The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s Brookpark Rapid Station in suburban Brook Park could soon host a Greyhound and Barons intercity bus station, too. Negotiations are underway for an agreement among the transportation providers to make that a reality (Tom Horsman). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Downtown transit center no longer planned
The Cleveland Browns aren’t the only one considering a move from Downtown Cleveland to suburban Brook Park. Now, it’s Greyhound/Barons intercity bus services that could move to the west-side suburb near Cleveland International Hopkins Airport.
A spokesman confirmed the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) is in negotiations with the nationwide and regional bus companies to move their shared station to the GCRTA-owned property between Brookpark Road and Interstate 480. The neighboring interstate is located in Cleveland, showing how close the rail rapid transit station, 18010 Brookpark Rd., is to the region’s mother city.
“The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority is pleased to have been a team member in helping Greyhound and Barons Bus find a new location for their customers,” said GCRTA Public Information Officer Robert Fleig. “Our Brookpark Station’s overflow parking lot provides the space needed by Barons Bus to build a new transit center where customers can purchase tickets, board, disembark, and wait for their bus.”
However, there are two overflow parking lots at the Brookpark Station. One is located to the west side of the train boarding platform and the other is at the far-east end of the GCRTA station property, next to I-71. Fleig was checking to see which lot is under consideration. The two bus service providers combine for 30 buses arriving and departing Cleveland in a 24-hour period.
Overhead view from earlier this year of the Brookpark Rapid Station in the suburb of Brook Park. The Greyhound/Barons bus station will be located on one of the two overflow lots on the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority property (MyPlace.CuyahogaCounty.gov).
“An agreement between Barons Bus and GCRTA is currently under review and being processed through normal procedures,” he noted. Dallas-based Greyhound would serve whatever station Barons chooses locally. Barons’ company headquarters and bus garage is located just down the street at 13315 Brookpark, in Brook Park.
The future site for a new Greyhound/Barons bus station has been up in the air ever since Greyhound parent First Group PLC sold its 1948-built, art deco-designed Downtown Cleveland station, 1465 Chester Ave., in 2023 for $1.72 million. It was part of a sale of 32 Greyhound stations nationwide to real estate development firm Twenty Lake Holdings of Stamford, CT for $140 million.
Twenty Lake then flipped the 2.25-acre Cleveland property and 36,580-square-foot station building. It was bought by the Playhouse Square Foundation earlier this year for $3.35 million, according to Cuyahoga County property records. Sources indicate that the foundation is securing additional properties surrounding the station for a redevelopment that includes renovating the historic station.
“We look forward to sharing our plans for the space when they are solidified,” said Cindi Szymanski, Playhouse Square’s senior manager of brand marketing and communications in an e-mail to NEOtrans last spring.
The historic Greyhound bus station on Chester Avenue at the east end of Downtown Cleveland hasn’t belonged to Greyhound for years. Now it belongs to the Playhouse Square Foundation which wants to expand the theater district northward (Google).
Originally, Greyhound/Barons identified GCRTA’s Puritas Rapid Station as the site to which they would relocate their Cleveland station while possibly retaining a curbside boarding location in Downtown Cleveland. The possibility of a downtown curbside boarding location is still being considered. The Puritas Station is located at 4200 W. 150th St. in Cleveland’s West Park neighborhood.
But city and county officials said they wanted the main station downtown. In April, Fleig confirmed that the 14-year-old, but nearly vacant Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center, 2115 E. 22nd St., downtown, was under consideration for the Greyhound/Barons station. A Greyhound spokesperson told NEOtrans the current Downtown Cleveland station on Chester will not be closed until a new location is found.
“After close collaboration with the city of Cleveland and local officials, Greyhound can confirm our ongoing operations at the terminal situated at 1465 Chester Avenue as we continue working towards transitioning to our future location,” said Courtney Castaneda, senior manager of communication and events at Greyhound.
The 14-year-old but largely unused Stephanie Tubbs Jones Transit Center on East 22nd Street at Prospect Avenue in Downtown Cleveland was considered for a Greyhound/Barons bus station but apparently rejected considering that the Brookpark Station is under active discussion now (Google).
“A team effort by GCRTA, the city of Cleveland, and Cuyahoga County provided a collaborative ownership of the negotiation and property search that now allows Greyhound and Barons Bus to go forward with plans to serve their customers today and into the future,” Fleig told NEOtrans.
“Ensuring public transit access to downtown remains an important focus for the city of Cleveland and RTA,” he added. “An integral part of our transportation network, these busses provide an accessible, affordable, and sustainable way for residents and visitors to travel to and from the city. We are actively pursuing opportunities with partners to provide curbside stops downtown.”
Additional details about the Greyhound/Barons station at Brook Park including what types of passenger facilities (waiting room, rest rooms, heating/cooling) might be offered — are unknown at this time, he explained. “All your questions are good ones to ask, but it’s too early in the process to respond to them,” Fleig noted.
END
