CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Mayor Frank Jackson will unveil a plan Monday for developing the downtown waterfront, a vision he says will finally capitalize on the city's No. 1 asset and make it a focal point for the region.

The ambitious plan covers 90 acres, stretching east from the Port of Cleveland's cargo docks past Cleveland Browns Stadium and the East 9th Street pier to Burke Lakefront Airport.

It calls for a hotel, restaurants, shops and offices -- perhaps more than 2 million square feet in all -- to be built largely with private money over many years. Water taxis, arcades, a promenade, bicycle paths and two pedestrian bridges would link the waterfront amenities or connect them to the rest of downtown.

Planners have worked with the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority and the Browns, both of which recently announced development concepts of their own.

Port chief executive William Friedman is endorsing the city's effort, and Browns general counsel Fred Nance said it is "completely compatible" with an initiative the team rolled out in March. The port will retain 75 acres for maritime operations and development while the Browns continue to lease 17 acres from the city.

Jackson said Flats East Bank, an office, retail and hotel development rising near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, is proof that that Cleveland can build up its lakefront and leaves only the question of what's next. The answer, he said, is a mixed-use mecca that redefines a metropolitan area historically viewed as two different worlds.

"Everything will emanate from that," the mayor told Plain Dealer editors and reporters in a meeting last week. "No more East Side, no more West Side. . . . It will be Cleveland."

Skeptics will certainly wonder how Jackson's grand lakefront ideas will succeed where those of predecessors failed. He said his proposals avoid confusion that consigned others to the shelf.

For starters, the plan guarantees that the port, once slated for a move to the foot of East 55th Street, stays put and that Burke, long coveted for other uses, remains open. Moreover, legislation set for presentation to City Council on Monday would give developers a clear path by designating who -- the port, the city or the Browns -- controls what.

EE&K architects of New York, with specialties that include waterfront and mixed-use development, began assembling the $600,000 plan with Van Auken Akins Architects of Cleveland in 2009. SB Friedman, a Chicago-based development consulting company, is analyzing market needs that will ultimately shape the final product.

Investment, expected to come mostly from private sources, could top $2 billion, said Chris Warren, Jackson's chief of regional development. He said the city will lease lakefront property to private interests, under conditions that preserve public access to the water.

Construction would occur gradually, perhaps over the next 25 years, giving the market time to absorb the additions. But officials would like to get a fast start.

"We're going to aggressively pursue developers," said Ricky Smith, the city's director of port control. "Our plan is to have substantial development visible over the next five years."

Taxpayers already have laid cornerstones, including North Coast Harbor, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Great Lakes Science Center and the football stadium. The plan also leaves in place the venerable William G. Mather, a steamship converted to a museum, the Goodtime III cruise ship and the USS Cod, a World War II submarine open to the public.

The city will make additional contributions, some immediate. Aided by grants, work will begin next year on a marina for short-term layovers and a pedestrian bridge across the harbor. Both are scheduled for completion in 2013.

EE&K and Van Auken Akins sought to balance recreation and entertainment with port and airport operations. Taking cues from cities like New York, Seattle and Vancouver, they worked to give visitors close-up views of comings and goings by ships and planes.

Another key will be making an isolated lakefront easier to reach and attractive to visitors year-round. To help, the plan proposes a second pedestrian bridge that would descend from Mall C near City Hall and cross the Shoreway to a point near the Great Lakes Science Center.

The bridge, a possible venue for events, would be covered by a half-shell canopy providing shelter from the weather. The city is seeking $80.7 million from the federal government to pay for the bridge and other waterfront work; the city would have to add $20.2 million.

A glassy arcade, lined with shops and restaurants, would connect the science museum and rock hall. Thus, visitors could see more than one attraction in the winter without being whipped by frigid winds off the lake.

"If you can make the waterfront work in February, it's going to be a hit," architect Jill Akins said.

Cleveland's plans to convert the West Shoreway from 50 mph highway to a tree-lined boulevard with a 35 mph speed limit would add calm, but is dependent on finding tens of millions of dollars. The city also could expand an existing parking garage and add two more, creating 3,000 new spaces.

The plan breaks development into three overlapping zones: Harbor West, North Coast Harbor and the Burke Development District.

Harbor West begins at Docks 28B and 30 -- to be surrendered by the port -- and extends east past the stadium to North Coast Harbor.

Drawings show eight buildings, a number that could easily change, ranging in height from four to 10 stories. Uses could include a hotel, offices, restaurants, shops and -- if SB Friedman finds demand -- housing.

The North Coast Harbor zone would straddle the East 9th Street pier, to be rebranded using the thoroughfare's original name. The Erie Street Festival Pier, as the name implies, would host a stream of celebrations.

Plans call for two restaurants on the pier -- one at the end where the iconic Capt. Frank's once stood, the other on the former site of a skate park. Space also would be provided for food trucks that have proved popular downtown.

The marina set to open in 2013 will be on the west side of the pier. A second marina is possible on the east side if the Army Corps of Engineers vacates quarters there. Akins said the agency has indicated willingness to move -- if the city pays for it.

Burke, a general-aviation airport, would welcome companies to a new waterfront office park and an office harbor, where companies interested in unconventional settings would work from barges. The LeanDog software company and the Arras Group, a marketing firm, already have taken over a converted barge that formerly housed the Hornblower's restaurant.

The plan also calls for renovating the airport terminal, bringing a restaurant back to the building and erecting a private terminal and hangar, likely to serve a single company.

"The Burke property is really the chance to compete with the suburbs," Akins said. "It's a whole new type of office opportunity."

Plain Dealer Reporter Thomas Breckenridge and News Researcher JoEllen Corrigan contributed to this story.

Follow Thomas Ott on Twitter @thomasott1.