Welcome Home.

SARA in partnership with the West Creek Conservancy (WCC) and Zaclon LLC have acquired a boathouse site on the Cuyahoga River for the CWRU Rowing Team.

This unique public-private partnership will transform a once chemical facility in the industrial valley into a thriving park, public access boat launch, and boathouse for CWRU Crew.

The site has been acquired by West Creek and will eventually transfer to SARA, and as part of the deal we will make improvements to the site to transform it to recreational use. Every dollar we raise will be used for turning the site into a park and boathouse!

Welcome home to Zaclon River Landing!

Permanence.

Zaclon River Landing will be the permanent home to CWRU Crew. After 30 years of being tenants, owning our own site opens many doors for attracting student athletes, improving the training environment, offers numerous revenue generating options, and public river access. The owners of Zaclon have been very supportive of our project and are bought into our mission of Industrial Valley public river access and bringing THE brand name rowing team to the area.

We've already raised over $1.6 million - help push us across the finish line!

West Creek and SARA have already received numerous grants from the State of Ohio and Cuyahoga County in order to:
- remediate the building by cleaning out old industrial equipment and asbestos (creating a "clean building shell"),
- remediate soil for added green space on the site,
- construct a public access ramp down to water level and install over 200' of dock we already own,
- acquire the site from Zaclon.

Once the work tied to the grants is complete, we will have a functioning boathouse site without all of the accoutrements inside the building. We need your help to buy large roller doors for the bays, racks, fit out bathrooms, etc. Everything to make the inside the new home of CWRU Crew!

Our vision for the site is a premier rowing facility and public access boat launch with trail / cycling water stop. However, to achieve that vision we need certain things first:

The Site.

The 2.76 acre site has over 200 feet of river frontage and is perfectly situated to provide excellent training water for CWRU Crew. Ultimately the site will be built out to provide rowers and other paddle sport users public access to the upper reaches of the Cuyahoga. The site is at the start line for the annual Head of the Cuayhoga Regatta and on the southern end of a "straight" stretch of water towards Marathon Bend. Most importantly, the site is well away from pleasure boat traffic and the other two boathouses on the river.
Perfect for flat water mornings!

The Buildings.

The site comes with three buildings:
- 90,000 sq ft industrial building perfect for the shell house
- 800 sq ft workshop perfect for the tanks, ergs, weights, etc.
- 1,000 sq ft changing & locker room and bathrooms with 4 stalls

An Investment in the Cuyahoga Industrial Valley.

This site will be a beach head for the east side of the Cuyahoga River's Industrial Valley. The nearest other public space on the east side of the river is in the Flats across from the Flat Iron Grill over 3 miles down river. While significant trails and parks have been developed along the Cuyahoga west bank within the last decade, nothing "new" has been developed on the east side until now!

Cuyahoga Water Trail Access.

We will provide public paddle craft access. The 100-mile Cuyahoga River Water Trail snakes it's way through four counties, the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and terminates in Lake Erie. The location is a perfect launching point to reach the upper reaches of the Cuyahoga in the city. Also, paddlers launching upriver have to traverse most of the industrial valley, and it's congested freighter zone, to Merwin's Wharf before they can disembark. Providing a public portage at the top of the freighter zone will open up whole new stretches of the river to paddlers uncomfortable with the lower stretchers of the park. And embarking from our dock gets people into the greener parts of the upriver over three miles earlier in the journey. Part of our commitment to the project is to provide public access. A 41-mile section of the river trail, including Zaclon River Landing, was granted National River Trail status on June 6, 2025.

Public Access and Historical Infrastructure.

Longer term, the site will host:
- historical markers highlighting it's place in heart of Cleveland's Industrial Valley
- public space and water stop for local trails
- public paddle sports rental and launching
- outdoor observation platforms and beer gardens for larger events
- indoor event space

Donations & Naming Opportunities.

Numerous recognition opportunities exist with a project of this size. If you have questions about donations or what's available to be named, just reach out.

Boathouse Naming Rights
Boathouse Bays Naming Rights
Erg Room Naming Rights
Locker Room Naming Rights
Entrance / Atrium Naming Rights
Naming Rights for the Dock & Ramp - Sponsor a Foot of the Dock!
Shell Racks
Ergs
Shells and Coaches Launches
Patron Plaque - All donors and any level to the boathouse campaign will be permanently recognized
And much more...

Make your gift to Zaclon River Landing