do have available is ready to be developed. To Pat’s point, to make sure it stays affordable for those who are already here.” The balance between growth and maintaining quality of life for existing residents shapes policy decisions across multiple fronts. TOURISM ASSETS AND QUALITY OF LIFE Cell phone data uncovers a surprising fact about Erie County’s tourism hierarchy: “We just ran numbers on this for a community meeting that showed the largest attraction that we have in this area, a lot of people would assume it’s Cedar Point, and that is number two, but number one is Lake Erie,” Wobser says. “Based on cell phone data where we can see where people visit, actually being in the lake nearby or in the jurisdiction of Erie County is the number one visitor attraction that we have.” The lake’s draw shapes both the visitor economy and residents’ daily experience, creating a unique interplay between commercial tourism and quality of life. Cedar Point, the 364-acre amusement park that opened in 1870 and merged with Six Flags in July 2024, continues major infrastructure investments. The park’s parent company committed $40 to $50 million to completely rebuild the Cedar Point Causeway, extending the Sandusky Bay Pathway all the way to the park entrance. The project addresses aging electric and water utilities that previously forced occasional park closures. Kalahari Resorts invested $10.5 million in 2024, adding two new restaurants and the Dawn Breaker waterslide to its complex. The resort previously expanded its outdoor Zambezi Waterpark with a 15,000-square-foot pool holding 365,000 gallons of water. Six Flags also made major investments in their Sawmill Creek Resort in the city of Huron while 86 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 12
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