Cleveland Metroparks Announces $13 Million Gift fromthe Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation to Expand Park Access onCleveland’s East Side

Cleveland Metroparks today announced a $13 million gift from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation, the largest private donation received in the Park District’s history. The gift will support two of Cleveland Metroparks’ key initiatives along the lakefront on Cleveland’s east side: the construction of the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway from E. 9th Street to E. 55th Street and neighborhood investment through the acquisition and transformation of the southern portion of Gordon Park.

“The gift from the Mandel Foundation is a historic and transformative investment in Cleveland Metroparks and Cleveland’s east side neighborhoods,” said Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian M. Zimmerman. “We are excited to work closely with the City of Cleveland, Councilman Anthony Hairston and our neighborhood partners on the revitalization of Gordon Park and improving connections from the St. Clair Superior neighborhood to our lakefront.”

Since 2013, Cleveland Metroparks has leased and managed the northern portion of Gordon Park along the lakefront and has been strategically investing in the park to improve access and amenities.

With $8 million of the Mandel Foundation’s generous gift, and through strong partnerships with the City of Cleveland and Cleveland City Council, Cleveland Metroparks looks to expand the lease and management of Gordon Park to include the 48-acre southern portion of the park east of E. 72nd Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Following a robust community engagement process, targeted and strategic investments will be made in the park to serve visitors and the neighborhoods adjacent to the historic park including upgraded infrastructure, water play components and baseball field improvements.

The gift from the Mandel Foundation will support Cleveland Metroparks’ work with community partners to create a cohesive lakefront park on the east side of the City of Cleveland, connecting the neighborhoods of St. Clair Superior and Glenville to Lake Erie, improving the E. 72nd Street corridor and activating the entire Gordon Park with a variety of active and passive recreational amenities.

The strategic improvements to Gordon Park will further the vision of the Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resiliency Strategy (CHEERS), establishing a waterfront community that includes beautiful, vibrant corridors connecting neighborhoods to the lakefront. 

From the Mandel Foundation’s gift, $5 million will be allocated to advancing construction of the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway between E. 9th and E. 55th streets along North Marginal Road on the east side of the City of Cleveland in partnership with Cuyahoga County and the City of Cleveland. This new 2.7-mile off-road paved segment of the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway will connect to the existing portion of the bikeway from E. 55th Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and provide much needed safe access to the lakefront on foot or by bicycle to the St. Clair Superior and Glenville neighborhoods. The gift from the Mandel Foundation is complemented by $5.6 million of funds from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) through the Federal Highway Administration’s Carbon Reduction Program and local match funds provided by Cuyahoga County and the City of Cleveland. 

“The multi-modal all purpose trail represents a notable milestone in years of collective lakefront planning amongst project partners and is a first step of the Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resiliency Strategy,” said Cleveland Metroparks Chief Planning and Design Officer Sean E. McDermott. “Construction on the trail is expected to begin summer 2024 in partnership with the Ohio Department of Transportation with the goal of being completed by the end of 2025.”

The new trail will provide the millions of visitors and guests to Cleveland’s lakefront with a direct connection from downtown to University Circle.

“The grant awarded to Cleveland Metroparks will serve as a catalyst for tremendous investment in furthering lakefront access and recreational opportunities for all our citizens, but especially the residents of neighborhoods that are adjacent to Lake Erie within the City of Cleveland,” said Jehuda Reinharz, Mandel Foundation President & CEO. “The investment is a significant part of our effort to strengthen neighborhoods and provide our fellow citizens an enhanced quality of life.”

“This grant awarded by the Mandel Foundation marks significant investments in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood and comes on the heels of our recent grant to help build Irishtown Bend Park in Ohio City,” said Stephen H. Hoffman, Chairman of the Board of the Mandel Foundation. “This grant is centered around our belief that our citizens and neighborhoods are our greatest assets; thus, we want to help in strengthening these communities for all who live, work and play in them. These lakefront projects will not only boost the Foundation’s previous investments, but will spark new investments and new interest in these wonderful lakefront neighborhoods.”

“We are honored to receive this monumental gift from the Mandel Foundation that will expand east side neighborhood access and connections to lakefront trails and greenspace,” said Cleveland Metroparks Chief Development Officer Natalie Ronayne. “By investing in the two key corridors and gateways along the lakefront and E. 72nd Street, initial benefits of the CHEERS vision and collaborative lakefront planning will be realized in the near term for residents of the surrounding neighborhoods and across Northeast Ohio.”