View as Webpage

Lakewood Residents,

First, I want to once more thank all the people of Lakewood that pitched in to help our community get through the severe storms of August 6 and the ensuing power outage. This includes our safety forces, clean-up crews, linemen, and each individual that checked in on friends, family members, and neighbors. Despite the challenges, I was very encouraged to see the City pull together in a time of crisis.

As we have now reached the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, I would like to wish all of Lakewood's students the best of luck and have a great year!

There are lots of great events and occasions in store for September, including Lakewood Community Festival, the return of the popular Tree Giveaway program, and a week-long celebration of Active Aging at the end of the month.

Lastly, the Downtown Development is moving forward through the City's approval process. We at City Hall have certainly heard your frustrations surrounding this project. There are many moving parts that all need to come together over the next few months, but at this stage, all signs point toward progress. We are confident that this development will be a great addition to the Downtown Lakewood neighborhood and a catalyst for more positive growth.

September 7

Lakewood Community Festival

11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Madison Park

September 8

Car Seat Safety Check

(Registration Required)

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Fire Station #1

September 12

Division of Aging's Summer Luau

4:00 - 8:00 PM

Cove Community Center

Tickets available at Cove Community Center

September 16

Lakewood City Council Meeting

7:30 PM

City Hall Auditorium

September 30

Active Aging Week Begins

Sept. 30 - Oct. 6

Events throughout Lakewood

Click below to view the City of Lakewood's full events calendar.

Downtown Development Project

Over the past two months, the final review for the Downtown Development project has gotten underway. Guided by the City’s zoning code for planned developments, this final review process has started with the project team, led by CASTO and Dimit Architects, working collaboratively in joint public meetings with the City’s Planning Commission (PC) and Architectural Board of Review (ABR). 

These initial joint meetings during July and August have resulted in refinements to the details of the project in response to Board and Commission member recommendations as well as the comments and recommendations of those members of the public in attendance.

The key elements of the Downtown Development project include:

• Provides for/introduces new retail space.
• Provides needed housing units.
• Creates opportunity for a unique, urban community space in the heart of downtown.
• Preserves the designated historic exterior of the Curtis Block Building.
• Adds public structured parking to support the development’s uses and surrounding area.
• Positions the site to serve as a catalyst for additional opportunities in downtown.

On August 21, the City and Project team hosted a community open house at the Cove Community Center where members of the public had the opportunity to review the project and discuss the site plan and building designs with representatives from the Department of Planning & Development, CASTO, and Dimit Architects. The comments and recommendations from this open house will be considered and integrated into further refinement of the project as it continues review with the upcoming normal September public meetings of the Planning Commission (Sept 5) and Architectural Board of Review (Sept 12). The project is anticipated to advance to City Council for their review by mid-to-late October.

Zoning Refresh Project

The City has partnered with the consulting firm Houseal Lavigne to kick off a much-needed refresh of its Planning and Zoning Code. Lakewood's current zoning code was last comprehensively updated and adopted in 1996 with a variety of piecemeal additions and revisions made since that time. 

In 2012, the City released the Community Vision – which serves in place of a traditional Master Plan – that was last updated in 2019. The Community Vision centers upon six focus areas (commercial development, housing, community wellness, safety, mobility, and education and culture) with supporting objective statements for each.

The City’s overarching intent with this project is to update our zoning code so that it:

• Aligns with the Community Vision,
• Integrates contemporary best practices for a dense, historic, urban community,
• Promotes sustainability and resiliency to climate change,
• Reflects the input and perspective gained through engagement with Lakewood residents, property owners, businesses, and other key stakeholders,
• Incorporates processes that are proportional and transparent with clear requirements and decision criteria, and
• Is easy to read/navigate, understandable by the public, and enforceable by the City.

A community open house to kick-off the project was held on August 29 at the Cove Community Center. If you were unable to attend, there will be more opportunities to get involved and provide feedback on this important project. More information on upcoming events and engagement opportunities – including an initial online questionnaire – is available at the project website linked below.

Attention Landlords: Housing License Renewals

Housing license renewals for 2025 opens on September 4, 2024. Landlords are required to renew their housing licenses by November 1, 2024 to avoid a late fee.

Click the button below for more information and to renew your housing license.

Don't Sit Idly By...

Sitting in the school pick up line for what feels like forever? Turning your car off will save you money and significantly reduce your CO2 emissions. Idling for 20 minutes each day uses up to 0.17 gallons of gas – equal to almost one gallon of gas per week. That equals 52 gallons for the whole year, costing you 100 to 200 dollars annually. Read more on vehicle idling myths here.

As an alternative to the dreaded car line, try walking or biking to school! Transportation accounts for 29% of the City's total greenhouse gas emissions. Lakewood already boasts a large number of students that go by foot or by bicycle, so great job to you all - and cyclists, remember to wear your helmet!

Lessening Waste at Lunch

Our last tip concerns trash from packing lunches. Single-use, throwaway packets and containers can create large amounts of waste. Instead, try packing your food in a reusable lunch bag, and use non-disposable food and beverage containers.

Click the graphic to the right for a guide to achieving a zero-waste lunch. Hint: these same tips can be applied to adults as we pack our lunches for work, too.

Active Aging Week: Sept. 30 - Oct. 6

Join us for Active Aging Week, a nationwide campaign designed to celebrate and highlight the positive aspects of aging through a series of community events. Active Aging Week 2024 takes place from September 30 to October 6.

The goal of this year’s event series is to encourage healthy and active aging by focusing on the seven Dimensions of Wellness: Emotional, Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Professional, Social, and Environmental Wellness.

On Wednesday, October 2, a citywide event will take place at Lakewood Park from 3 to 7 PM to bring organizations and residents together to celebrate and engage in a wide range of activities.

Stay tuned to the City of Lakewood’s social media channels and swing by Cove Community Center for the schedule of events and more information on how to get involved.

Tree Giveaway Program Returns Sept. 10

The City of Lakewood and its Tree Advisory and Education Board, in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation Community Canopy Program, will host another Tree Giveaway Program this fall similar to the event held in the spring of 2024.

Online ordering will go live at 9 AM on Tuesday, September 10. In less than 10 minutes, you can reserve your free tree (limit one per resident) by visiting www.arborday.org/lakewoodoh and selecting a shade or ornamental species that fits your yard. Each tree has been grown in 3 gallon-sized containers with heights of 4 to 5 feet, a size which allows for easy transport and planting while still making an immediate impact in your landscape. 

Native species available this fall through the Lakewood Tree Giveaway Program include:

• Allegheny Serviceberry – A moderately-fast-growing ornamental tree that possesses fragrant white flowers in the spring, edible blueberry-like fruit in the summer, and brilliant fall color.
• American Hornbeam – A slower-growing woodland understory tree, also known as Musclewood, featuring unique “muscle like” smooth gray bark. In shade it will grow with an open irregular spread but will be compact and almost pyramidal in full sun. Songbirds will utilize the seeds from this tree.
• Common Hackberry – A fast-growing and adaptable canopy tree, suitable for both naturalized areas and street tree plants alike. Features a warty smooth gray bark and “elm like” leaves. The drupe is edible, imparting a fig flavor. 
• Eastern Redbud – A fast-growing ornamental tree with pink flowers in the spring and large, heart-shaped leaves that change to golden yellow in the fall.
• Pagoda Dogwood – A beautiful and moderately-fast-growing ornamental tree. Flowers are showy in the spring followed by blue fruit favored by songbirds, brilliant fall color and finally unique pagoda branching during the winter. A wonderful understory tree for the landscape.
• Pin Oak – A relatively fast-growing canopy tree. It will tolerate poorly drained soils but leaves will yellow in high pH soils. Lower leafless branches will often persist on this oak. Pin oak is a great tree for wet areas. 

A Tree Giveaway Pickup event will be held on Saturday, October 19, from 10 AM until noon at Bernice Pyke Park (1320 Belle Avenue in Downtown Lakewood), during which tree planting demonstrations will take place.

Trees are a vital part of our community, improving our quality of life in many ways. Trees clean our air and water, cool our environment, reduce flooding, lower energy costs, increase property values, and provide habitats for nature. Lakewood’s legacy as a longtime ‘Tree City USA’ serves as a source of community pride, but we need your help to replenish our aging tree canopy.

The Lakewood Tree Giveaway Program takes place this fall while supplies last. All orders are subject to approval and must be at a Lakewood, Ohio address. Thank you for helping to grow our city’s tree canopy!

Now Hiring: Entry-Level Patrol Officers

Are you interested in becoming a patrol officer for the City of Lakewood? The Lakewood Civil Service Commission is conducting an exam for Entry-Level Patrol Officers.

The deadline to complete the exam and submit documents is 10/9/24.

Celebrating 30 Years of the Lakewood Family Room

The City of Lakewood Department of Human Services is hosting "Timeless Tales: Celebrating 30 Years of the Lakewood Family Room," a gala event to recognize the City's commitment to early childhood development and building a community among parents, families, and caregivers.

The event will take place Saturday, October 19 from 7 to 11 PM at Cove Community Center.

Tickets are on sale now at the link below. We look forward to seeing you there!

Storybook Trails Come To Lakewood

Two new Storybook Trails have been installed in Madison Park and Kaufmann Park as the result of a collaboration between the Lakewood Public Library, the City of Lakewood, City Council, and Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Park attendees can read an entire book as they walk, ride, or scoot along the designated paths.

The current books displayed are The Summer Nick Taught His Cat To Read by Curtis Manley at Kaufmann Park and I Am A Bird by Dana Walrath at Madison Park.

City of Lakewood | lakewoodoh.gov