Part of an overarching downtown redevelopment project, the city of Cleveland began work renovating one of its most historic and well-traveled downtown roadways into a refreshed streetscape that better connected residents and visitors to a revamped local park.
For the efforts put forth by officials on renovating and renewing a major downtown corridor, Tennessee Municipal League said they are proud to present the city of Cleveland with an award for Excellence in Economic and Community Development.
The award will be presented Tuesday, Aug. 5 at the 85th Annual Conference of the Tennessee Municipal League held at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
Officials said, "Discussions on the best way to improve downtown Cleveland have been ongoing in the past 20 years with renovations to the Inman Street Corridor proposed as part of the city’s 2004 MainStreet Cleveland Masterplan, the 2013 Comprehensive Plan and the 2019 Downtown Revitalization Plan. To accomplish this, work needed to be done for buy-in among local residents and downtown businessowners.
"From the beginning of the project, regular communications with stakeholders, city departments and property owners was maintained to both educate them about the project and to ensure smooth coordination during the construction process – which required portions of the street to be closed at various times.
"The city received positive feedback on how effective this communication was in keeping residents and property owners proactively aware of the project’s phases.
"The project reduced the four-lane road to a two-lane road with a turn queue. Sidewalks were increased from four feet to 10 feet wide, creating a new model plan for streetscaping the downtown. The greenery and sidewalk improvements made the streetscape more pedestrian-friendly, encouraging more foot traffic downtown. The sidewalks are now safer with enhanced accessibility and mobility for residents and visitors, safer traffic patterns, and multi-modal transportation options.
"Likewise, the city worked to refresh the downtown Johnston Park connected to the corridor with restored gardens, pathways and a gazebo to serve as a gathering spot and showcase for downtown. The oldest park in the city, Johnston Memorial Park, was built on land donated to the city in 1933. More than 1,100 new plants were put into the park as part of its refresh, bringing a leisurely greenspace to the commercial core of the city.
"Outside of the visible makeover, the project has had numerous other benefits for the city and residents. The project has increased efficiency in local government administration, improved service delivery to citizens and cost savings for the community through innovative design and strategic implementation.
"By using its own staff and funding to design and develop the new infrastructure, the city was able to save both time and money. Existing infrastructure was repurposed and modern streetscaping techniques were used to capture downtown’s historic feel.
"The revitalized corridor is also driving economic development and the opening of new businesses in underutilized buildings. Many property owners took the phased closures of the street as a time to schedule their own building renovations, increasing their consumer appeal. This resulted in increased tax revenue without imposing additional financial burdens on current residents. Through effective planning, community collaboration and optimizing resources, the city was able to work with local stakeholders to realize a long-awaited project."
Cleveland Mayor Kevin Brooks said, “The "City with Spirit" is grateful to receive this Achievement Award of Excellence from the Tennessee Municipal League. We are honored to be recognized by our fellow cities and towns of Tennessee for this project. But the Award goes to our dedicated team and staff who all worked above and beyond to make this award-winning project possible, and on time and under budget. It was truly a team effort, and the team will receive this award.”
Each year the Tennessee Municipal League honors cities throughout the state for overall excellence, improvement, specific outstanding programs or department accomplishments. Award winners for 2025 include Chattanooga for Excellence in Energy Efficiency and Conservation; Cleveland for Excellence in Economic and Community Development; Farragut for Excellence in Innovation; Franklin for Excellence in Fire Services; Gatlinburg for Excellence in Municipal Governance; Greeneville for Excellence in Parks and Recreation; Jackson for Excellence in Police Services; Kingsport for Excellence in Economic and Community Development; and Pulaski for Small City Progress.