OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Cleveland City Council Committee Approves Economic Development, County Jail Amendment, and More – August 13, 2025

City Council Meetings — Wednesday, August 13, 2025
BodyCleveland, Ohio
SessionCity Council Meetings
DateWednesday, August 13, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:15:09

Transcript — Verbatim
0:54

We did have two pieces of economic development that we did not finalize before we go straight to the uh county piece, which is 723.

1:04

Uh, first and foremost is the ordinance number eight nineteen dash 2025 by Council Members Cornwell, Harrison, and Griffin by Department of Request, an emergency ordinance authorizing the director of economic development to enter into a forgivable loan agreement with Famico's Foundation or its designee to provide economic development assistance to partially finance the acquisition and development of interior and exterior improvements at a mixed use building located at 1355 East 105th Street and other associated costs necessary to redevelop the property.

1:54

Uh who's been working on this project as well as Mr.

1:57

John Inalipo, executive director of the Famicos Foundation and Mr.

2:00

Khalid Hawthorne, uh the director of real estate uh for the Famicos Foundation.

2:08

Uh we are here today talking about 1355 East 15th Street, uh, wherein our department, and you can see a picture of that building up there.

2:20

Uh, it's in a uh fairly deteriorated state.

2:23

Uh, right.

2:24

We are looking at investing a $500,000 forgivable loan of neighborhood transformation initiative funds.

2:30

Uh, this is a project that is directly across the street uh from the Glenn Village project, so major investment that was made uh by the city of Cleveland there.

2:39

It's actually kind of Caddy Corner from Glenn Village on the East 15th Street corridor.

2:44

Uh, and we think that this is an extraordinarily important project to get this one brought back to life.

2:49

It will have ground floor commercial space that'll be reactivated and then apartments above.

2:54

Uh, I am going to hand it over to uh uh Mr.

2:57

Analipo.

2:57

This this property does have kind of a long story uh within the community.

3:02

Um but again I'll hand it over to Mr.

3:03

Analifo to talk uh let me go to talk a little more about their plans for the property.

3:08

Thank you, Director.

3:11

Council President members.

3:14

Um this particular property, as uh the director said has a storied past.

3:23

Um and we really do want to put it in good use because at the moment it's a nuisance in our neighborhood.

3:34

We have people who have tried to call for demolition of it.

3:39

But because of that storied past, which we all would like to forget, but not forget it by demo, but to remember it by doing something good with it.

3:50

Um in 1984, a young lady 14 years old, Gloria Point Pointer, was murdered in this particular building.

4:00

Um, and it took almost 20 years for the police to find out who did it.

4:09

Um get him at last and send him to jail.

4:15

Uh there has been French of Hars that wanted the building demoed.

4:22

Um, I have worked with building and housing, Department of Economic Development for us to shift this building because the mother of the individual Ms.

4:34

Pointer indicated that she didn't really want the building to be demoed.

4:40

She would rather we save the building, put it to good use, and have a marker in the vicinity that will memorialize uh Gloria.

4:51

And that is what we are trying to do so that um this money that we're getting from the city will help us accomplish that.

5:01

I also want to add that that particular building is one of the two remaining storefronts on issue 105 between Whit Park and Superior Avenue.

5:20

It's important for us also because actually we build all the houses, we build it in the neighborhood.

5:27

People have asked us, but where should we go to get beer?

5:32

Where should we go for entertainment?

5:34

We don't.

5:35

And this is one of the work for me because foundation is doing in our neighborhood.

5:40

It's like if we don't do it, nobody will do it for us.

5:44

I'm gonna hand over to Ms.

5:46

Khalid Orton to uh talk more about the project.

5:53

So this excuse me.

5:54

This will be a uh 1.5 over for 1.5 million dollar investment into this into this corridor.

6:01

Um as mentioned before, we've had uh been working on this corridor for a long time.

6:07

Uh very from single family um duplexes we converted to single family homes and uh converted uh created live work spaces along 105 uh spaces for uh mixed use development.

6:23

So this is next step in line, but then it's you know, one of the many steps in line that we've uh we've worked on, been working uh working on in this corridor.

6:34

Um we have the so one the idea is that we want to restore, we want to restore the past here that where this was a thriving street, a thriving corridor.

6:47

Um we talked, I think Glenn Village was mentioned earlier.

6:51

Um the things that Glenn Village is missing is a critical mass.

6:55

Uh critical mass and um addition people knowing that that it's there as we continue building out this corridor, uh people will know it's there, they will come.

7:05

It's right on right at the footsteps of the VA hospital.

7:09

Um which is a huge customer potential customer base along with the neighborhood.

7:14

So uh, and also uh this will be a place for people.

7:19

This we're gonna white box the space.

7:21

They're gonna be uh looking at a potential restaurant to go in there.

7:26

Um this will be uh this will be the this will be a catalyst for the rest of development that will happen in this area.

7:35

Okay.

7:36

Anything else to add if there's nothing else to add.

7:42

Okay, uh sure, councilman on record is councilman conwell, but I'll let him close.

7:47

Councilman uh Palency.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety████████████████████████████████████36%
Economic Development█████████████13%
Technology and Innovation█████████9%
Fiscal Sustainability██████6%
Public Engagement█████5%
Personnel Matters█████5%
Community Engagement███3%
Land Use███3%
Community Development███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Cleveland City Council Committee Meeting Summary – August 13, 2025

The Cleveland City Council held a prolonged committee meeting on August 13, 2025, addressing over two dozen ordinances spanning economic development, public safety, public health, human resources, and city planning. Key decisions included approval of a forgivable loan for the Famico's Foundation to redevelop a historic mixed-use building, transfer of land for the opportunity corridor, a new contract with the county for prisoner housing with an increased per diem, and a pilot program using automated technology for property condition surveys.

Consent Calendar

The following ordinances were approved unanimously or with minimal discussion:

  • Ordinance 819-2025: $500,000 forgivable loan to Famico's Foundation for redevelopment at 1355 East 105th Street (mixed-use with commercial and apartments). Council members spoke in strong support, noting the property's history and the organization's community work.
  • Ordinance 603-2025: Transfer of three parcels at Woodhill Road and Quincy Avenue to the Industrial Commercial Land Bank for future redevelopment.
  • Ordinance 960-2025 and 961-2025: Repeal of previous ground lease and authorization to sell city-owned property at East 79th Street to Rust Belt Riders Composting for $790,000 (minus environmental remediation costs) to support a composting facility expansion.
  • Ordinance 988-2025: Amendment to PACE financing for the Myers Fairfax project to correct assessment amounts.
  • Ordinance 1000-2025: $2.3 million forgivable loan to Metro West CDC for acquisition and stabilization of commercial buildings in Ward 14 (Clark-Fulton and Stockyard corridors).
  • Ordinance 560-2025: Lease of former Fire Station 26 at 7818 Kinsman Road to Vanguards of Cleveland for a community resource center and minority public safety museum (30-year lease with two 30-year options). Councilman Polensek urged maintenance of the organization’s other property.
  • Ordinance 801-2025: Amendment to tuition reimbursement policy increasing annual limit from $1,000 to $5,000 and allowing full reimbursement for required credentials.
  • Ordinance 805-2025: Requirement contract with Bound Tree Medical for proprietary hazmat kits for EMS.
  • Ordinance 806-2025: Donation of a retired canine police vehicle to the Cleveland Police Museum.
  • Ordinance 987-2025: Amendment authorizing armed security guards for the Department of Public Utilities to carry firearms at out-of-city critical infrastructure facilities, subject to host jurisdiction agreements.
  • Ordinance 994-2025: Software license and maintenance agreement with Deccan International for fire and EMS resource optimization ($56,881 for one year).
  • Ordinance 679-2025: Authorization to issue refunding bonds for Water Pollution Control.
  • Ordinance 815-2025: Transfer of four lead-safe certification positions from Building and Housing to Public Health (budget neutral).
  • Ordinance 843-2025: Acceptance of a grant from DHS for the BioWatch bioterrorism monitoring program.
  • Ordinance 633-2025: Amendments to health code nuisance abatement provisions, broadening definitions and allowing recovery of attorney fees.
  • Ordinance 1055-2025: Acceptance of Ohio Department of Health grant for local tobacco prevention and control.
  • Ordinance 959-2025: Pay band amendments adding Chief of Track Traffic Signal and OPS investigator positions.
  • Ordinance 967-2025: Collective bargaining agreement with ILA Local 1317 (longshoremen) with 3% annual wage increases.
  • Ordinance 968-2025: Collective bargaining agreement with Ohio Nurses Association Local 85 with 3% annual increases.
  • Ordinance 973-2025: Firefighters Local 93 contract with 3% annual increases, trainee rate adjustment, holiday pay changes, and sick leave overtime reform.
  • Ordinance 974-2025: Two collective bargaining agreements with Treasurers and Ticket Sellers Union Local 756.
  • Ordinance 989-2025: Final approval of Gordon Square Arts District Special Improvement District after assessment equalization board.
  • Ordinance 800-2025: Additional $100,000 for on-call planning services with Stantec Consulting.
  • Ordinance 859-2025: Honorary street designation "Ruby Mumford Way" on East 90th Street.

Discussion Items

  • County Jail Contract Amendment (Ordinance 812-2025): The council debated an amendment to the 2017 contract with Cuyahoga County for housing city prisoners. The amendment increases the per diem rate from $99 to $143 (effective January 1, 2026), implements central booking with faster charging decisions (12 hours for most felonies and misdemeanors, 36 hours for homicides and sexual assaults), and requires police and prosecutor presence until booking is complete. City Law Director Mark Griffin presented the rationale: the city saved an estimated $84-96 million over eight years by closing its jail, and the new rate remains 40% below the county’s average cost ($234 in 2026). Council members expressed concerns about cost, the county’s adversarial stance, and potential impacts on police deployment. Council President Griffin and Councilman Polensek voiced initial opposition but later supported the deal, citing the savings and due process improvements. Prosecutor Ayesha Jordan assured that charging decisions would be thorough, with police continuing investigations. The county’s Chief of Staff Eric Janis noted the agreement includes a 2.5% annual escalator. Some council members (Casey, Conwell) criticized the county for seeking changes and questioned the lack of a termination date. The ordinance was approved with discussion continuing to the full council.
  • Property Condition Survey Pilot (Ordinance 995-2025): The Department of Building and Housing, in partnership with the Rocket Community Fund, proposed a one-year pilot using City Detect’s automated technology to conduct monthly property condition surveys. Two cameras mounted on a city vehicle would capture geolocated images from public rights-of-way, using AI to detect code enforcement issues (e.g., tarps, debris, structural problems). Data would be blurred for faces and license plates, and not used for ticketing or surveillance. Council members expressed support but raised privacy concerns. Director Elizabeth Crow clarified that the data is not for public safety, and the vendor blurs identifying information. The $85,000 grant covers software and vehicle branding. The pilot aims to prioritize inspections and reduce wasted trips. Approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • All ordinances presented were approved by the committee and will be considered for final passage at the full council meeting later that evening.
  • The county jail amendment was the most contentious, with a narrow approval after lengthy debate.
  • The City Detect pilot was approved as a smart technology initiative to improve code enforcement efficiency.

Meeting Transcript

We did have two pieces of economic development that we did not finalize before we go straight to the uh county piece, which is 723. Uh, first and foremost is the ordinance number eight nineteen dash 2025 by Council Members Cornwell, Harrison, and Griffin by Department of Request, an emergency ordinance authorizing the director of economic development to enter into a forgivable loan agreement with Famico's Foundation or its designee to provide economic development assistance to partially finance the acquisition and development of interior and exterior improvements at a mixed use building located at 1355 East 105th Street and other associated costs necessary to redevelop the property. Uh who's been working on this project as well as Mr. John Inalipo, executive director of the Famicos Foundation and Mr. Khalid Hawthorne, uh the director of real estate uh for the Famicos Foundation. Uh we are here today talking about 1355 East 15th Street, uh, wherein our department, and you can see a picture of that building up there. Uh, it's in a uh fairly deteriorated state. Uh, right. We are looking at investing a $500,000 forgivable loan of neighborhood transformation initiative funds. Uh, this is a project that is directly across the street uh from the Glenn Village project, so major investment that was made uh by the city of Cleveland there. It's actually kind of Caddy Corner from Glenn Village on the East 15th Street corridor. Uh, and we think that this is an extraordinarily important project to get this one brought back to life. It will have ground floor commercial space that'll be reactivated and then apartments above. Uh, I am going to hand it over to uh uh Mr. Analipo. This this property does have kind of a long story uh within the community. Um but again I'll hand it over to Mr. Analifo to talk uh let me go to talk a little more about their plans for the property. Thank you, Director. Council President members. Um this particular property, as uh the director said has a storied past. Um and we really do want to put it in good use because at the moment it's a nuisance in our neighborhood. We have people who have tried to call for demolition of it. But because of that storied past, which we all would like to forget, but not forget it by demo, but to remember it by doing something good with it. Um in 1984, a young lady 14 years old, Gloria Point Pointer, was murdered in this particular building. Um, and it took almost 20 years for the police to find out who did it. Um get him at last and send him to jail. Uh there has been French of Hars that wanted the building demoed. Um, I have worked with building and housing, Department of Economic Development for us to shift this building because the mother of the individual Ms. Pointer indicated that she didn't really want the building to be demoed. She would rather we save the building, put it to good use, and have a marker in the vicinity that will memorialize uh Gloria. And that is what we are trying to do so that um this money that we're getting from the city will help us accomplish that. I also want to add that that particular building is one of the two remaining storefronts on issue 105 between Whit Park and Superior Avenue. It's important for us also because actually we build all the houses, we build it in the neighborhood. People have asked us, but where should we go to get beer? Where should we go for entertainment? We don't. And this is one of the work for me because foundation is doing in our neighborhood. It's like if we don't do it, nobody will do it for us. I'm gonna hand over to Ms. Khalid Orton to uh talk more about the project. So this excuse me. This will be a uh 1.5 over for 1.5 million dollar investment into this into this corridor. Um as mentioned before, we've had uh been working on this corridor for a long time. Uh very from single family um duplexes we converted to single family homes and uh converted uh created live work spaces along 105 uh spaces for uh mixed use development. So this is next step in line, but then it's you know, one of the many steps in line that we've uh we've worked on, been working uh working on in this corridor. Um we have the so one the idea is that we want to restore, we want to restore the past here that where this was a thriving street, a thriving corridor. Um we talked, I think Glenn Village was mentioned earlier. Um the things that Glenn Village is missing is a critical mass. Uh critical mass and um addition people knowing that that it's there as we continue building out this corridor, uh people will know it's there, they will come.

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