OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Cleveland City Council Committee Meeting - September 23, 2025: Golf Cart Ordinance, Land Vacations, and Planning Commission Pay

City Council MeetingsTuesday, September 23, 2025
BodyCleveland, Ohio
SessionCity Council Meetings
DateTuesday, September 23, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:14:55

Transcript — Verbatim
16:16

Present.

16:20

Thank you, Director.

16:20

Uh come on.

16:29

719-2025 by Councilmember Centana Bishop and Harrison by Department of Request and Emergency Order to authorize the director of Capital Projects to issue a permit to the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development to encroach into a public right-of-way of West 25th Street by installing using maintaining billboards along the building uh front that has been heard and passed by municipal services province director.

16:51

Thank you, Mr.

16:52

Chairman.

16:53

So this is uh an encroachment ordinance and it relates to the um the building that's owned by uh the Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development uh known as Centrovilla on West 25th Street, and the encroachment request is to put in uh bollards along the building on West 25th Street, and it's to improve pedestrian safety as well as to provide additional protection for the building, which over the years has been struck by uh by vehicles.

17:20

Um as I acknowledged at the previous committee, the ballads the ballards are in um the organization did install the bollards uh without city permission, and we are working with them uh to ensure that the ballards were installed properly and installed in the right location.

17:38

Um this ordinance once it's passed gives this gives us the approval to authorize those ballards to remain.

17:45

Got it, sound good.

17:46

Yes, I uh where the I know the balls are talking about.

17:50

That it did some great work to restore this uh facility in um you know a simple piece like this helps them.

17:56

Any questions from the committee?

17:59

See no further questions, ordinance number seven nineteen dash twenty twenty-five stands approved.

18:07

Ordinance number nine five five dash twenty twenty-five by council members McCormick Bishop and Harrison by departmental request, and emergency orders declared the intent to vacate all of the unnamed alleys south of Abbey Avenue.

18:20

Um Mr.

18:21

Uh Chairman, so uh just a reminder to to council members that the vacation process is a three-step process.

18:28

The resolution of intent to vacate, which this is is the first of that three-step process.

18:34

Then the the request goes to the board of revision of assessments.

18:38

If approved there, then it comes back to council for an ordinance to actually vacate the roadway.

18:43

So um as mentioned, this is the first step.

18:45

This is the intent to vacate an unnamed alley that goes just south of Abbey Avenue.

18:51

And there are uh two property owners that are abutting this, and they're both uh coming together to request the vacation.

18:58

And the idea is that they would it's just a paper alley, uh there's no actual pavement there, but the request is that they would have a shared access drive that would support the development that they're jointly doing adjacent to this property.

19:11

Sounds good.

19:11

Also heard of municipal services and properties.

19:14

Councilman Cormac supports he does.

19:16

Thank you.

19:17

Any questions from the committee?

19:34

Emergency resolution declaring.

19:39

And to the members 56, 57, 58 are all related to the same project that we'll hear from uh the guests uh loc this morning.

19:48

Uh Mr.

19:49

Chairman, so I'll I'll start out by saying that these um all three uh resolutions of incentive vacate relate to um West Third Street, which is um adjacent to the Bedrock project.

20:01

And um I uh I wanted to emphasize that the first one is to vacate a portion of the roadway, this 956 2025 that's at the very end of West Third Street as it hits the Cuyahoga River, and this is where uh the Bedrock Project intends to construct uh kayak launch in a future uh portion of the project.

20:23

Um the second am I reading all three at the same time?

20:27

The second resolution uh 957-2025 is to um vacate um a portion of West Third Street in front of the Cavs Clinic and the Cavs and the Cleveland Clinic building that's currently under construction, and the intent is to uh have a uniform width of West Third Street.

20:48

Um this is a portion of West Third Street that had an extra wide width to allow for a ramp onto the old Eagle Avenue Bridge, which has been demolished for several years.

20:59

So this really just uh creates a uniform width all the way down West Third Street, and then the third one, which is resolution five or nine five eight twenty twenty-five, is um also um uh a resolution that will create uh a uniform width.

21:16

Um the reason we have two ordinances is that um there's a different LLC limited liability company that owns adjacent to each of those parcels.

21:25

So we have a separate uh resolution for each.

21:28

Um so with that um I'll I'll um turn it over to Jean-Michel Lemon, who's uh consultant for the Bedrock Project for any additional details.

21:37

All right, good morning.

21:38

Ms.

21:38

Morning.

21:39

Thank you.

21:41

As was shared, the uh the consistency of the right-of-way is is the key focus here.

21:46

So in in front in the frontage of the two parcels where there's 103.5 feet of right-of-way, we're looking to bring that down to 70 so that it's uniform for the the entire north-south corridor.

21:56

So that's the uh the main consistency that we're that we're looking to bring forward here.

22:00

Okay, thank you.

22:02

Uh, any questions from the committee on the first piece, which is 956 2025?

22:06

Seeing no questions 956 2025 stands approved.

22:11

Ordinance uh resolution number 957-2025 by Council Members McCormick, Bishop, and Harrison by Departmental Request and Emergency Resolution declaring the attend to vacated portion of West Third Street.

22:23

This is the second phase that's near the Eagle Eagle Road Bridge, correct?

22:27

Yes.

22:28

Uh that was just narrated by the Rector of MoCAP and his guests.

22:32

Any questions on orders number 957-2025?

22:36

Seeing uh ordinance uh resolution approved.

22:38

Resolution 958-2025 by the by council members McCormick Bishop and Harrison by departmental request, an emergency resolution declaring the intent to vacate a portion of West Third Street.

22:49

And this last portion uh uh director uh is in front of the the new facility, correct?

22:56

The Cavs and the Cleveland Clinic facility.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████25%
Transportation Safety█████████████████████████25%
Public Safety████████████████████20%
Public Transportation██████████10%
Personnel Matters█████████9%
Procedural███████7%
Community Engagement██2%
Zoning Regulations██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Cleveland City Council Committee Meeting - September 23, 2025

The Municipal Services and Properties Committee convened on September 23, 2025, to consider a series of routine land-use ordinances and three major discussion items. The committee unanimously approved several street vacations and an encroachment permit, and advanced a new ordinance authorizing the use of under-speed vehicles (golf carts) for legitimate business purposes, along with a compensation adjustment for City Planning Commission alternates.

Consent Calendar

  • Ordinance 719-2025 – Authorized the Director of Capital Projects to issue a permit to the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development (Centrovilla) to encroach into the public right-of-way on West 25th Street for the installation of bollards to improve pedestrian safety. The bollards had been installed without prior permission; the ordinance allowed them to remain. Approved.
  • Ordinance 955-2025 – Resolution of intent to vacate all of the unnamed alley south of Abbey Avenue. Two abutting property owners jointly requested the vacation of a paper alley to create a shared access drive for adjacent development. Approved.
  • Resolutions 956, 957, 958-2025 – Three related resolutions to vacate portions of West Third Street for the Bedrock project. Resolution 956 vacated the street end at the Cuyahoga River for a kayak launch; 957 vacated a portion in front of the Cavs Clinic to create a uniform 70-foot width; 958 vacated an additional portion to achieve uniform width. A consultant for Bedrock, Jean-Michel Lemon, provided background. All approved.
  • Ordinance 976-2025 – Partially vacated a portion of West 48th Street and Raven Court to allow a homeowner to build a second home or garage on the excess right-of-way beyond the tree lawn and sidewalk. Approved.
  • Ordinance 977-2025 – Vacated portions of Lorraine Court, West 48th Place, and Turn Avenue to facilitate redevelopment of the Urban Community School campus. The vacated areas were previously roadways; fire hydrants and access were addressed per the Fire Department’s requirements. Approved.
  • Ordinance 978-2025 – Vacated the remaining portion of Sherman Court, a paper street, to give property owners more flexibility for redevelopment. Approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were recorded.

Discussion Items

  • Ordinance 808-2025 – Under-Speed Vehicle (Golf Cart) Ordinance – Sponsored by Councilmembers McCormick, Bishop, and Harrison, this emergency ordinance authorizes the use of under-speed vehicles (golf carts) on city streets for legitimate business purposes only. The Director of City Planning explained that the legislation was prompted by businesses seeking to use golf carts for short trips between entertainment districts, tours, and mobility for limited-mobility individuals. The ordinance requires registration, a $150 annual inspection per vehicle (conducted by the Bureau of Traffic), proof of ownership, a business certificate from the Ohio Secretary of State, and compliance with Ohio Revised Code equipment standards. The Director of Public Safety may establish restricted service areas and revoke operating consent after a written notice and hearing process. Key concerns raised by the committee:
    • Councilman Hash asked whether residential use or ATV/dirt bike adaptation would be allowed; committee confirmed the ordinance is limited to commercial use and prohibits private use.
    • Councilman Slife questioned the restriction to commercial use, suggesting flexibility for personal use could promote environmentally friendly transportation. The administration stated the commercial-first approach is a pilot phase to gain experience before expanding to personal use.
    • Chair expressed concern about service areas: the ordinance grants the Director of Public Safety authority to restrict areas, but the committee wants council notification and engagement before new areas are added, especially in neighborhoods. This will be addressed before the next committee stop (Finance).
    • The ordinance as amended includes provisions for suspension, revocation, and appeals (to the Court of Common Pleas). The committee requested that the appeal option be explicitly stated in the ordinance language.
    • An amendment to waive the inspection fee for nonprofit vehicles was discussed but not adopted due to concerns about ensuring safety inspections.
  • Ordinance 984-2025 – Planning Commission Compensation – An emergency ordinance to amend the codified ordinances to set compensation for alternate members of the City Planning Commission at $187 per diem, matching the rate for alternates on the Board of Building Standards and Zoning Appeals. The rate was established in 2022. Councilwoman noted that compensation across boards should be more equitable given varying time commitments. The committee approved the ordinance but indicated a broader review of board compensation is needed.

Key Outcomes

  • All eight ordinances/resolutions were approved by the committee and advanced to the next hearing (Safety Committee for Ordinance 808; Finance Committee for others as applicable).
  • Ordinance 808-2025 will be further refined regarding council notification for service area expansion before the Finance hearing.
  • Ordinance 984-2025 passed as presented, with the understanding that a comprehensive review of board compensation will occur later in the year.

Meeting Transcript

Present. Thank you, Director. Uh come on. 719-2025 by Councilmember Centana Bishop and Harrison by Department of Request and Emergency Order to authorize the director of Capital Projects to issue a permit to the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development to encroach into a public right-of-way of West 25th Street by installing using maintaining billboards along the building uh front that has been heard and passed by municipal services province director. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. So this is uh an encroachment ordinance and it relates to the um the building that's owned by uh the Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development uh known as Centrovilla on West 25th Street, and the encroachment request is to put in uh bollards along the building on West 25th Street, and it's to improve pedestrian safety as well as to provide additional protection for the building, which over the years has been struck by uh by vehicles. Um as I acknowledged at the previous committee, the ballads the ballards are in um the organization did install the bollards uh without city permission, and we are working with them uh to ensure that the ballards were installed properly and installed in the right location. Um this ordinance once it's passed gives this gives us the approval to authorize those ballards to remain. Got it, sound good. Yes, I uh where the I know the balls are talking about. That it did some great work to restore this uh facility in um you know a simple piece like this helps them. Any questions from the committee? See no further questions, ordinance number seven nineteen dash twenty twenty-five stands approved. Ordinance number nine five five dash twenty twenty-five by council members McCormick Bishop and Harrison by departmental request, and emergency orders declared the intent to vacate all of the unnamed alleys south of Abbey Avenue. Um Mr. Uh Chairman, so uh just a reminder to to council members that the vacation process is a three-step process. The resolution of intent to vacate, which this is is the first of that three-step process. Then the the request goes to the board of revision of assessments. If approved there, then it comes back to council for an ordinance to actually vacate the roadway. So um as mentioned, this is the first step. This is the intent to vacate an unnamed alley that goes just south of Abbey Avenue. And there are uh two property owners that are abutting this, and they're both uh coming together to request the vacation. And the idea is that they would it's just a paper alley, uh there's no actual pavement there, but the request is that they would have a shared access drive that would support the development that they're jointly doing adjacent to this property. Sounds good. Also heard of municipal services and properties. Councilman Cormac supports he does. Thank you. Any questions from the committee? Emergency resolution declaring. And to the members 56, 57, 58 are all related to the same project that we'll hear from uh the guests uh loc this morning. Uh Mr. Chairman, so I'll I'll start out by saying that these um all three uh resolutions of incentive vacate relate to um West Third Street, which is um adjacent to the Bedrock project. And um I uh I wanted to emphasize that the first one is to vacate a portion of the roadway, this 956 2025 that's at the very end of West Third Street as it hits the Cuyahoga River, and this is where uh the Bedrock Project intends to construct uh kayak launch in a future uh portion of the project. Um the second am I reading all three at the same time? The second resolution uh 957-2025 is to um vacate um a portion of West Third Street in front of the Cavs Clinic and the Cavs and the Cleveland Clinic building that's currently under construction, and the intent is to uh have a uniform width of West Third Street. Um this is a portion of West Third Street that had an extra wide width to allow for a ramp onto the old Eagle Avenue Bridge, which has been demolished for several years. So this really just uh creates a uniform width all the way down West Third Street, and then the third one, which is resolution five or nine five eight twenty twenty-five, is um also um uh a resolution that will create uh a uniform width. Um the reason we have two ordinances is that um there's a different LLC limited liability company that owns adjacent to each of those parcels. So we have a separate uh resolution for each. Um so with that um I'll I'll um turn it over to Jean-Michel Lemon, who's uh consultant for the Bedrock Project for any additional details. All right, good morning. Ms. Morning. Thank you. As was shared, the uh the consistency of the right-of-way is is the key focus here. So in in front in the frontage of the two parcels where there's 103.5 feet of right-of-way, we're looking to bring that down to 70 so that it's uniform for the the entire north-south corridor. So that's the uh the main consistency that we're that we're looking to bring forward here. Okay, thank you. Uh, any questions from the committee on the first piece, which is 956 2025?

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