stated.
The parcels in question include soaring grain silos, built in the 20th century, and a wood silo dating from the 19th century. They stand in the shadow of the Detroit-Superior Bridge.
Cleveland Metroparks has been acquiring property in the area since 2023, when it bought the Grain Craft property, previously owned by Cereal Food Processors Inc.
Cleveland Metroparks didn’t offer details on the scope or potential cost of its ambitions, but the agency has made it clear in recent years that it hopes to create a continuous public promenade around the peninsula on or as close as possible to the river.
The Columbus Peninsula is becoming a regional nexus of parks, trails and public spaces.
Cleveland Metroparks opened Merwin’s Wharf restaurant on the southern tip of the peninsula in 2014. The area now includes The Foundry, a nonprofit community center for rowing and sailing, plus the publicly-owned Canal Basin Park, the northern terminus of the 101-mile Towpath Trail.
Irishtown Bend Park, another new public amenity, is under construction across the river from the Columbus Peninsula in Ohio City.
Cleveland Metroparks issued a request for proposals to developers last spring, with a deadline of June 6. The request “emphasized historic preservation, public connectivity, and alignment with Cleveland Metroparks' broader riverfront vision, increasing public riverfront access,’’ the news release said.
“A fundamental priority of the project for Cleveland Metroparks is to enhance public access to the riverfront, ensuring that the community can enjoy and connect with this valuable natural asset for generations to come,” Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman said in the news release. “This promising collaboration represents an exciting step toward unlocking the possibilities of connectivity within a dynamic riverfront destination.”
“Ceres + LaPine Development LLC is enthusiastic about the opportunity to collaborate with Cleveland Metroparks on a visionary development concept for land along the Cuyahoga River,” said David Crisafi, founder and CEO of Ceres.
Crisafi described the partnership’s vision for the peninsula project as a “market-driven, mixed-use development leveraging the site’s historic character to bring new life to the Columbus Peninsula riverfront.’’
The proposal was developed by Sandvick Architects, led by Jonathan Sandvick, one of Cleveland’s foremost historic preservation architects and advocates.
Cleveland Metroparks said the project’s shape and scope will depend on whether it receives the tax credits in a process to be decided later this year.
