Cleveland tenants seek long‑term leases as city proposes closing Burke Lakefront Airport

Tenants at Burke Lakefront Airport say they are ready to invest tens of millions of dollars in their facilities but cannot proceed without long‑term lease agreements, and they testified at an Oct. 7 hearing before the city’s Transportation and Mobility Committee.

Mayor Justin Bibb has proposed shutting the airport by 2029 as part of a lakefront redevelopment plan that would repurpose the roughly 450‑acre site, citing a $1.7 million operating deficit in 2025 and more than two decades of losses, while council members say the city will not extend leases and describe the approach as “demolition by neglect.”