As Cleveland prepares for the Republican National Convention (RNC), area business leaders have tabbed a series of high-impact projects they believe can maintain the energy kicked off by the much-ballyhooed summer event.

The Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP) is recommending 11 projects for financing in the 2016-17 state capital bill, to be crafted by legislators later this year. Economic development that contributes to Cleveland's ongoing renaissance is the theme of this year's project list.

"We have the RNC, but how do we continue this momentum for another generation?" poses Marty McGann, GCP's senior vice president of government advocacy.

This year's capital bill could include up to $100 million for community projects which by law must involve real estate or capital investment and have some connection to state government. GCP's suggested improvements total nearly $50 million, with funding set for infrastructure, healthcare, museums and more.

GCP has asked state legislators to set aside $8.5 million for the Lakefront Pedestrian Bridge, a $33 million venture designed to link downtown to the lake. Though the bridge project had $5 million allocated from the 2015-16 capital bill, $3.5 million of that money was diverted to the  Public Square makeover. Due to inflated costs, GCP is focused on securing an extra $5 million in this year's request, McGann notes.

"The lens we look through is what will have a maximum impact on the community," he says. "The bridge will make it more efficient for people to get around down there."

Stabilizing landslide issues in Irishtown Bend via $4 million for new bulkheads is another example of GCP and project sponsor Port of Cleveland examining the long-term view. A crumbling hillside can lead to shipping problems along the Cuyahoga River, potentially impacting the regional economy all the way to the nearby West 25th Street corridor.

"It's important to a thriving region trying to expand," McGann says.

Other projects on GCP's list include:

• A four-story health-education campus south of Chester Avenue for medical students from Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic. The institutions are asking for $10 million for construction of the facility.

• $1 million for a pedestrian bridge providing easier access to Wendy Park from Ohio City and the west bank of the Flats.

• $5 million for the second phase of Cleveland Museum of Natural History reconstruction, an effort that includes new lobby space, courtyard, research labs and expanded exhibit space.