City of Euclid Unveils Heritage Trail Linking Euclid Creek Reservation to Hero Park; Phase I Construction Expected in 2027

Euclid Avenue's south-side commercial corridor will be the first test of whether a new public trail can do more than move people between parks. With Phase I funded and construction expected in 2027, businesses along the route face a more immediate question: Will the trail give walkers and cyclists reasons to stop, spend, and invest in the avenue's storefronts—or simply pass them by?

The City of Euclid announced the Euclid Heritage Trail, a planned 10-foot-wide multipurpose path along Euclid Avenue connecting Euclid Creek Reservation and Hero Park. The project would remake about 4,500 feet—roughly 0.85 miles—of existing sidewalk on the south side of Euclid Avenue between Dille Road and E. 228th Street.

Phase I is fully funded, with construction expected to begin in 2027. That first segment will run between Highland Road and Chardon Road. Segments outside the Highland-to-Chardon section remain unfunded and without a construction timeline.

The trail's endpoints connect two different parts of Euclid's park network. Euclid Creek Reservation is a Cleveland Metroparks facility that extends into Cleveland, South Euclid, and Richmond Heights; on its northern end, it reaches the Lake Erie shoreline and includes Euclid Beach Park, Villa Angela Park, and Wildwood Park. Hero Park, at 1540 E. 228th St., sits north of Euclid Avenue between E. 222nd Street and E. 228th Street, but inland from the waterfront.

Euclid created a special improvement district with tax increment financing to help fund the park-to-park trail system. The project was estimated at more than $1.8 million, with the tax increment set to start in 2025 and last 30 years. Properties in the district are commercial only, and city officials said property tax bills would not go up; the arrangement redirects growth in tax revenue into a separate fund for improvements in the area.

The project is also receiving state support. State Senator Kent Smith announced that the Ohio Senate's FY 2026 capital budget includes $100,000 for the Euclid Heritage Trail-Zone 2 project as part of the package's Cuyahoga County investments.

For businesses, however, a funded path is not the same as a guaranteed commercial payoff. Research on multi-use trails generally finds positive economic effects through business spending, visitor activity, and higher nearby property values, though the size varies by location and trail type. One shared-use-path study found that 42 percent of surveyed users reported spending money while using the path, and all four paths studied were associated with increased spending, economic output, jobs, and tax revenue. Multiple studies have also found that homes near trails sold for premiums ranging from about 2 percent to 20 percent, including 4 percent near bike paths in suburban Delaware and 6 percent to 20 percent near an Austin greenbelt-trail corridor. North Carolina State University research estimated that every dollar of trail construction supports $1.72 annually in local business revenue, sales tax revenue, and health and transportation benefits.

Euclid has made similar infrastructure investments before. A prior phase of the Euclid Creek Greenway project cost approximately $1.7 million, with more than $350,000 coming from Ohio Department of Natural Resources grants and the remainder covered by city-issued bonds through the Capital Improvement Program, according to a 2013 Euclid Observer report. Cleveland Metroparks secured funding for Greenway Phases 1 and 2 through the ODNR Clean Ohio Trails Fund and the NOACA/ODOT CMAQ program.

Research indicates that trail benefits depend on factors beyond the path itself, including nearby business density, amenities that encourage people to stop, and complementary investments in wayfinding, parking, and commercial facade improvements. A downtown special improvement district proposal in Euclid similarly identified security, safety, beautification, and marketing among business owners' key economic-development priorities.

The city does have existing channels for business engagement. Patrick Grogan-Myers is Euclid's Director of Planning and Development, and the Department of Planning and Development serves as the primary contact for businesses expanding within or locating in Euclid. The Euclid Chamber of Commerce works with the department and offers programming on economic development, business financing, and commercial property.

A public workshop titled Building Resilient Strategies: A Workshop for Lake Erie Property Owners and Communities is scheduled for September 10, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at the Lakefront Community Center, 1 Bliss Lane, Euclid. The workshop focuses on shoreline protection and nature-based resilience strategies for Lake Erie property owners, supported by a National Fish & Wildlife Foundation National Coastal Resilience Fund grant, and does not address the Heritage Trail specifically. Business owners and property stakeholders with trail questions should contact Christine McIntosh, Planning Manager for the City of Euclid, at [email protected] or 216-289-8154.

How the city answers those questions—whether it pairs the path with business assistance, zoning changes, and marketing investments—could determine whether the Heritage Trail creates opportunity along Euclid Avenue's commercial spine or becomes another amenity that bypasses the neighborhoods most in need of revival.