Cleveland Seeks Federal Grant for Regional Infrastructure Support
Cleveland officials are moving to secure federal support to accelerate major infrastructure and transit-oriented development projects, specifically targeting the city's lakefront and riverfront. Under emergency ordinance 923-2026, the Directors of Development and Finance are authorized to apply for and accept a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator (RIA) program.
What's in the file
The legislation seeks to utilize the RIA grant to support the "Shore-to-Core-to-Shore" initiative. According to the Legislative Summary - US DOT (RIA) Grant, the grant is intended to position the city to unlock large-scale investments through federal credit programs administered by the Build America Bureau, such as the TIFIA and RRIF programs.
The ordinance authorizes the following actions:
- The Directors of Development and Finance may apply for and accept the federal grant.
- The Director is authorized to enter into one or more professional services contracts to implement the grant's goals.
- The city will engage technical consultants to provide specialized support, including financial advisory, planning, market analysis, project development, and public-private partnership structuring.
Who may be affected
The record names the following city departments:
- Department of Development
- Department of Finance
Status and timeline
August 13, 2026: The emergency ordinance was introduced and received its first reading.
Residents can verify the details of this proposal and track its progress by viewing the official record for File No. 923-2026 on the Cleveland City Council website.
Source record
- File
- 923-2026
- Type
- Emergency Ordinance
- Status
- First Reading
- Committee
- City Council
- Introduced
- August 12, 2026
Official documents
- 923-2026-Ap & Ac grant from Dept of Transportation for the reginal infrastructure accelerator program and K
- 923-2026-A File-Ap & Ac grant from Dept of Transportation for the reginal infrastructure accelerator program and K
- 923-2026-Legislative Summary -US DOT (RIA) Grant
- 923-2026- PRESENTATION-DOTRIAGRANT (v2)
- 923-2026 Amend 923-2026
- 923-2026-as amended-desk copy-Final
- FINAL VERSION City Record October 23, 2026 Page 103