Cities want airport to drive development

Cleveland Hopkins' neighboring communities are hoping to use the airport to land lucrative developments.

Much like a metropolis and its surrounding suburbs, an aerotropolis features a core airport with outlying aviation-linked businesses.

Berea, Brook Park, Olmsted Falls, Parma, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Hopkins, the Cleveland Department of Economic Development, and the Cleveland Department of Port Control are looking to create an aerotropolis here.

Also included are Fairview Park, North Olmsted, Middleburg Heights and Brooklyn. The Berea Community Development Corp. -- that city's economic development arm -- is the fiscal agent on the project.

Dr. John Kasarda, a business professor with the University of North Carolina, defined the aerotropolis concept. According to his Web site at aerotropolis.com, these developments tend to attract time-sensitive manufacturing and distribution; hotel, entertainment, retail, and exhibition complexes; and office buildings that house regional corporate headquarters and air-travel intensive professionals.

Brook Park Mayor Mark Elliott said this is big for the region.

"We have a long way to go with it. I am meeting with airport director Ricky Smith on Friday to expand on this.

"Sometime this summer we'll put together a lot of the ideas and really have the framework. It's good for the region and all the communities that surround the airport. It's future economic development."

The entities involved are working to secure funding resources to conduct a study through the urban college at Cleveland State University. The study, which will cost $63,000, is essentially a master plan that would include all facets of creating an aerotropolis.

Rebecca Corrigan, executive director of the BCDC, said the study would research a combination of things such as industrial warehouse capacity, market analysis, transportation, initiatives to help market properties, and availability in all the participating cities.

"It will also focus on regional economic competitiveness and what we need to do to be more competitive in the air commerce market," she said. "What is Hopkins not doing in the region to make it more marketable? And, what Hopkins and surrounding cities can do to enhance this trade market."...