APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN FOR APPOINTMENT TO CLEVELAND HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL | |
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The resignation of City Councilwoman Janine Boyd at the Monday, March 18, 2024, Cleveland Heights City Council meeting (see below) has opened a vacancy that City Council has 45 days—until May 2, 2024—to fill.
The City Council will accept applications through midnight Friday, March 29, 2024. If you are a resident of Cleveland Heights and interested in applying, please click the button below.
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Janine Boyd resigns from Cleveland Heights City Council | |
Cleveland Heights City Council member Janine Boyd resigned on March 18 to relocate her family. It was announced during the council meeting on March 18. Her term was through Dec. 31, 2027.
“So, cat’s out of the bag,” Boyd said at the meeting regarding the news of her leaving.
Boyd elaborated that she is moving so her father, Robert, and her son are “surrounded with the kind of love my mom showered on us when she was still here.” Her mother, Barbara Boyd, was state representative and Cleveland Heights council member, who died on Nov. 5, 2022...
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Days Remaining Until the
Total Solar Eclipse!
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Join your friends and neighbors to watch the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024, from 1:30–4:00 pm at the Cleveland Heights Community Center!
A solar eclipse—particularly a total eclipse—can be very dangerous to your eyes, so the City of Cleveland Heights has purchased eclipse glasses for the event. Our supplies are limited, though, so every family that registers will receive two pairs, which will be distributed at the event.
The event will feature a magician, a face painter, and activity stations for the kids. Crosby Corn popcorn will be available for purchase.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence. The last total solar eclipse in Ohio was in 1806, and the next one won't happen until 2099. So, this event will go forward regardless of the weather!
Find out more about the eclipse.
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SCAM ALERT
The City of Cleveland Heights continues to receive reports of people going door-to-door, claiming they have permission from the city to switch homeowners to different utility providers.
The City has not approved these solicitations and the solicitors have at times been aggressive. If you are approached by these solicitors, ignore them. Then report them to the Scam Squad at 216-443-7226 or online at http://cuyahogacounty.gov/scamsquad or alert the Cleveland Heights Police Department.
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Cain Park Village, a revitalization strategy for South Taylor Road, takes giant step forward
City Council and CH-UH School District adopt Tax Increment Financing for the Taylor Tudors project. Groundbreaking expected in June.
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Cleveland Heights kicked off March by moving to install a cornerstone of its plan to build a new neighborhood—Cain Park Village—along South Taylor Road.
See the story below from News5Cleveland.com
At Cleveland Heights City Council’s Monday, March 4, 2024, meeting, Mayor Kahlil Seren introduced legislation to authorize the creation of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for the $25 million redevelopment of the Taylor Tudors—three City-owned 1928 Tudor-style buildings along South Taylor Road near Cain Park. The Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District’s Board of Education approved the Taylor Tudors TIF three days later on March 7.
Cleveland Heights City Council approved the TIF legislation without opposition at its March 18 meeting, paving the way for the City’s development partner for the project, Fairview Park-based WXZ Development, to break ground this spring.
In 2022, his first year as the City’s first elected mayor, Seren introduced an ambitious plan to create a new Cleveland Heights neighborhood with Cain Park at its center, calling for new investments in the City’s arts park and remaking South Taylor Road into a more vibrant, walkable district. The plan will infuse South Taylor Road with new rental units and more retail options and amenities to serve the growing population.
The Taylor Tudors project is the first phase of Cain Park Village. It is a gut rehab of the unoccupied, three-story, brown-brick-and-stucco buildings into 44 market-rate apartments, including eight live-work units, with 11,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.
“South Taylor was designed as a classic walkable neighborhood,” Seren said. “Cain Park Village will build on that legacy with a modern vision for housing and retail that draws on the influence of Cain Park as a major arts and cultural destination.”
In the two years since announcing the Cain Park Village vision, the City has moved rapidly to make it a reality:
- In 2022, the City selected WXZ as its development partner on the project, and in 2023, the City and WXZ held public meetings to gather input on the future of Cain Park and South Taylor Road.
- Also in 2023, the Ohio Department of Development awarded the Taylor Tudors project $5.9 million in Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits to restore the Taylor Tudors' exteriors to standards established by the state and the City.
- Earlier this year, Cleveland Heights adopted the C-2X district, a new ‘form-based’ designation in its zoning code, and City Council approved its use for South Taylor Road.
- To help calm vehicular traffic throughout the district, the City produced a plan for more bike and pedestrian infrastructure on South Taylor Road. Last week, the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency (NOACA) informed the City it would receive a $385,000 Transportation for Livable Communities (TLCI) Implementation grant to fund the plan.
- This summer, the City will break ground on a “stramp”—a hybrid stair-ramp that will provide a new, ADA-accessible entrance to Cain Park from South Taylor Road. The stramp is funded with $1.5 million from the $38 million ARPA funds Cleveland Heights received from the federal government.
- The City has also budgeted $1 million for renovations to Cain Park’s 1,500-seat Evans Amphitheater.
Matthew Wymer, a principal of WXZ Development, Inc., said the Administration’s leadership and investment in planning, community engagement, and infrastructure demonstrate a real commitment to collaboratively moving the project forward.
“With Mayor Seren’s leadership, the City has accomplished a lot in a short period of time—the recently completed Historic Preservation Design Guidelines, the new form-based C-2X District, and working towards ensuring All are Welcome to Cain Park.”
The Taylor Tudors TIF is based on a projected $6 million valuation for the properties once construction is completed and will generate $265,000 annually. This revenue will be split three ways: 24% will go to the CH-UH school district, 6% will go to the City, and 70% will service the project’s debt.
By comparison, TIF revenue from The Marquee project in the Cedar Lee District will be split between debt financing for the project (76%) and funding for the CH-UH schools (24%).
Cleveland Heights Assistant Director of Economic Development Brian Anderson explained, “The City is responsible for specific costs associated with the Taylor Tudors for which it didn’t have funding sources.” These include investments in sidewalks, landscaping, pedestrian-scale lighting, seating, and signage. “The six percent of TIF revenue directed to the city will cover those costs,” Anderson added.
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Historic preservation project in Cleveland Heights is first piece of a much bigger puzzle |
'This will be an example for us to continue to follow,' says Mayor Kahlil Seren
From News5Cleveland.com
By Michelle Jarboe
Through the front windows of her architecture business, Michelle Kolbe sees cars slice by on South Taylor Road.
“South Taylor right now is a road to get through,” she said. “From wherever you’re coming from, to wherever you’re going to. It’s not a destination.”
That’s about to change.
A local real estate developer just acquired three vacant buildings down the street, near the eastern end of Cain Park. Now those buildings, historic Tudor Revival structures, will become 44 apartments, with retailers and live-work spaces downstairs.
It’s the first phase of a potential $100 million project in a diverse but downtrodden business district. This week, Cleveland Heights City Council approved key public financing legislation to advance the Taylor Tudors deal...
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With federal grant, Cleveland Heights prepares to develop residential parcels that have been vacant for decades | |
With the recent award of $850,000 in federal funds, Cleveland Heights will set the stage for achieving its long-held goal of putting residential parcels that have remained vacant for decades to use as the site of 29 new, single-family homes.
Thanks to the advocacy of Congresswoman Shontel Brown and U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, an allocation for the Blanche Avenue Extension Project, which will extend the street and utilities—electricity, water, sewer, and gas lines—from where Blanche Avenue dead ends at the city’s eastern border, was included in the 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The legislation was passed by the House and Senate and signed into law by President Biden on March 9, 2024.
“An opportunity for development at this scale is rare in a community like ours, where most of our homes were built decades ago,” Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren said. “Blanche Avenue is located in Cain Park Village, a new neighborhood we’re building centered on Cain Park. In Cain Park Village, we’re creating opportunities by balancing progress and preservation. The Blanche Avenue Extension Project is an example of this approach.”
More information about Cain Park Village.
“Some families have owned the properties at the end of Blanche Avenue for multiple generations—their grandparents bought them as investment opportunities,” Cleveland Heights Director of Planning and Development Eric Zamft said. “Now that Blanche Avenue is being extended, those families will finally see that investment pay off.”
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We’re Making It Easier to
Access Cleveland Heights!
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Cleveland Heights is making Access Cleveland Heights, the City’s service request mobile app, an even more effective way to connect Cleveland Heights residents to their municipal government.
On Monday, April 1, 2024, the City of Cleveland Heights will switch service providers for Access Cleveland Heights, moving from Accela CRM to SeeClickFix Constituent Relationship Management (CRM). This change will provide residents with more ways to interact with the city and greater transparency for tracking progress toward completing their requests.
Access Cleveland Heights allows residents to submit non-emergency requests to Cleveland Heights City Hall where they will be routed to the appropriate City department to be processed.
Residents will be able to use Access Cleveland Heights as a mobile app and online. Anyone already using the Access Cleveland Heights app will need to download new versions of the app. The City will provide more information about how to access and use the service request platform next week.
For questions about this transition, please contact the Mayor’s Action Center at
216-291-2323 or [email protected]. You can also make a request at the information desk in the Suzanna Niermann O’Neil Atrium on the Entry Level in Cleveland Heights City Hall.
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Cleveland Heights plan will improve cyclist and pedestrian safety
Comprehensive and Equitable Safety Action Plan (CESAP)
Public Meeting
Wednesday, April 3
5:30 pm at the Community Center
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The City of Cleveland Heights is launching a Comprehensive and Equitable Safety Action Plan (CESAP) to make our streets safer and more equitable.
The City and its consultants, Kimley-Horn and Seventh Hill, will hold a public meeting to gather feedback at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, April 3, at the Cleveland Heights Community Center, One Monticello Boulevard.
We want to hear from you! What are your safety concerns when walking, biking, and driving in Cleveland Heights?
The City and its consultants will:
- Review of historical crash data
- Gather community input
- Review overall connectivity, and
- Identify projects and programs that will bring tangible safety benefits to the community.
Projects and programs will be reviewed by a Technical Advisory Committee comprised of community members and prioritized according to their potential safety benefits and contribution to improving equity in Cleveland Heights.
The CESAP is being completed with funding obtained through the United States Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) initiative.
The completion of the Comprehensive and Equitable Safety Action Plan will provide the City of Cleveland Heights with the basis for obtaining future funds through the federal SS4A program and other federal grant programs. These funds will allow the City to implement infrastructure and policy improvements to move toward "Vision Zero"—reducing the number of fatal and serious injury crashes to zero on our city's road while increasing safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for all road users.
For more information and to provide written feedback to help guide the project team as they develop the CESAP, please visit: SafeStreets4CH.com
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Save money and get the best seats in the house when you purchase tickets during Cain Park’s Residents’ Week!
Tuesday, April 9 through Saturday, April 13, 2024
Cleveland Heights City Hall (40 Severance Circle)
BONUS: Anyone who registers with Cain Park as a Cleveland Heights resident during the 2024 season will automatically be entered into a drawing for a $100 Cain Park gift card which can be used toward any 2025 event!
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Coventry PEACE Park tips off 'Match Madness' to build basketball half-court | |
From Cleveland.com (paywall)
With “March Madness” in the air, the Fund for the Future of Heights Libraries (FFHL) has come up with a campaign of its own to build a single-hoop outdoor basketball court in Coventry PEACE Park.
It’s called “Match Madness,” running from March 17 to April 8 and coinciding with the NCAA basketball tournament, during which an anonymous donor will match up to $25,000 in donations from the community.
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Cleveland Heights native Rajiv Joseph's play 'King James' is a rollicking and warm story about male friendship
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The San Diego Union-Tribune (no paywall)
If you’re a basketball fan, you know that with a great rebound or a clutch 3-point shot, a game can turn on a dime.
That’s also the case in “King James,” Rajiv Joseph’s enormously entertaining comedy about an ever-shifting relationship between two Cleveland men whose friendship was forged by their shared love of basketball. The well-directed and superbly cast play opened Thursday in the Old Globe’s intimate Sheryl & Harvey White Theatre.
The 2022 play is named after basketball superstar LeBron James and it takes place during the 12-year period in which James made his rookie debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2004, left the team six years later for the Miami Heat, then returned in 2014 to lead the Cavs to their first world championship in 2016.
But neither James nor a basketball makes an appearance in the play, and the story isn’t about sports. It’s about two buddies — one White, one Black — whose friendship begins, grows, rapidly transforms and frays to the breaking point in four scenes — each one tied to a key year in James’ career...
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ATTENTION CLEVELAND HEIGHTS RESIDENTS | |
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A select few of Cleveland Heights' Boards and Commissions have members who are appointed by the Mayor.
Mayor Seren is looking for qualified, civically interested candidates to fill seats on these important municipal bodies. The Boards and Commissions to which the Mayor appoints are:
If you would like to be considered for appointment by the Mayor to any of these Boards and Commissions, please visit the link below to complete the application form.
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The Climate & Sustainability and Transportation & Mobility Committees Seek New Members | |
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Cleveland Heights City Council voted at its January 16, 2024 meeting to split the Transportation and Environmental Sustainability Committee (TESC) into two committees where residents will be selected to meet and discuss a range of subjects related to Transportation and, for the second new committee, Climate and Sustainability.
The Transportation and Mobility Committee (TMC)
The purpose of this Committee shall be to make recommendations to the Mayor and Council on transportation plans for the City, particularly plans that affect and improve transportation by modes that are alternatives to private automobiles; recommendations to assist in implementing the City’s Complete and Green Streets and Vision Zero policies; recommendations for ADA compliance and accessibility for persons with disabilities; and, providing a means for the community to learn about matters related to transportation within the City of Cleveland Heights and the City’s connectivity to nearby regions.
Climate and Environmental Sustainability Committee (CESC)
The purpose of this Committee shall be to advise the Mayor and City Council on recommendations with regard to improving the environmental sustainability of City programs, services, equipment, and facilities; and increasing the awareness of issues of environmental sustainability among the residents and businesses located in the City; and encouraging increase environmentally conscious activities by the residents and businesses located in the City. Shall also serve as an advocate for environmental justice and promote through education and outreach best-use practices for sustainable living, business, and economic development.
Residents may apply for consideration for membership by City Council for a term on either committee by clicking the button below
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Cleveland Heights Climate Action and Resiliency Plan: Public engagement coming soon!
Stay informed as the city prepares its Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP), including the upcoming announcement of the first public engagement session. Scan the QR code below or click here to sign up for the mailing list.
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Lee Road will be SOUTHBOUND ONLY between Mayfield and Superior during upcoming construction
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Starting April 1, a road construction project on Lee Road between Mayfield and Superior roads will reduce traffic to one lane -- SOUTHBOUND ONLY.
Construction and the one-way south traffic pattern are expected to last three months.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
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A LOT of People Want to Know What You Think | |
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FutureHeights & Friends has launched the first Crowdsourced Conversations survey of the year.
The topic is "Active Transportation: Living Less Car-Centric in the Heights." How walkable, bikeable, and public transit-friendly do you find the Heights to be? What (if anything) might cause you to walk/roll, bike, or take public transportation more often than you do now?
The data collected will be used to generate a report and also to help create action-oriented small-group discussion questions for the forum on the same topic, which will be coming up at the end of April (details will be available soon).
Add your voice to the conversation by completing the survey by the end of the day on March 31. Any residents who might require assistance completing the survey should connect with Sarah at [email protected] or by calling the the FutureHeights office at 216-320-1423. Get started on the survey here.
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NOACA Wants to Know How You Travel | |
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To help it understand the transportation needs of your community, the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency (NOACA) is asking local households to take part in the Northeast Ohio Travel Survey. This important survey is being conducted across the region and will help them build a snapshot of how, when, and why people travel in their daily lives.
Regardless of the amount you travel and whether you travel by car, bus, bicycle, or other means, your input is vital. Information collected will assist decision-makers in determining where to spend transportation dollars to reduce congestion, improve safety, and increase mobility options in your community.
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Parks and Recreation Programs | |
AN URGENT CALL FOR BASEBALL COACHES! | |
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Enrollment in Summer 2024 Cleveland Heights Recreation League Baseball continues to climb, which should mean more kids, more teams, and a healthier league!
EXCEPT, WE HAVE A PROBLEM.
We don't have enough coaches, which means we don't have enough teams. As a result, registration has been capped in several age divisions, and parents can't sign up their kids for Little League.
So we are asking parents to consider volunteering coaching a youth baseball team this summer.
"Is there anyone out there willing to coach a team?" asked Coach Kevin Horter. "For those who do not have coaching experience, I am happy to provide support, practice plans, and help with some practices. You certainly do not need to be an expert. Most importantly, you are someone who can be positive with the kids and can show up. Coaching by committee is also welcomed and encouraged if you want to join up with a friend(s)."
Little League is a critical part of the baseball experience. It would be a shame if we can't provide it to everyone who is interested. Let's help the kids play!
If you are interested in coaching, please contact Mike Discenzo, Program Supervisor, at 216-691-7383 or [email protected].
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Cuyahoga County Board of Health conducting well-child survey in Cleveland Heights
Lunch Provided. Join in this upcoming conversation.
Sunday, March 24
1:30–2:00 pm
Christ Community Church
2065 Lee Road
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The Cuyahoga County Board of Health has launched a survey for families in Cleveland Heights about well-child care visits. Well-child care refers to the regularly scheduled doctors’ visits that your child should have between birth and age 21. These visits could include things like annual physicals, hearing and vision screenings, and developmental and growth milestones.
These visits do not include doctor’s visits when children are sick.
They are trying to understand how to help increase the frequency of how often children attend well-child care visits. With the information they receive from this survey, they will be working with community partners to provide tools to help families more regularly visit the doctor in order to help make the lives of children in Cleveland Heights as healthy as possible.
After taking the survey, share your experience in person. Please join in a community conversation where representatives will be on hand to help make the lives of children in Cleveland Heights as healthy as possible. Lunch will be provided, and the first 10 families that come and stay for each conversation will receive a $15 gift card!
All Cleveland Heights residents are welcome.
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REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
The City of Cleveland Heights is requesting qualifications for the identification, design, and implementation of energy efficiency improvements on a self-funding performance-contracting basis in accordance with Ohio Revised Code 717.02.
This is the next step following the City of Cleveland Heights' recently completed energy audit of our buildings and facilities.
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The next City Council meeting will be held on Monday, April 1, 2024, at 7:30 pm, in the Council Chamber.
It will be preceded by a Committee of the Whole meeting at 6:00 pm in the Executive Conference Room. Both meetings may be viewed live on YouTube.
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