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Record of Proceedings

Cleveland City Council Meeting Summary 2025-11-25

City Council Meetings — Tuesday, November 25, 2025
BodyCleveland, Ohio
SessionCity Council Meetings
DateTuesday, November 25, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:57:19

Transcript — Verbatim
8:02

Thank you so much.

8:10

We will start with ordinance fourteen forty twenty twenty-five by council as well, Terris and Agrippa department request emergency ordinance.

8:37

A project declared that's three to conduct speciality.

8:40

Project divided with assessment of the cost of such special energy from the district.

8:46

Authorized directory coming energy project cooperative agreement.

10:00

Uh this is a financing tool for uh clean energy and energy efficient upgrades to buildings uh allowed here in the state of Ohio.

10:09

Uh so this is financing on a properties uh tax assessment.

10:14

Uh this is over and above their property taxes uh rather than uh through like a traditional bank note.

10:21

Uh some of the improvements include uh energy efficient HVAC, uh windows and doors, roofing, uh water conservation, uh, and things above uh normal standards.

10:40

So the project, Erie View Tower Hotel.

10:43

Uh so uh the Erie View Tower uh redevelopment uh has been brought uh before council for a variety of things.

10:51

Uh this item is for the pace financing just for the hotel component, which I believe is floors nine through 15.

11:05

And so the hotel, it will be a 210 key W branded hotel.

11:10

Uh this project is led by the building owner, Elias Kasouf.

11:14

Uh and the pace financing will be provided through Greenworks Lending LLC.

11:19

Uh this will be up to 43 million uh 881 864 uh financing over 28 years.

11:26

And so uh that financing will be paid back on the property tax bill over and above those existing property taxes.

11:33

Uh so the lending term is uh is expected to end in 2055.

11:39

Uh again, uh this financing covers improvements like HVAC controls, building envelope, uh water heating and light fixtures that exceed uh energy standards uh that make the building uh efficient, green, and resilient.

11:53

Uh and the special assessment, uh it has been approved by the advanced energy district uh before coming before city council.

12:01

Uh this assessment will secure a loan uh with a semi-annual payment of just under two million dollars.

12:11

Uh with that, happy to uh answer any questions.

12:15

All right.

12:15

Thank you for the uh presentation.

12:18

We're all familiar with the review tower uh project.

12:22

We saw this three, four times along the uh along the way, even more.

12:28

Um the you mentioned that the um the pace is only going to be subject to the W hotel section on the property.

12:41

That is correct, yes.

12:43

And that you said floors nine through.

12:49

That's the bottom level, right?

12:53

Uh so the I've got uh a spread here.

12:55

So uh the hotel will be floors four through twelve.

12:59

Uh it will also have a a restaurant and a bar on uh levels thirty-eight and forty-one.

13:05

Gotcha.

13:06

Just out of curiosity, any reason why we didn't put the not we, but you all didn't put the um uh hotel rooms further up for the view.

13:15

I'm just curious about that.

13:16

Maybe to Mr.

13:17

Moorehouse.

13:19

Sure, yeah.

13:20

Um thank you.

13:22

To the chair.

13:23

The um hotel use is uh deemed to be an inferior use, I guess.

13:28

Uh you have more transient occupancy, and so therefore, you know, we want to put the more transient occupants on the lower floors and let the folks that would stay there longer, like office users and um apartment renters take advantage of the views, you know, up on the upper floors.

13:48

We would just get more value doing that, essentially.

13:52

And I still looking at the the color, the green is kind of the middle.

13:56

So that view is a pretty good view from that uh that middle green floor versus the renovated offices.

14:02

Now we all most of us toured this place.

14:05

That the blue and red man.

14:08

Talk about an airshield view.

14:09

That's amazing up there.

14:11

Um I'm just curious, you know, but you explained that to me, so uh no that makes sense.

14:17

Okay.

14:17

Uh is there any questions from the uh committee?

14:22

All right.

14:22

You know, we're familiar with pace.

14:24

We've seen this several times over.

14:25

We were familiar with the project, and so um we we thank you for the presentation, Cindy, for the questions, orders number 1440.

14:32

Actually, no, we have uh councilman, if you will review that.

14:42

Mr.

14:42

Chair, I'd like to proctor an amendment.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Development█████████████████████████████████████████41%
Economic Development████████████████████20%
Historic Preservation████████8%
Procedural███████7%
Budget Equity Analysis███████7%
Technology and Innovation████4%
Land Use Planning████4%
Personnel Matters███3%
Housing██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Cleveland City Council Meeting Summary 2025-11-25

This meeting featured the presentation and approval of three key emergency ordinances: a PACE financing agreement for the Erie View Tower Hotel, the designation of the Old John Marshall High School as a Cleveland landmark, and a significant departmental reorganization renaming the Department of Economic Development to the Department of Development. Council members expressed strong commitment to collaborating with the administration on future policy development and metrics, despite concerns regarding the lack of a current Director for Community Development and the timeline for performance evaluation implementation.

Consent Calendar

  • No items were listed on the consent calendar in this transcript.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jessica Beam, Cleveland Landmarks Commission: Presented the history of the Old John Marshall High School (built 1899), arguing it represents the heritage of West Park and Cleveland. She noted the building has been in use for over 40 years as a furniture store and later a cafe.
  • West Park Historical Society Representative: Spoke in support of the landmark designation, emphasizing the building's significance to the neighborhood's history.
  • Property Owner and Representative: Expressed opposition to the landmark designation, citing concerns that the designation would create a financial or regulatory burden on the property.
  • Councilwoman House Jones (Public Comment/Questioning Context): While not formal public testimony, she provided extensive input regarding the administration's history of failing to prioritize the nighttime economy and the lack of stress management practices for staff in Community Development, characterizing these as failures from her perspective.

Discussion Items

  • Ordinance 1440-2025 (Erie View Tower PACE Financing):

    • Project Sponsor/Presenter: City staff presented a PACE financing agreement for the hotel component (floors 4-12) of the Erie View Tower redevelopment, totaling $43,881,864 over 28 years (ending 2055). The financing covers energy-efficient upgrades like HVAC, windows, and roofing.
    • Councilmember Moorehouse: Inquired why hotel rooms were placed on lower floors rather than higher view levels. Staff explained that transient hotel use is considered an "inferior use" and that higher floors are better utilized for offices and apartments seeking long-term value from views.
    • Amendment: Councilman Moorehouse proposed an amendment to strike specific language and replace it with "maximum" and "schedule" to clarify assessment collection limits. The amendment passed unanimously.

  • Ordinance 1321-2025 (Old John Marshall High School Landmark Designation):

    • Presenter: Jessica Beam detailed the building's history from its 1899 construction to its current state as the Wash House and Cafe, noting it is one of the last remaining pre-annexation municipal/educational buildings in the area.
    • Councilman Slife: Expressed full support for the designation, noting there are only two landmarks in Ward 17. He highlighted the value of historic tax credits and clarified that the designation does not compel property owners to change the building, but rather serves as an alternate design review district that recognizes neighborhood history.
    • Councilman Harris: Clarified architectural details regarding the original 1899 facade facing Lorraine Avenue versus later additions.

  • Ordinance 1226-2025 (Departmental Reorganization):

    • Chief Director & Team: Presented a plan to rename the Department of Economic Development to the "Department of Development" by consolidating real estate functions (housing development, land bank, asset redevelopment) from the Department of Community Development. The reorg aims to streamline decision-making, create a "single front door" for development, and improve efficiency.
    • Key Proposals: Creation of a new Deputy Director of Land Strategy, 4 other new general fund positions (accounting, GIS, real estate analyst), and integration of the land bank office with economic development functions.
    • Councilwoman House Jones: Expressed significant concern regarding the timeline for implementing work performance standards (KPIs), noting the current reliance on spreadsheets and the delay until 2027. She also criticized the administration for not addressing the nighttime economy proactively and questioned the support given to staff in Community Development during the transition.
    • Councilman Harsh: Questioned the separation of land bank revenues into a special fund (SF 964) versus the general fund, arguing it limits oversight. He also raised concerns about the lack of a Director for Community Development, describing the situation as "raiding the pantry" while the department is leaderless. He noted the department is currently funded largely by CDBG, which recently faced funding delays.
    • Councilman Slife: Questioned the long-term vision for the Department of Community Development if legislation 854-2025 (CDBG reform) does not pass, and sought clarification on the number of layoffs, confirming there will be none. He also questioned the departmental structure regarding Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) restrictions.
    • Law Department: Clarified that Ohio Revised Code requires land bank proceeds to be held in a separate special revenue fund to avoid compliance issues with HUD, explaining the legal necessity behind the fund separation.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance 1440-2025: Approved as amended. The PACE financing for the Erie View Tower Hotel is authorized.
  • Ordinance 1321-2025: Approved. The Old John Marshall High School is designated as a Cleveland Landmark.
  • Ordinance 1226-2025: Approved with amendments. The Department of Economic Development is renamed the Department of Development. The ordinance creates a new Special Revenue Fund 17 SF 964 for residential land bank proceeds and transfers appropriate funds from the general fund (SF 469) and the commercial land bank fund to facilitate the new structure.
  • Commitment: The Chief Director and Department Director committed to working jointly with City Council to co-develop policy and metrics for the new department structure.
  • Next Steps: The approved ordinances will be sent to the Finance Committee for final consideration.

Meeting Transcript

Thank you so much. We will start with ordinance fourteen forty twenty twenty-five by council as well, Terris and Agrippa department request emergency ordinance. A project declared that's three to conduct speciality. Project divided with assessment of the cost of such special energy from the district. Authorized directory coming energy project cooperative agreement. Uh this is a financing tool for uh clean energy and energy efficient upgrades to buildings uh allowed here in the state of Ohio. Uh so this is financing on a properties uh tax assessment. Uh this is over and above their property taxes uh rather than uh through like a traditional bank note. Uh some of the improvements include uh energy efficient HVAC, uh windows and doors, roofing, uh water conservation, uh, and things above uh normal standards. So the project, Erie View Tower Hotel. Uh so uh the Erie View Tower uh redevelopment uh has been brought uh before council for a variety of things. Uh this item is for the pace financing just for the hotel component, which I believe is floors nine through 15. And so the hotel, it will be a 210 key W branded hotel. Uh this project is led by the building owner, Elias Kasouf. Uh and the pace financing will be provided through Greenworks Lending LLC. Uh this will be up to 43 million uh 881 864 uh financing over 28 years. And so uh that financing will be paid back on the property tax bill over and above those existing property taxes. Uh so the lending term is uh is expected to end in 2055. Uh again, uh this financing covers improvements like HVAC controls, building envelope, uh water heating and light fixtures that exceed uh energy standards uh that make the building uh efficient, green, and resilient. Uh and the special assessment, uh it has been approved by the advanced energy district uh before coming before city council. Uh this assessment will secure a loan uh with a semi-annual payment of just under two million dollars. Uh with that, happy to uh answer any questions. All right. Thank you for the uh presentation. We're all familiar with the review tower uh project. We saw this three, four times along the uh along the way, even more. Um the you mentioned that the um the pace is only going to be subject to the W hotel section on the property. That is correct, yes. And that you said floors nine through. That's the bottom level, right? Uh so the I've got uh a spread here. So uh the hotel will be floors four through twelve. Uh it will also have a a restaurant and a bar on uh levels thirty-eight and forty-one. Gotcha. Just out of curiosity, any reason why we didn't put the not we, but you all didn't put the um uh hotel rooms further up for the view. I'm just curious about that. Maybe to Mr. Moorehouse. Sure, yeah. Um thank you. To the chair. The um hotel use is uh deemed to be an inferior use, I guess. Uh you have more transient occupancy, and so therefore, you know, we want to put the more transient occupants on the lower floors and let the folks that would stay there longer, like office users and um apartment renters take advantage of the views, you know, up on the upper floors. We would just get more value doing that, essentially. And I still looking at the the color, the green is kind of the middle. So that view is a pretty good view from that uh that middle green floor versus the renovated offices. Now we all most of us toured this place. That the blue and red man. Talk about an airshield view. That's amazing up there.

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