Developer looks to revive Flats in Ohio

Thomas J. Sheeran

Tuesday, July 5, 2005 | 9:18 a.m.

CLEVELAND -- Backers of the riverfront Flats nightclub district, a premier regional attraction until drownings and rowdiness took a toll, hope a $225 million development and a shot at casino gambling will lead to its revival.

Carolina Martin, who grew up in the 1950s and used to walk from home to watch the ship traffic along the winding Cuyahoga River, thinks the mix of condominiums, bars, restaurants and offices envisioned by Scott Wolstein will make a big difference.

While the west side of the Flats where Martin runs the Art on Wheels nonprofit organization displays some late-night vigor, the east side "really needs Wolstein desperately," Martin said.

Unlike the Flats of old when drinking along the waterfront was enough to draw a crowd, young people want something else, she said.

Wolstein's plan will offer more than watering holes: 330 residential units and a quarter-million square feet of entertainment and retail space including a grocery, fitness center, retail shops, movie theater, parks and a promenade to open the waterfront to strollers.

Demolition could begin later this summer, with groundbreaking set for next year.

The current state of the east bank of the Flats is a far cry from its heyday in the 1990s, when nightclubs were crowded with visitors from across the region.

No more. "It's a shame what we have seen happen in this area," Wolstein said in announcing his long-held dream, shared with his now-deceased father, developer Bertram "Bart" Wolstein.

Even civic boosters such as Councilman Joe Cimperman have few good things to say about the stretch of mostly boarded-up buildings that would be demolished to make way for Wolstein's project.

"I think the current environment is pretty sad," Cimperman said. He believes the mixed-use plans will help rejuvenate the Flats, where an unruly image mushroomed as rival entertainment areas such as Tremont, the Warehouse district and Ohio City emerged in the city.

The Flats sits at the historic heart of Cleveland, where the Cuyahoga River drew early settlers and eventually the smokestack industries that turned the city into an industrial powerhouse. Floating debris caught fire on the river in 1969, making Cleveland a symbol of urban decline and helping to spur the environmental movement.

With the river's cleanup, empty warehouses and factories gave way in the 1980s and 1990s to a thriving entertainment district. Tour boats plied the river and overhead bridges, Lake Erie cargo ships and the nearby skyline added a flavor of urban chic.

But in 2000 three drownings and a hard-drinking reputation created an image that undercut the popularity of the Flats.

On a recent warm Friday evening, diners and drinkers sat at boardwalk tables and a bridal party strolled along the riverbank on the west side of the Cuyahoga. But the more developed east side boardwalk was desolate, with most establishments long-since vacated.

A wild card in the future of the Flats is the proposal to legalize casino gambling in Ohio, where voters have twice rejected the idea sine 1990.

Mark J. Hamister, 52, of Elyria, spent a recent weekend evening serving as a volunteer dealer at a charity poker event meant to show off the Flats as a possible casino location. He had played the night before and liked it so much he returned to deal the cards.

"We should have the freedom to gamble here in Ohio," said Hamister, who makes at least one trip monthly to casinos in Detroit or adjacent Windsor, Ontario. "I'm taking my money out of Ohio."

The Wolstein proposal and the pitch for casinos by developer Jeff Jacobs, who operates casinos in Colorado and Nevada, are independent but could add up to a critical mass in the future.

But for now, Wolstein said, "It's a shame what we have seen happen in this area."

Mayor Jane Campbell, aiming for a signature accomplishment as she seeks re-election, said Wolstein has a solid project, with federal, state, county and city governments offering help with road, sewer, water and other infrastructure improvements.