Check out new images of the Cavs' riverfront training facility

The Cleveland Cavaliers broke ground Monday morning for a new downtown training facility – the first piece of a $3.5 billion plan to remake the waterfront behind Tower City.

During a celebratory event on the east bank of the Cuyahoga River, the Cavs announced a 25-year extension of their longstanding partnership with the Cleveland Clinic. The training complex, set to open in 2027, will include an advanced sports-medicine hub.

The building, called the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center, is being developed by Bedrock, the real estate division of Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert’s Rock family of companies.

Populous; Bedrock

Populous; Bedrock

Populous; Bedrock

The 210,000-square-foot practice facility will rise on former parking lots in the Flats at West Third Street, Eagle Avenue and Stones Levee.

The project marks the kickoff of vertical construction on the riverfront, where Detroit-based Bedrock controls roughly 35 acres.

The company's long-term master plan for the area shows residential towers, offices, a hotel, retail and 12 acres of public space, including a riverwalk and kayak launch. It also calls for reimagining the ailing shopping mall at Tower City, which Bedrock also owns.

Concept rendering courtesy of Adjaye Associates

The Cleveland City Planning Commission approved final plans for the Global Peak Performance Center on Oct. 4.

Earlier this year, City Council signed off on an unprecedented public-financing plan for the broader Bedrock project, which will require more than $400 million worth of public infrastructure work, ranging from new roads, utilities and parks to replacement bulkheads along the water.

“I didn’t expect us to have shovels in the ground in less than three years,” said Mayor Justin Bibb, recalling early talks about the project. “But we got it done. We got it done.”

Dan Gilbert, Bedrock's chairman, wasn’t present at Monday’s event. His son Grant, the vice president of basketball and business operations for the Cavs, said the training facility will be a catalyst for a bigger urban transformation – and a major milestone in the family’s “unwavering commitment to breathing new life into Cleveland’s riverfront.”

The Cavs will move back to the city from Independence, where they practice at the leased Cleveland Clinic Courts building off Brecksville Road. Representatives for the team and the Clinic say the new Downtown complex will be one of the largest and most high-tech facilities of its kind.

“This center will serve not only elite athletes but also individuals from all walks of life, reflecting our shared commitment to health, innovation and community development,” Dr. Tom Mihaljevic, the Clinic’s president and CEO, said in a news release. “Our partnership strengthens Cleveland’s position as a leader in both health care and sports excellence.”

With the extension of their agreement, which began in 1993, the Cavs and Clinic will have the longest provider-team relationship in professional sports, Nic Barlage, the CEO of Rock Entertainment Group, said during the groundbreaking event.