Construction to begin on new Cain Park seating and ADA ramp

The city of Cleveland Heights expects to break ground this spring on construction of a tiered, amphitheater-style seating area and an ADA-accessible ramp at Cain Park’s eastern end. Flanking the park’s popular sledding hill, the $1.292 million project will be paid for with a federal government grant to the city from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. 

“We are extremely excited to see this project enhancing the public space of Cain Park come to fruition,” said Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren. “In supporting great local projects like improving parks and green spaces, our tax dollars are at work. The federal grant to support this project provides local construction jobs, is a key piece in Cleveland Heights’ economic development plans, and improves the livability of our city.

“I’m really excited for Cleveland Heights to have a new gathering spot and perch to enjoy Cain Park, and to gain an ADA ramp at the park’s entrance is a big win as well.” 

In December, the city awarded the construction contract to Fabrizi Trucking & Paving of Middleburg Heights. Starting in March, the firm will build a grass-topped concrete seating area that will cascade down and tuck into the corner of the park where the hill meets South Taylor Road. The company will also construct a separate, ADA-accessible ramp that will replace a paved path into the park from the South Taylor and Superior roads entrance. 

In 2023, when the project was introduced and eventually approved by CH City Council for ARPA funding, it was known as a “stramp” to capture the project’s mix of stairs and ramp. The final design reflects a more environmentally friendly and space-efficient approach.

The design, developed by engineering firm Donald Bohning & Associates of Valley View, reflects the city’s focus on enhancing the park’s gathering spaces, preserving land and trees, and improving ADA access to Cain Park’s east entrance. 

In addition to the tiered seating area and ADA ramp, Fabrizi will refurbish two existing exterior staircases located on Superior Road. The project also adds a paved, 10-foot-wide path at the base of the sledding hill connecting the ADA ramp with the tiered seating, and new exterior lighting for the ramp and seating area. Accessible seating will be available at the top and bottom of the tiered-seating area.  

The tiered seating and ramp were introduced by WXZ, a Fairview-based real estate development firm that is currently restoring the nearby Taylor-Tudor buildings as part of a $25.6 million mixed-use development—three vacant buildings will become 44 apartments, including eight live/work units, and amenities will include fitness and office space and 11,000 square feet of street-level commercial suites. 

The seating and ramp project is part of the Seren administration’s Cain Park Village project, a neighborhood redevelopment plan that includes the Taylor-Tudor redevelopment and a set of planned improvements to the park and its surrounding area, including traffic calming on South Taylor Road, funded by a transportation grant the city won from NOACA; and improved amenities at the park, funded by a National Park Service grant the city won in 2024.