Public and private interests in Euclid are planning to rapidly join the list of communities who realize that their proximity to Lake Erie is their best regional attraction. While the three-plus miles of lakefront property in the city have always been in use, there are now lots of plans to take that usage to the next level.

The Senior Center
By this fall, Euclid will consolidate both of its facilities for seniors into a new (and old) center located at the north end of E. 222nd St. TMO Three, Inc.'s Donald Tarantino, a Euclid native who used to go fishing at the park on the lake, assembled the professional team that put the project together.

The new center, scheduled to open in early fall, 2004, will house all of Euclid's senior activities, and will also be open for rental by the public, says Tarantino. The center will be built using as a base a pavilion that was constructed on the lakefront park land as a WPA project in the 1930s. Builders are adding 13,000 square feet to the original 6,000-square-foot rectangular building that stretches parallel to the Lake.

When completed, the new building, "will be in a 'J' shape," says Tarantino. "There will be a canopied entrance leading to a main reception area. To the left will be a crafts room with a kiln and a gift shop and coffee shop. Past that will be a lounge built around the original fireplace, which was totally restored, and converted from wood to gas logs." There will also be two courtyards, an exercise room and exercise equipment, a full kitchen, offices, conference room and dining room.

The centerpiece of the building will be a multi-purpose room with an attached auxiliary space that can hold up to 300 people. Two glass-punctuated galleries will run through the building, affording lake views. Outside, there will be a patio where one can sit and watch the lake, and on the grounds people will be able to play horseshoes, croquet and other lawn games.

But the new center, which has not yet been named, will also fill the needs of the larger community. It will be, for one thing, a spectacular place to hold a wedding. Another very unique aspect of this facility will be a wing for the Cuyahoga County Board of Mental Retardation, which will have 20-25 special needs folks on hand every day to help out with the senior programs. And in another city construction project on the boards, there will be a mile-long boardwalk along the Lake.

Harbor Town Complex
The K&D Group, Inc. is putting upwards of $70 million into a huge lakefront development around E. 250th St. It is a continuation of K&D 's purchase and renovation of two apartment buildings Ð Harbor Crest and Water'ss Edge. That renovation has already cost around $45 million, including the purchase of all of the homes near the lake located along E. 242nd St. K&D will next put between $6 and $7 million into building a breakwall (with Kelleys island stone), and then will build a $2-million, 250-boat marina behind that. On the shore will be a complex of about 90 condominiums along E. 242nd St., more condos in other parts of the property, a restaurant, and more. Construction of the last phase will run in the $30- $35 million range, says K&D's Doug Price. When completed, Harbor Town will be a gated community the likes of which has seldom been seen along the shores of Lake Erie.

The Shores of Edgecliff
The Shores of Edgecliff, sitting on a 60-foot high embankment on 3.5 acres at the end of E. 205th St., will consist of 11 single- family homes, says Peter Rubin of the Coral Group, which is overseeing the development. Coral Group is also involved in the recent purchase of Shaker Square. With a total development cost of $5.5 million, the homes will run in the $400,000 to $550,000 range, have three-four bedrooms, and be about 3,000 square feet each, says Rubin. "It is just a spectacular view," he says. "All of the homes look out over the lake. It is a very powerful experience just standing there." Homes will be maintenance-free, and Coral will be building a deck along the cliff overlooking the Lake. Rubin expects the first homes to be ready by mid-summer.