CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Construction to convert the West Shoreway into a 35-mile-an-hour, greened-lined boulevard is about to begin - and 300 people turned out for a project update this week to find out what's in store.

The meeting at Louisa May Alcott Elementary School also delved into two other projects that will bring big changes to the West Side of Cleveland in the next two years - the just-announced Beach House in Edgewater Park, with a Cleveland Metroparks official releasing more details on the project, and a retail development along Clifton Boulevard anchored by a grocery store.

The response of residents who spoke at Thursday night's standing-room-only gathering was mostly positive, with people appearing eager to get going. Many of the plans have been percolating for years.

"I love the whole Metroparks thing. I love it," said James Barnwell, who lives on 112th Street in Cleveland's Cudell neighborhood. "I just wish I knew exactly when it's happening."

Here are some details on the traffic, recreation and retail changes to expect:

West Shoreway

Speed limits on the now-50 mph Shoreway will drop to 40 mph when construction starts June 22 to replace the pavement on the three-mile Shoreway between Clifton Boulevard/Lake Avenue and the Main Avenue Bridge. The speed limit will be reduced further to the boulevard-level 35 mph this fall.

The

Two lanes of the Shoreway will be maintained in both directions throughout most of the construction. More lanes may be closed occasionally, during off-peak times. A full three lanes will be open in the winter when construction is halted.

There will be intermittent, posted detours for entrance and exit ramps at Lake Avenue, Edgewater Park, West 49

The ramp closures will be phased in so reasonable detours are in place and simultaneous closing of ramps is kept to a minimum, according to the presentation by Kirsten Bowen of

Access to Edgewater Park, Whiskey Island and other marinas, and the Soap Box Derby area will be maintained.

Expect some pile driving for bridge spans off the Shoreway. It will be restricted to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

There will be poles with aluminum way-finding banners. The Shoreway will be lushly lined with trees and shrubbery, with a lot of vegetation variety along the corridor, Bowen said.

Cleveland Councilman Matt Zone, who organized the community event, said he wants to assemble a "green corps team" to work with city officials on a plan for keeping the landscaping healthy and maintained, "so once it opens we can be prepared for it." Zone said the overhaul of the Shoreway will improve property values. "People want to live in dense, urban, walkable neighborhoods," he said.

Edgewater Park

The Metroparks will build a $1.1 million, one-lane roundabout to smooth traffic flow into and out of Edgewater, replacing a "spaghetti mess" of access and exit lanes, said Sean McDermott, chief planning and design officer. "It is the easiest type of roundabout to navigate," he said.

The roundabout will be internal to the park, in line with the new West 73rd Street extension into Edgewater. It will go north of the reconfigured westbound exit and entrance ramps to the Shoreway at the junction of the drives serving Edgewater Beach, Edgewater Pier and Whiskey Island.

The Metroparks' planned 12,000-square-foot, two-story Beach House -- with eateries, a sundries shop and an elevated walkway from West 76

The Beach House will have two large, multi-stall restrooms/changing areas and five single bathrooms.

The building is designed so it can be used in winter, though there are no immediate plans to do so. Metroparks won't interfere with sledding that is popular on the hill below the Upper Pavilion.

There will be more trees planted at Edgewater, near the Beach House, and bike racks are proposed for areas north and south of the building.The Beach House will use sustainable and green-building features. Solar energy is one possibility.

Metroparks is exploring whether to have kayak and paddle board rentals.

Long-term, look for dunes to be built along the south side of the beach to lock in the sand with grasses and other vegetation.

"Efforts to improve Edgewater and all of the lakefront parks will be ongoing for years to come," McDermott said. "Sand migration mitigation tools are currently being tested and additional measures will be implemented in 2016 at Edgewater and augmented annually thereafter."

Development along Clifton Boulevard between West 116th and West 117th streets

Lucky's Market grocery store will anchor

The intersection at the Cleveland-Lakewood border, in one of the most densely populated zip codes in Ohio, has been without a grocery store for several years.

"We wish it would be built right now," said Linda Meglin, president of the Edgewater Homeowners' Association. "We wish we could wiggle our noses and make it happen quicker."

The retail area also could include a Dollar Bank branch and a Great Clips salon, The Plain Dealer reported last month.

Deconstruction of the octagonal

Developer Andrew Brickman plans 11 high-end townhouses along the Lake Avenue site. They're expected to be marketed at upwards of $400,000, perhaps closer to $500,000, Zone said.