Two development concepts at Burke Lakefront Airport are now circulating to help residents envision what might be possible on the land.

Why it matters: The 450-acre site has long been one of Cleveland's biggest and most tantalizing question marks. Mayor Justin Bibb supports the airport's closure and wants to demonstrate that alternative land uses are not just popular with residents, but potentially lucrative.

Driving the news: The city and the North Coast Waterfront Development Corp. released a new economic impact study last week with two scenarios built around "recreation-focused, low-density" development.

Zoom in: The plans include a lakefront promenade with restaurants and a marina, youth sports fields, an indoor athletic complex, hotels, RV camping and trails.

• The big difference between the two is that one includes nearly 200 acres of parkland, with a central "great lawn," while the other includes an 18-hole public golf course that could also be used for winter sports and recreation.

Reality check: At a press conference, lakefront leaders stressed these scenarios are conceptual — they aren't plans — and designed mostly to help residents imagine the future.

By the numbers: It's a future that Clevelanders are eager to see. Anecdotal opposition to Burke has now been reinforced with survey data.

• As of last week, nearly 90% of respondents to questions about Burke plans said they'd support creating a "more accessible" lakefront, i.e., one without an airport on it.

Yes, but: Bibb believes redevelopment could provide a significant economic windfall for Cleveland, too.

• Per the study, transforming the site could generate thousands of construction jobs and over $600 million in one-time economic impact, and then more than $2.5 million in annual tax revenue.
• Burke loses about $1 million annually, and Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne have been lobbying federal officials to allow its closure.

The other side: A group known as the Lakefront Airport Preservation Partnership (LAPP) held an open house last week, arguing that Burke is essential for aviation training and regional air traffic control.

• The group also leaned on the nostalgia of the Cleveland National Air Show, held annually at Burke.

What's next: Two upcoming City Council hearings in April are expected to discuss the economic impact study and redevelopment concepts.

Cleveland can learn a lot about the redevelopment of a lakefront airport from Chicago.

Flashback: On March 30, 2003, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley sent overnight bulldozers to destroy the landing strip at the city's small downtown Meigs Field Airport.

• Unlike Bibb, Daley acted without alerting the city council, the statehouse or the Federal Aviation Administration.

What they're saying: "The whole thing was surreal," Axios Chicago reporter Monica Eng tells us. "But it spoke to the imperial power of [Daley], who did what he wanted."

Catch up quick: The Meigs Field land — significantly smaller than Burke at only 91 acres — reopened in 2015 as Northerly Island Park, with natural parkland and a concert venue.

Friction point: Critics argue the development was never fully actualized, and Northerly Park's inaccessibility means it's often desolate.

• "The puny overall visitorship speaks to the problems of putting a public park in a place that's not easy to access with little other foot traffic," Eng says.

The other side: "It's actually a pretty great place to see a concert," Axios Chicago's Carrie Shepherd notes.

• Yes, but: "You have to bike there or you're screwed."

🧐 What we're watching: Would the introduction of amenities on the lakefront in Cleveland cannibalize existing ones?

• Would a new skating rink step on the toes of Public Square? Would another concert venue eat into ticket sales at Jacobs Pavilion and the new riverfront venue? Would an urban wildlife oasis diminish the novelty of the Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve?

The last word: Eng says that instead of Northerly Island, Cleveland could take its cues from Millennium Park, Chicago's photogenic downtown gathering spot.

• "Instead of the Bean, you could have a collection of silver pierogi or Pączki."

🛑 Cuyahoga County's plan to build a new jail in Garfield Heights is in jeopardy after Prosecutor Michael O'Malley said the project is illegal due to missing required approvals. (Ideastream)

🏡 More than 1,300 people have applied to live at Gordon Crossing, a new mixed-income apartment building on East 101st Street. It has only 54 units. (Signal Cleveland)

🤖 "There's nothing we do that doesn't touch AI," Cleveland.com editor Chris Quinn said in a story about the current AI upheaval in journalism. (Wall Street Journal)

🎡 The famous I-X Center Ferris wheel has been listed for sale just a few years after it was relocated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Village in Canton. (WKYC)

👋 Sam here. If all went according to plan, I should have boarded an Amtrak to Chicago, Illinois at 4:03 this morning.

Driving the news: I'll be attending the Online News Association conference and hanging out with my Axios Chicago colleagues this week.

The big picture: With nearly three million residents, the Windy City is truly the metropolis of the Midwest.

• It's got a longer, livelier lakefront than Cleveland; a more robust public transit system; taller and more architecturally significant downtown buildings; grungier watering holes; and some of the most abundant ethnic cuisine in the United States.
• It's also got a deranged signature hot dog and only the second-greatest basketball player of all time.

The bottom line: Lessons for Cleveland are not hard to find.

• Look no further than the recent series in Signal about Chicago's closure of 50 public schools in 2013, and what it might betoken for CMSD.

📫 How do you feel about Chicago, and what do you think Cleveland should strive to emulate about it?

• Reply to this email with your hot takes, plus recommendations for food or activities, or questions that you'd like me to pursue this week!

This week's photo was taken by Danielle Ravitzki (@danielle_ravitzki), who captured a night on East 4th Street downtown.

📷 If you have a recent photo representing Cleveland's essence, please submit it by replying to this email.