It’s possible to build on the landfill beneath Burke Lakefront Airport, although City Hall doesn’t have a master plan yet for redeveloping the 450 acres on Cleveland’s downtown Lake Erie shoreline. 

That was the big takeaway Wednesday from the first of four City Council hearings on Mayor Justin Bibb’s effort to reimagine Burke — if he can rally the political support to close it, a process that could take years. 

The nearly three-hour discussion gave council members s chance to ask about roadblocks to developing on the land. Deputy Chief of Staff Jessica Trivisonno reiterated the administration’s position that Burke isn’t working for Cleveland. 

“Burke Lakefront Airport is not contributing to the city’s growth,” she told council members. “It is not contributing meaningfully economically, and I have never once met a resident of the city of Cleveland who has utilized Burke Lakefront Airport. This is 450 acres of space that should be for our residents.” 

Trivisonno said that the administration will sketch out a more specific picture of the future of the Burke site by April. 

The hearing largely avoided the meatiest questions underlying the mayor’s plans: How can the city win the federal OK to close the airport, and what specifically would replace Burke? Future hearings will look at Burke’s finances, the path to closure and the market for redevelopment. 

Wednesday’s hearing focused on the nuances of building on lakefront landfill.

“What my colleagues and I heard today was that it’s not impossible, but it is complex,” Ward 15 Council Member Charles Slife, who chaired the meeting, told reporters afterward. 

Building on Lake Erie landfill

One complexity is the landfill itself. A construction crew could dig down 12 feet before hitting the water table, according to Scott Skinner, the director of the North Coast Waterfront Development Corp. 

Despite that, it’s possible to develop park space and one- or two-story buildings on the site, he said. The land beneath the runways is compact enough to support structures, he said. 

Plus, Burke’s land was “remarkably clean” compared with such redeveloped industrial sites as the near West Side’s Battery Park or the Scranton peninsula along the Cuyahoga River, he said. Skinner said his staff has been compiling years worth of environmental studies of the Burke site. A health assessment is also forthcoming, he said. 

Another complexity is land ownership. The city owns the property above the water, but leases the space in Lake Erie from the state. Any developer would lease the land from the city rather than buying it outright. 

The Port of Cleveland and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers use the northeast corner of Burke for disposing of dredged Cuyahoga River sediment. The Army Corps’ disposal facility is nearly full, and the Port’s will be filled by 2029, officials told council. After that, the Port would continue using a portion of the Burke site to recycle dredged soil. 

More than just a park?

Council hasn’t yet voted on any plan to close Burke. At least one member, Ward 10’s Michael Polensek, said he wasn’t convinced that Burke’s days should come to an end. 

The city had treated the airport as an “afterthought” since the 1990s, he said. He said the administration needs to show how shutting down the airport would benefit city neighborhoods. 

“We don’t need another 450 acre park on the lakefront,” Polensek said. “We need jobs, we need opportunity, we need revenue into the city.”

Other members said the administration should have clear redevelopment plans before shutting off the lights at the airport. Richard Starr of Ward 5 said he did not want the airport site to “sit vacant for years,” as happened to his own shuttered middle school. 

Ward 13 Council Member Brian Kazy said that council members should be part of the discussion about Burke’s future. 

Trivisonno said there were plenty of steps ahead before Burke is no more. 

“I will say there is a long runway — thank you — to getting the airport closed,” she said.