The historic arch which once adorned the entrance to the Euclid Beach amusement park has been restored and relocated to a new pocket park away from vehicle traffic (Harrison Whittaker). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Progress Pics: Euclid Beach Connector Trail, Reserve Care Hospice, renovations
On the heels of their latest lakefront trail opening, Cuyahoga County and Cleveland Metroparks are already at work on their next trail extension in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood — joining a series of lakefront recreation projects that have already sparked comparisons with Edgewater Park’s transformation of the near-West Side.
The half-mile extension, known as the Euclid Beach Connector Trail, would roughly double the length of an existing trail that runs through Euclid Beach and Wildwood parks. The project, estimated to cost $14.5 million, began construction earlier this year.
Work is underway to construct the Euclid Beach Connector Trail, a half-mile pedestrian and bike path along the shores of Lake Erie (Harrison Whittaker).
The trail extensions are part of a broader vision to develop a recreational lakefront trail along the county’s 30 miles of Lake Erie shoreline as part of an erosion control infrastructure project.
While trail development will require residents to open up their waterfronts to public access, the infrastructure that comes along with it would offer long-term protection to properties along the lakefront.
A sign on Shore Acres Drive describes the Euclid Beach Connector Trail project, managed by the Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works (Harrison Whittaker).
The east end of the Euclid Beach Connector Trail would serve Euclid Beach Park, which itself is undergoing a 28-acre expansion on the site of the former Euclid Beach Mobile Home Community.
In September 2025, Cleveland Metroparks acquired the land from the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, who purchased the property in 2021 with the intention of preserving it as parkland. By 2024, the Land Conservancy had relocated the last of its remaining residents, allowing demolition to begin.
Construction work at the former Euclid Beach Mobile Home Community will remove utilities and make other preparations for the future parkland (Harrison Whittaker).
Several other projects are adding to the momentum at Euclid Beach Park: near Lakeshore Boulevard, the arch which once straddled East 159th Street — marking the entrance to its namesake amusement and trolley park — has been restored and relocated to a new pocket park. The arch’s $800,000 rehabilitation included restoring its illuminated sign.
A designated Cleveland Landmark, the arch had suffered significant damage since the park’s closure in 1969 due to drivers crashing into it numerous times. Its new off-street location both allowed for road reconstruction and helped reduce the risk of further damage.
A branch of the Euclid Beach Connector Trail will connect to Evergreen Place (Harrison Whittaker).
Other plans for the lakefront park include a possible replacement of the Cleveland Public Library’s Memorial-Nottingham Branch, currently located inside the former Villa Angela Academy.
Construction is scheduled to begin this year on the Euclid Creek Greenway’s third phase, pushing the trail’s terminus north from Chardon Road to St. Clair Avenue. A fourth and final phase would close the gap to Euclid Beach Park, creating a direct off-street connection to Euclid Creek Reservation.
A mixed-use building at 16005 Waterloo Road is undergoing a façade restoration after pieces of masonry were reported to be falling onto the sidewalk (Harrison Whittaker).
While park projects have the potential to fuel redevelopment momentum, the city is also pursuing structural changes to streamline new construction. Last month, City Planning Commission held a community meeting to discuss proposed Form-Based Code updates around Euclid Beach Park as well as the Waterloo Arts District.
The revamped zoning code, which currently exists as a pilot program, attempts to modernize the city’s outdated building regulations by prioritizing features that support neighborhood walkability.
Proposed Form-Based zoning changes would affect the Waterloo Arts District as well as East 156th Street south of Lakeshore Boulevard (City of Cleveland).
The area surrounding the former Dave’s Market, which closed in 2022, would be rezoned to allow for a possible mixed-use development up to five stories tall. Meanwhile, a dedicated zoning district for parkland would would protect Euclid Beach and the former mobile home park from future development.
Along Waterloo Road, properties would be zoned to allow for mixed-use developments up to three stories tall, while East 156th Street would enable multi-family construction up to four stories in height, possibly featuring neighborhood-serving commercial uses.
A retail building was renovated at 701 E. 185th St., allowing a new tenant to move in (Harrison Whittaker).
Other developments are centered around the East 185th Street commercial district, where Cleveland shares a border with Euclid. The street was reconstructed in 2023 as part of an $11.5 million streetscaping project which added improved sidewalks, signage, and pedestrian amenities.
This summer, a retail building at 701 E. 185th St. completed a full renovation. The formerly vacant structure, which sold in 2023, has already welcomed Sweet Bean Chocolate as its first tenant. The chocolatier moved down the street from a smaller location in the LaSalle Theater building in order to expand its production.
Reserve Care Hospice opened a new 32-room facility in Collinwood earlier this year, replacing its Hospice House (Harrison Whittaker).
Earlier this year, Reserve Care Hospice (formerly known as Hospice of the Western Reserve) opened its new Hospice Care and Community Center at 18485 Lakeshore Blvd. — near the north end of East 185th. The site was previously occupied by its Hospice House.
Designed by the national architecture firm E4H (Environments for Health) and built by Amicon Construction of suburban Northfield, the facility includes 32 private patient rooms overlooking Lake Erie.
For more construction updates around Greater Cleveland, check out NEOtrans’ other Progress Pics articles.
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