Public Meetings - Cleveland, Ohio

The committee met on August 12, 2025, to consider several ordinances, including a controversial rezoning for Fairview Hospital expansion, updates to paid parking facility regulations, a landmark designation for a historic church, a development loan for a mixed-use building in Glenville, and a contract amendment for planning services. Public testimony was heard on the hospital rezoning. Public Comments & Testimony - Douglas Bayard (West 179th Street resident, 30+ years) opposed the rezoning of formerly residential parcels along West 179th Street, requesting that Board of Zoning Appeals protections be upheld and that the street not become a driveway for a 995-car parking garage. He expressed concern about traffic, property values, and neighborhood vitality. - George Gorzay (West 179th Street homeowner and business owner) opposed the project, citing inadequate notice, unaddressed grievances, lack of a comprehensive traffic study, and the potential for traffic to overwhelm residential streets. He asked the committee to postpone the vote, require a full traffic analysis, contain hospital traffic on hospital property, and establish a community benefits agreement. - Barbara Haas (West 179th Street resident) opposed the project, stating it would destroy the tranquility and quality of life in the neighborhood, and asked the city to protect the residential enclave. Discussion Items - Ordinance 860-2025 – Fairview Hospital Rezoning (Map Change 2679) - Presented by Shannon Leonard, Chief Zoning Administrator, as a proposal to consolidate institutional uses into one district with varying height districts to align with neighborhood context. The plan includes rezoning parcels north and south of Lorain Avenue between Rocky River Drive and Valley Parkway to institutional research and local retail districts, with height reductions from 250 feet to 115 or 60 feet. - Councilman Slife explained the background: the hospital needs to replace aging infrastructure, and the project is staged to maintain operations. He noted the city's traffic engineer determined the streets can handle traffic, and a barricade may be installed on West 179th Street to prevent cut-through traffic. He argued the rezoning gives the city more control via a required master plan. - A technical amendment was made to correct a missing reference to the attached map in Section 3. The amendment passed. - Committee questions focused on traffic impacts, the status of demolished homes on the east side of West 179th Street, and the proposed green buffer. - The ordinance was approved as amended. - Ordinance 726-2025 – Paid Parking Facility Safety Amendments - Presented by Lucas Reeve, Senior Advisor in the Mayor's Office, as a set of updates to improve safety in paid parking lots citywide, with enhanced security measures for downtown districts. Key provisions include: increased lighting (1 foot-candle on walking surfaces, shielded), requirement for certificate of occupancy with license applications, and a new process for downtown operators to submit a security measures plan reviewed by Cleveland Division of Police. After three nuisance/criminal violations in six months, operators may need to submit an updated plan. - Amendments introduced: replacing “adequate” with “reasonable” regarding security measures, and requiring the Director of Public Safety to report to council after one year (changed from two years) on the program's effectiveness. These amendments were adopted. - Discussion included concerns about citywide application (not just downtown), grandfathering of existing lots, and differentiation of nuisance calls. Councilman McCormick and Councilwoman Santana supported the measure, with a commitment to later expand to residential areas. - The ordinance was approved as amended. - Ordinance 818-2025 – Greater New Calvary Baptist Church (Former First Congregational Church of Collinwood) Landmark Designation - Presented by Carl Runges, Cleveland Landmarks staff, detailing the church's history from 1891 construction, its role in the community through civil rights era and neighborhood change, and its continued service (food pantry, youth programs). - The pastor and congregation members expressed gratitude. Councilman McCormick praised the church's beauty and spirit. - No questions; the ordinance was approved. - Ordinance 819-2025 – Famicos Foundation Loan for 1355 East 105th Street - Presented by Director and Mr. Annalifo of Famicos Foundation, this $500,000 forgivable loan (from Neighborhood Transformation Initiative funds) will help rehabilitate a mixed-use building with four apartments and a ground-floor commercial space (white-box). The project totals $1.55 million and will create four jobs. The building is the last remaining storefront on that block, and development aims to spur further investment in the Glenville corridor. - Councilman Harsh asked about apartment sizes (1,300 sq ft). - The ordinance was approved. - Ordinance 800-2025 – Stantec Consulting Contract Amendment - Presented by Assistant Director Fields and Director, this amendment adds $100,000 to the on-call planning services contract with Stantec, as requested by council during budget season. The funds were budgeted for 2025. - The director was asked to provide a list of projects Stantec has worked on for the committee. - The ordinance was approved. Key Outcomes - Ordinance 860-2025 (Fairview Hospital rezoning) was approved with a technical amendment. - Ordinance 726-2025 (parking lot safety) was approved with amendments to replace “adequate” with “reasonable” and require a one-year report from the Director of Public Safety; renumbering of sections. - Ordinance 818-2025 (Greater New Calvary Baptist Church landmark designation) was approved. - Ordinance 819-2025 (Famicos Foundation loan for 1355 E 105th St) was approved. - Ordinance 800-2025 (Stantec contract amendment) was approved. - The committee directed city planning to provide a list of Stantec projects to the full council.