The joy of community planning is in the conversations and collaborations that lead to tangible change and improves the quality of people’s lives.
ABOUT
Thomas Starinsky is an urban planning and economic development professional with over 20 years of experience. His skill set spans community and economic development including city and multi-modal transportation planning; historic preservation and real estate development; business assistance and retail strategy; and public art and place enhancement strategies. With this, he brings diverse perspectives to projects to analyze and implement projects comprehensively with creativity and innovation.
The success of community planning work relies heavily on community engagement and organizational partnerships. Tom’s experience includes participation in important planning and policy initiatives including Cleveland’s Equitable Community Development Working Group, Downtown Cleveland Housing Demand Analysis, Cleveland Housing Tax Abatement Policy, Ohio and National Main Street Initiatives, Downtown Cleveland Alliance Step Up Downtown Plan, Cleveland Lakefront Plan, and the Innerbelt Plan and Design.
CORE VALUES
Collaboration with the community through thoughtful questions and active listening lead to Creative and Innovative solutions that create places where people thrive. Authentic engagement leads to the Evolution of cities, neighborhoods, and streets in a way that respects history and accommodates current community needs.
EXPERTISE
Place Enhancement Strategies
Place Based Development Planning
Transit Oriented Development
Community Engagement
Historic Preservation
Public Art Strategies
Signage Design
Business Storefront and Display Design
WORK
North Coast Yard
Cleveland, Ohio 2025
The North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation worked with Street Plans and local partners - Seventh Hill and TSP+D to transform an underutilized parking lot into North Coast Yard, a dynamic seasonal pop-up space on Lake Erie’s lakefront. Located just north of the Cleveland Browns’ stadium, this one-acre lakefront activation opened in June 2025 to catalyze implementation of the city’s ambitious North Coast Master Plan. The project creates a much-needed opportunity for Clevelanders to enjoy their waterfront while testing flexible design concepts and operations models for future development.
The design team delivered comprehensive development and implementation of this large-scale pilot project. Our scope spanned site design (from concept to construction drawings), strategic infrastructure improvements, and stewardship and staffing. We designed and oversaw implementation of everything from a two-court basketball layout that doubled as space for futsal and skateboarding, to a modular stage and shaded seating areas, a bar and rotating food trucks, and a play kit sparking joy and fun for all ages.
During the inaugural summer season, North Coast Yard has welcomed more than 20,000 visitors for activities ranging from casual lakefront relaxation to special celebrations, concerts, and community gatherings. The space combines near-term design interventions with intensive community programming, creating an authentic testing ground for future waterfront development while providing immediate value to Cleveland residents.
Thomas Starinsky participated on the team that planned, designed and implemented this project. Street Plans was the project lead. David Jurca of Seventh Hill was the other local partner.
North Hill Placemaking Action Plan
North Hill Neighborhood, Akron, Ohio 2025
The North Hill neighborhood holds a rich legacy as Akron’s International District. The residents and businesses in the community are passionate, hard working, and proud of their neighborhood. They are hopeful for their future. Like many urban neighborhoods in Rust Belt cities, the community faces challenges that result from issues such as redlining and highway construction. Further issues arise from challenges inherent in immigrant communities including language barriers, connection to basic needs such as clothing, and trust in government systems.
The Placemaking Action Plan identifies opportunities to bring art, culture, and people together including inspiring public art, exciting programming, and a dynamic street environment. It makes recommendations for priorities and a implementation strategy for each element.
Beyond typical placemaking strategies, the most significant insight in the plan is the idea of building trust. Several recommendations aim to strengthen NHCDC’s capacity to best serve the North Hill community and grow to be a trusted leader and voice for residents and businesses.
Downtown Elyria, An Action Plan for Vibrancy
Elyria, Ohio 2023
Downtown Elyria is the center of gravity of the city. This classic town square community holds strong potential even though its commercial core has suffered due to changing economic trends and disinvestment.
The Action Plan is an action-oriented framework, in collaboration with a diverse group of voices, to envision a series of projects, events, and initiatives that elevate, enhance, and connect a vibrant downtown. The ideas that emerged from the conversations will seek to tell the story of Elyria – past and future – through a variety of experiences throughout Downtown. The Action Plan identifies and prioritizes opportunities to bring art, color, and people together including inspiring murals, exciting programming, and a dynamic street environment. Resulting projects will serve as essential building blocks to a larger, on-going community revitalization strategy.
Thomas Starinsky led and managed this work as a partner to LAND Studio and is currently leading the implementation phase of work including murals, graphic crosswalks, and a pocket park. The full plan can be viewed at https://elyriatogether.org/about-us/vibrancy-action-plan/
Warehouse District Public Realm Plan and Implementation
Cleveland, Ohio 2007-2023
The development of the Warehouse District Public Realm Plan came at strategic moment in time for this historic neighborhood in Downtown Cleveland, Ohio. After 20 years of planning, advocacy, and creative financing, the District had seen the revitalization of the major historic buildings.
This community-based process shifted the revitalization focus to improve the quality of public spaces in the District including public green space, public art, neighborhood identity, and history telling. This goal-based strategy was used to guide future place enhancement decisions. It also leveraged deeper planning work and fundraising. Implementation successes include a flower basket and banner program, the W. 6th Streetscape Project, and Warehouse District Anthology (public art project that shares the history of the District) and Lighthouse Park.
Thomas Starinsky led and managed the development of the Public Realm Plan and individual projects that grew from this planning work while working for Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation.
Lighthouse Park
Cleveland, Ohio 2022
Lighthouse Park was born from creativity and perseverance. This pocket park is located on the site of Cleveland’s original lighthouse in Downtown’s Warehouse District. Since the 1990s, the site existed as a landscaped strip bordering a parking lot along a wide sidewalk. During the development of the District’s Public Realm Plan, the community asked a question – why can’t we build a park that we can walk through? This simple idea overcame the challenge of creating public spaces in a dense downtown in an innovative way by “stealing space” and creating an essential community amenity.
The park is approximately 6,000 square feet and includes new trees and landscaping, stepped seating, swings, and a light bar feature element that evokes the history of the lighthouse. The project was funded primarily with two federal grants that were matched with philanthropic, corporate, non-profit, and community support.
Thomas Starinsky led the planning and design, fundraising, and construction management of Lighthouse Park while working for Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation. PORT design, WSP engineering.
Small Box in the Warehouse District
Cleveland, Ohio 2014
Small Box is the result of community engagement and planning coming together to drive creative ideas and innovation. Converting shipping containers into small shops was an experimental exercise that answered many questions for the Warehouse District community including the future of retail and a vision for the swaths of parking lots that plague the neighborhood.
Three retail shops and a small park were situated along the edge of a parking lot forming a line of “storefronts.” The retail tenants were successful and proved retail can work in the District. The project also showed how businesses, public spaces and programming can work together to move the District forward. Small Box was realized as a result of a crowdfunding campaign supported by over 100 donations amounting to $40,000.
Thomas Starinsky conceived, implemented, and managed Small Box while working for Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation.
Business Signage and Storefront Design
Cleveland, Ohio 2002 - 2023
A sign is the first opportunity for business owners to invite people into their store or restaurant. What will attract their attention and entice them to decide to come in? Often businesses underestimate the value of signage and storefront presentation, not understanding the significant impact it will have on sales.
Signage and storefront display can be simple or exuberant; inexpensive or extravagant. What’s important is that the design expresses the personality of the business and what a customer will experience when they walk through the door.
Further, in conjunction with other dynamic signage and storefronts, an entire street or district will feel more inviting as a whole and attract more people and investment.
Thomas Starinsky provided design technical assistance and project management to businesses to develop signage, storefront design, and display for over 100 businesses while working for Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation and Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corporation.
