u/ButterscotchUnable13

I'm going to be spending more time around Columbus and have been getting curious about the local fashion scene.

I've always thought of Columbus as more of a college/sports/tech city, so I honestly wasn't expecting to hear as much about fashion in the area.

But the more I look into it, the more interesting it seems there are established retailers and brands here, independent designers, boutiques, vintage shops, and a very nice creative scene.

I'm curious about something from people who actually live here:

Joby is currently building Ohio's manufacturing future in Dayton while establishing operational hubs elsewhere

Yet, .... Cleveland Mayor Bibb and Cleveland City Council are aggressively trying to eliminate the very aviation infrastructure that has potential to connect Joby's Dayton Ohio manufacturing base to a major urban/medical market.

The geographic location of BURKE LAKEFRONT AIRPORT in Cleveland, OH is right on Lake Erie

Dayton = Manufacturing

Cleveland = Medical/urban operations

Burke Airport physical footprint = lakefront urban airport

Lakefront property = perfect for supplemental Charging platforms powered by the Lake

Great Lakes = regional network

That creates a potentially coherent Ohio strategy.... but the Leadership in Cleveland want a park instead of embracing the Future

Cleveland could plausibly have created a AAM ( Advanced Air Mobility) Hub at Burke ... focused on urban connectivity, medical transportation, Great Lakes regional mobility and advanced aviation.

I know there's a lot of excitement about redeveloping Burke Lakefront Airport into a public park and mixed-use lakefront space, and I understand why. More public access to the waterfront would be a great thing.

Cleveland has spent the last 62 years trying to move beyond the old "Mistake on the Lake" label. Every major decision about our future is an opportunity to redefine how the country sees the City of Cleveland—not just for today, but for the next 50 years.

That said, I'm wondering if Cleveland Mayor Bibb and Cleveland City Council are overlooking another opportunity before committing to a project that has been estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Instead of removing the airport entirely, what if part of the site were used to attract advanced aviation, electric aircraft manufacturing, logistics, and clean-energy companies while preserving essential aviation functions such as emergency medical flights?

This isn't just a theoretical idea. The aviation industry is changing rapidly. In July 2026, Reuters reported that the FAA is accelerating the certification and deployment of electric air taxis (eVTOLs), advanced drones, and even supersonic aircraft as part of a broader effort to help the United States become a global leader in next-generation aviation. Companies such as Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, and BETA Technologies are already investing billions of dollars to bring these aircraft into commercial service.

Since this is the direction the entire aviation industry is moving, has Cleveland seriously evaluated whether Burke could become part of that future instead of eliminating the airport altogether?

My thinking is that this approach could potentially:

• Create long-term, high-paying manufacturing, engineering, logistics, and skilled trades jobs.
• Attract substantial private investment rather than relying primarily on public funding.
• Expand Cleveland's long-term tax base.
• Preserve critical aviation infrastructure for emergency medical, business, and public safety operations.
• Still provide opportunities to improve public access to portions of the lakefront.

I'm not suggesting a lakefront park has no value. Public access to Lake Erie is important, and I understand why many people support that vision.

What I'm wondering is whether the city has publicly compared the long-term economic impacts of these alternatives before making a final decision.

Has Cleveland commissioned an independent economic analysis comparing a publicly funded lakefront redevelopment with an advanced aviation and technology campus?

If there's a study showing the proposed redevelopment would provide greater long-term economic benefits than an aviation and advanced manufacturing hub, I'd genuinely like to read it.

What do you think Cleveland gains—or loses—by choosing one path over the other?

ButterscotchUnable13

•1m ago

Put Cleveland First...NOT another Developers pockets

Mayor Bibb’s own data shows only a modest projected gain from the closure of (BKL). Whereas the cost is permanent. Once this airport is gone, it’s gone forever. The City of Cleveland can never rebuild a Downtown/Lake-front Airport ever again.

The smarter path is Evolution...instead of elimination and closure. What looks like open space today is actually future economic capacity. The SMARTER BETTER decision is to Expand what Burke Airport property can become....

Stand at the edge of Lake Erie on a clear morning; The skyline of Cleveland rises behind you—glass, steel, history, and ambition... In front of you, Lake Erie stretches outward, open, and unbroken. We are an area of (FOUR unpredictable seasons) .....NOW, LOOK slightly, to your right, there sits Burke Lakefront Airport. At first glance, it appears quiet...it is underused. it sits there quietly still...and Old.....

NEXT, look closer, because what appears inactive is not empty, It’s actually INACTIVATED INFRASTUCTURE - it is useful land that is already built, already connected, and already positioned to generate far more than it does today.

Two Futures — One With Limits, One Without ....In one future, the airport is removed. The runways are broken apart. The infrastructure is dismantled. The site is converted into parks, trails, Rec-center, Golf course and recreational spaces. Areas that will realistically be limited by nature to only (5months /per year of usage) People walk. Children play. Visitors enjoy the view. Economic activity rises modestly - From approximately $76.6 million to $92 million annually, according to Mayor Bibb and City of Cleveland projections. It is an improvement, but it is also a ceiling.

Because once the infrastructure is gone, so is the ability to generate anything beyond what the land alone can produce. (Voinovich Park is right next to Burke Airport and only 4.5acres, Voinovich Park has NEVER EVER been packed with people ....Mayor Bibb and City of Cleveland Council members can't even fill those 4.5 Acres yet want all Clevelanders to believe they can magically fill 450 acres with people which is 100 times more space ...DO YOU BELIEVE TRULY THEY CAN HONESTLY ACCOMPLISH THAT by making Burke Airport into an even larger Park/walking-Trails/Golf-Course/Camp-sites ???? ).

NOW, i am asking you to read what I have outlined next...have an open mind...look forward ...future thinking and now consider the following alternative: the runways remain - but they evolve. And suddenly, what was once a single-purpose asset becomes a multi-layer economic engine (Cleveland is losing the Browns and Cleveland needs some alternate Economic Engine to help soften that financial blow).

Here is a REALISTIC PLAUSIBLE OPTION .

THE NEW FIRST LAYER — High-Value Aviation That Already Exists A business jet descends over Lake Erie then lands smoothly at Burke lakefront Airport...then within minutes, its passengers—Executives, investors, decision-makers—are in downtown Cleveland. No highway delays. No suburban transfers. No lost time. This is not theoretical; this is already happening. Private and business aviation: • brings high-net-worth individuals directly into the city core • supports corporate decision-making presence • influences where companies choose to invest, expand, or relocate This layer alone represents economic activity that is: • high-value per trip • difficult to quantify in basic studies • easily lost if access disappears Remove the airport—and this layer doesn’t relocate cleanly. It fragments. It diminishes.

THE NEW SECOND LAYER — (Mayor Bibb's Communications woman said on television that she has spoken to Clevelanders and hasn't spoken to a single person that has even been to Burke Airport and therefore Burke should be torn down....the MAYOR should be finding SOLUTIONS not *laying down* Mayor BIBB should instead FIND A WAY to make it so that ALL Clevelanders and Visitors have FULL ACCESS to Burke Lakefront Airport ...and the Way to do that is with ..... A NEW REGIONAL MOBILITY ECONOMY....The U.S. federal transportation system is already moving toward Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) — a category that includes electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, air taxis, and other low-altitude aviation technologies...so WHY IS MAYOR BIBB and Some City Council members INTENTIONALLY trying to do whatever they can to Stop Cleveland from enjoying this technology and the Economic Wealth that comes with it ?????? In December 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released the Advanced Air Mobility Comprehensive Plan 2025, outlining their roadmap to integrate AAM into the national transportation system and Yet Mayor Bibb and some of the City Council Members are trying to keep Cleveland stuck 10yrs behind the rest of the world.

Now with THE NEW SECOND LAYER —the rhythm of the space begins to change. Not louder - QUIETER. Electric aircraft lift vertically and move outward in short, efficient routes. • Everyday citizens and visitors can travel........Cleveland to Columbus. • Everyday citizens and visitors can travel........Cleveland to Cincinnati • Everyday citizens and visitors can travel........Cleveland to Detroit. • Everyday citizens and visitors can travel........Cleveland to Pittsburgh. • Everyday citizens and visitors can travel........Cleveland to Cedar Point. • CLEVELANDERS Need to Get Involved......Cleveland to the Entire Great Lakes Region Trips that once required hours can now take minutes. This is not traditional aviation. This is Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)—a system designed for: • high-frequency regional travel • short-distance connectivity • distributed urban access points And with it comes something far more important than transportation: new economic demand....Demand that is Created... Not redistributed. Businesses begin to operate differently: • Regional meetings increase • Same-day multi-city operations become normal • Cleveland becomes a central node in a connected Great Lakes network This is where economic output begins to expand—not incrementally, but structurally.

THE NEW THIRD LAYER — Public Space That Is Alive, Not Idle Along the edge of the airport, the lakefront opens. Green space stretches alongside the water. Paths connect neighborhoods to the shoreline. People walk, gather, and stay. But unlike a traditional park, this space is not passive, It is energized by what surrounds it. Visitors don’t just pass through—they remain; Because there is movement. There is access. There is activity year-round. Even in colder months, the area is not empty. Because aviation—and the economy it supports—does not stop with the seasons.

What Happens When These Layers Combine Individually, each layer has value.

Together, they create something far more powerful:

A compounding economic system. • Aviation brings high-value users into the city • AAM expands regional connectivity and demand • Public space increases foot traffic and engagement • Events like the Cleveland Air Show continue—and grow Revenue begins to flow from multiple directions: • aviation operations • mobility services • business activity • tourism and events • adjacent development This is how an asset EVOLVES into a system capable of generating $178 million to $280 million annually (over time). Not because of speculation—but because multiple economic engines are operating simultaneously.