COUNTY PLANNING NEWSLETTER
May 2026
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Community Planning Services Program Open | County Planning is now accepting applications from municipalities for the 2026 Community Planning Services Program, formerly known as the Community Planning Grant Program. If you have questions about the program or whether your project idea is a good fit, please contact Planning Manager Jim Sonnhalter at jsonnhalter@cuyahogacounty.gov or (216) 443-3713 by Friday, May 8. | This program continues our practice of offering professional planning and technical services at a reduced cost to awardees with the intention of strengthening local planning resources and promoting best practices. It allows us to fulfill our mission to advance Cuyahoga County's social, economic, and environmental health through equitable community planning. Past projects have included zoning code and map updates, mall area redevelopment plans, and park and greenspace plans. Applications are due by 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, and awards will be announced by July 1. | | | | Cuyahoga Greenways Plan Update Underway | | The 2019 Cuyahoga Greenways Plan is undergoing an update that will be published later this summer. Together with the Cuyahoga Greenways Partners (Cleveland Metroparks, NOACA, City of Cleveland, and several other public and nonprofit agencies), County Planning is updating its standards, data and mapping to document the progress made by communities and agencies across the County toward designing, funding, and building active transportation facilities over the past five years. The update will highlight success stories and best practices, new online mapping tools, and funding opportunities. It renews our commitment to creating an 800-mile, all ages and abilities active transportation network to better connect the County's 59 communities to each other and the greater region. | | 2026 TOD Trends Report Released | | |
County Planning and our regional partners at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and Port of Cleveland are pleased to share the 2026 edition of the Development Trends on TOD Corridors report. Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a mix of commercial, residential, office, and entertainment in close proximity to transit (train or frequent bus service), and this year's report shows more than $1.5 billion of TOD investment occurred over the past seven years.
The report focuses on 22 TOD corridors and analyzed new developments with $1 million or more in added building value between 2019 and 2025. Additionally, the report addresses whether this new investment meets certain design criteria for TOD including: building located close to the street, multiple stories, parking situated to the side and/or rear of the building, TOD-friendly use/mixed-use, and street-facing building entrance.
Key findings from the report include the following:
- There has been $1.5 billion worth of investment in TOD in the past seven years, averaging $217 million annually.
- In 2025, $324 million worth of TOD investment was added, the highest amount of investment in the last six years and $184 million more than was invested in 2021.
- In 2025, TOD investment accounted for 49.2% of total added building value in Cuyahoga County.
- Over 84% of new TOD investment has occurred in the City of Cleveland in the past seven years with the Downtown, University Circle, Ohio City, Fairfax, and Hough neighborhoods seeing the most added building value.
Do you have a site along a transit corridor that has potential for TOD? Need assistance with advancing TOD development in your community? Contact Patrick Hewitt at phewitt@cuyahogacounty.gov.
| | East Cleveland Adopts Greenspace and Land Use Plans | | |
In 2019, the City of East Cleveland applied for and received an award for professional planning services from County Planning to support the development of a parks and greenspace plan. County Planning worked with the City to develop the East Cleveland Parks and Greenspace Plan, which outlines strategies to enhance parks and open spaces as drivers of neighborhood stability, economic growth, and overall quality of life.
The 2023 East Cleveland Land Use Strategic Plan, funded by Cuyahoga County with additional in-kind support from County Planning, is intended to guide long-term development and investment decisions for the next 10–20 years. This plan builds on recommendations from Cleveland State University’s East Cleveland Visioning Project and was developed collaboratively with city staff, community partners, and county departments.
The land use plan provides focused recommendations for five development sites along Euclid Avenue, with actions addressing both neighborhood and commercial development and preservation. Strategies include promoting transit-oriented and mixed-use development, investing in infill and new residential construction, targeting adaptive reuse of historic or significant buildings, and expanding and activating greenspaces.
Both plans were unanimously adopted by East Cleveland City Council on April 21, 2026.
| | Euclid Beach Connector Groundbreaking | Local leaders celebrated the groundbreaking for the Euclid Beach Connector Trail in Cleveland's North Collinwood neighborhood on May 4. County Planning staff who have worked on this key expansion of the Cuyahoga Greenways Plan attended the festive occasion that anticipates lakefront public access integrated with shoreline protection. The trail project will include several public amenities: a 10-foot-wide multimodal trail connecting key lakefront destinations, scenic overlooks with a native plant landscape, paddle craft entry points, and three new public access locations at the Euclid Beach Pier, East 156th Street, and Shore Acres at Lakeshore Blvd. This is an 18-month project that is scheduled to be completed in November 2027. | | Image by Michaelangelo's Photography for the City Club of Cleveland | |
- Executive Director Mary Cierebiej, AICP, moderated a City Club panel discussion titled Happy Dog Takes on the Demand of Data Centers on April 21 as part of the “Happy Dog Takes on Everything” series.
- Planning Manager Patrick Hewitt, AICP co-presented the TOD Zoning Study at the Midwest Climate Summit, held March 30–April 1, in Cleveland.
- Patrick also participated in panel presentations of the award-winning Single-Family Zoning Analysis at two conferences: the Ohio Land Bank Conference, held April 22–24, in Toledo; and at the APA National Planning Conference, held April 25–28, in Detroit.
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Liam Leveto, GIS Analyst and Paul Triolo, AICP, Planner will participate in a panel presentation about the Cuyahoga Greenways Plan update at the APA Cleveland Planning & Zoning Workshop on May 14 in Independence.
| | Image courtesy of the City of Pepper Pike | |
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Celebrate Trails Day was held April 25 in Pepper Pike and introduced a one-mile extension to the Gates Mills Median Trail. An estimated 100 people, including County Planning staff, participated by bicycling or walking along the new trail segment.
- The 2026 Canalway Partners' RiverSweep event was held May 2 with participation from County Planning staff. This annual community-wide litter cleanup focuses on protecting the Cuyahoga River and its surrounding trails, parks, and green spaces.
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Harvest for Hunger, an annual fundraising and awareness campaign focused on fighting hunger across 21 counties in Northeast Ohio, benefits four foodbanks across northeast Ohio. County Planning is contributing via direct donations, dress down day collections, and a food drive. The campaign continues through May.
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