First Phase of Euclid's Sims Park Master Plan Is on the Ground — Here's What's Open and What's Next

After years of planning sessions, public surveys and council debates, Euclid residents can finally walk the result. The city's 5.5-acre Upland Sims Park expansion opened with a ribbon-cutting on Nov. 15, 2025, putting the first major piece of the Sims Park Master Plan under their feet — complete with woodland trails, Lake Erie viewing areas and lakefront greenspace ready to use today.

The expansion, at 23131 Lakeshore Boulevard, is open daily from dawn to dusk. Visitors will find ADA-accessible walking paths winding through wooded and grassy terrain, a woodland ravine trail, bluff-side seating with views of the lake, bird-watching areas and passive greenspace anchored by pollinator-friendly native plantings and wildlife-oriented landscaping. Swinging benches and educational signage round out a design built around quiet, passive use. A large central rain garden — engineered to absorb heavy rainfall — doubles as the park's first stormwater-management feature.

"This was a major endeavor, requiring meticulous planning and execution," Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail said at the opening. "The park now has enhanced amenities and more accessible areas for our community to enjoy."

The project cost $725,000, funded in part by the State of Ohio Public Works Commission Clean Ohio Fund for acquisition and improvements. Joining the mayor at the ribbon-cutting were Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne, State Sen. Kent Smith and State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney.

Years of planning behind the opening

The road to the Upland expansion started with community engagement in late 2024. The Euclid Board of Control approved a contract with SmithGroup to lead the master-plan effort on Sept. 10, 2024. Public meetings at Henn Mansion on Nov. 6, 2024, and Feb. 1, 2025, plus a survey open from Feb. 24 through March 10, 2025, shaped the vision residents voted for with their input. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the plan on June 10, 2025, and City Council adopted it six days later.

"Lake Erie is one of our greatest assets as a city," Gail said.

What the full master plan still promises

The Upland expansion is one portion of the broader blueprint Council approved. The Sims Park Master Plan calls for habitat restoration, improved lakefront access, a redesigned playground, nature-based restoration in woodland and ravine areas, overlook spaces with stepped seating, reconfigured restroom facilities and changes to the disc golf course to align recreation with restoration goals. An expanded south ravine system is designed to function as a nature walk with stormwater-treatment capabilities. Following the plan's adoption, the city said it would seek funding and proceed with the approved work in phases.

Several of those phases already have money or timelines attached. On June 3, 2026, Smith announced that Senate Bill 450, the state capital budget, included $700,000 for Sims Park playground improvements. As of that announcement, the legislation had passed the Ohio Senate and been sent to the Ohio House with the playground funding included. The master plan identifies determining the best relocation site for a new playground structure and selecting its design style — traditional, thematic, nature play or a combination — as part of that work.

Separately, Council accepted a $243,168 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for a study of shoreline erosion and lakefront public engagement, with the city contributing about $49,000 from the Harbour Town TIF fund. City staff said the erosion study aimed for a proposed delivery by summer 2026.

What to watch

The Upland opening proves Euclid can move from planning approval to physical delivery. Now the question is pace. As of June 2026, residents tracking whether the full lakefront transformation would materialize had clear benchmarks ahead: whether the Ohio House would approve the $700,000 playground allocation in the capital budget, whether the erosion study would land by summer 2026 as staff projected, and when the city announces timelines for phased habitat restoration, expanded ravine work and enhanced overlook areas. The trails are open. The promises are on the record.