Summary

  • There is a focus on development in Cleveland’s Ward 5, with an emphasis on resources (community centers, recreation centers, nonprofits) and housing (mixed-housing development, homeownership opportunities).

  • The Cuyahoga Community College Metropolitan Campus is walking distance from much of the ward’s public housing, and Tri-C offers free programs to Cleveland residents. Ward 5 Council Member Richard Starr and residents want young people to take advantage of these career programs.

  • Starr and a representative from Cleveland’s Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) encouraged residents to likewise take advantage of OEO programs and to register businesses with the office so that Ward 5 businesses can financially benefit from development projects in the area.

Follow-up questions

  • Has Starr done outreach to his new Slavic Village constituents? His three monthly meetings are all in the northern part of the ward. 

The scene at the Cleveland City Council Ward 5 Community meeting

Ward 5 includes parts of Central, Downtown, Fairfax, Kinsman, the Industrial Valley and Slavic Village.

The Cleveland City Council Ward 5 Community meeting was held at Friendly Inn Settlement, a long-standing neighborhood nonprofit located at 2386 Unwin Road. The meeting was held in a large multipurpose room, and staff were available to direct attendees. There were other events happening in adjacent spaces, including a neighborhood baby shower event with diapers and other resources for families.

A printed agenda was distributed by Council Member Richard Starr’s assistant, Lamont Johnson. The agenda itself was not complete but did include a list of upcoming events and community meetings.

The meeting officially began at 5:39 p.m., with about 40 attendees at its peak. Takeout-style meals were available for residents to take home after the meeting.

Third District Police

  • Officer Malcolm Sutton-Nicholson shared:
  • The Third Police District has a new Community & Problem-Oriented Policing (CPOP) coordinator, Detective Nicole Tango. She introduced herself as an officer for eight years who is excited to take on this new role.
  • Tiffany McClay, Third District representative for the Community Relations Board: The Third District community meeting is monthly and residents are invited to come. Meetings will be held out in the community instead of the police station this summer. She encouraged folks to utilize 311; explained what to use it for and how.

Cleveland Division of Fire

  • Shared information on safe chemical storage, safe grilling practices, safe driving in floods, and safety around downed power lines.
  • Promoted Operation Save-A-Life (Red Cross program that enables firefighters to install free smoke detectors).
  • There will be summer ice cream socials at various firehouses this summer, free to the community. This is a continuation of an existing program.

New apartments at 2728 Euclid Ave.

Amanda Collins — Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO)

  • Collins said the office focuses on the fair representation of community members in city development projects pursuant to the Community Benefits Ordinance, which requires a certain percentage of Cleveland residents and businesses to be involved in development projects across the city.
  • Encouraged residents to refer family members and friends who are interested in the trades to OEO for internships and apprenticeships.
  • Community engagement meetings are how residents can be informed about development projects in their communities. Encouraged residents to attend and share their input.
  • OEO Summit is at City Hall — presentations on the work completed in the last year. This is open to the public.
  • OEO brought a developer who has a project underway in Ward 5:
    • City View Lofts at 2728 Euclid Ave., J&M Real Estate Advisors.
    • Doug Morrison was the representative speaking today.
    • 33 apartments, five floors and parking garage.
    • Same company that did Innerbelt Lofts on the same block.
    • Presented floor plans, building plans, renderings of apartments.
    • Spring 2027 expected move-in.
    • Resident asked about rent and number of bedrooms in apartments.
      • 1-bedroom units.
      • Rent will probably run $900 to $1,100, except for the units that must be at a lower, “affordable” rate.
    • Development cost is about $3 million, not including the purchase of the land and the original building. 
    • The city is contributing $0 directly but has provided a 15-year tax abatement, and the developers are also accessing the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program.
      • OEO helps to connect developers to certified businesses and professionals to help them meet the community benefits requirements but does not provide financial support.
    • Starr discussed the need for mixed housing — homeownership opportunities, market-rate apartments, not just public housing (there is a heavy concentration of public housing in Ward 5). He discussed the need for opportunities for people to “move up.” He said the highest voter turnout in the ward is in a precinct with homeowners, and the lowest are in precincts primarily with public housing. He positioned housing development as a counter to historic redlining.
Members of the Cleveland Documenters team at City Hall. Top row: Anastazia Vanisko, Larry Gardner, Andrea Jones, Ronaldo Rodriguez Jr, Regina Samuels, Mary Ellen Huesken, Gennifer Harding-Gosnell. Bottom row: Doug Breehl-Pitorak, Kellie Morris, Laura Redmon, Cleveland City Council Member Rebecca Maurer, Sheena Fain, Jeannine Isom-Barnhill, Jotoya Gray, Angela Rush. Credit: Anastazia Vanisko

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Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C)

  • Starr connected Tri-C’s trades and certifications programs to the development projects as a way for ward residents to not only participate in feedback but to benefit financially and create businesses. He encouraged parents to get their kids involved in these programs, as Tri-C’s campus is close to the residential areas of the ward.
  • Michelle Zalenski is the Tri-C representative and has a career history in the trades.
  • Zalenski said the trades are “good paying jobs” that don’t require college, then emphasized that they’re career opportunities, not just jobs.
  • Tri-C’s Construction Training Academy houses a few programs, including:
    • Building & Apartment Maintenance Program: Facility maintenance techs are in high demand in Ohio. The program helps connect students with employers. Fifteen-week program, two nights a week from 5 to 9 p.m., combination of classroom and lab work. Free for Cleveland residents.
    • Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program: Four-week career exploration for construction trades.
    • Both programs begin in July. Learn more at the links above.
  • Starr stressed the importance of education and working to set the ward up for success from youth.

Council Member Richard Starr

  • 78 families in Ward 5 are on the list for home repairs.
    • 24 homes are in process for May in partnership with the Cuyahoga County Land Bank and Habitat for Humanity. Starr asked for patience as they work through the monthly queues for assessments.
  • Three meetings a month provide opportunities for the ward to gather with Starr. This meeting is monthly, but he also does two additional monthly meet and greets at different locations (like Garden Valley Library, Arbor Park Village Community Room).
  • Said that he is working on getting the Arbor Park splash park, which has been out of order for two summers, operational again.
  • Provided an update on Lonnie Burten Recreation Center — it was slated to be closed for the summer for renovations, but will now be closed September-June instead.
  • The historic Central Bath House will be opened as a community center — the request for proposals (RFP) closes tomorrow. Planning construction in the fall, one year total construction. As with Lonnie Burten, it will be a complete renovation. 
  • Some of Starr’s discretionary funds will go toward demolishing old public housing on the Lonnie Burten lot and for a parking lot at the rec center, which has always had street parking only.
  • Discussed various road projects and related building construction and demolition.
  • A Goodwill Opportunity Center with a grocery store is in the works, and representatives from the project will be at the next ward meeting to discuss the entire project in more detail.
  • An intern in Starr’s office will be working on a food/farm co-op project.
  • Dumpster Days are coming back to the ward this summer, and residents will receive a postcard ahead of their street’s turn for free use of a dumpster.
  • Representatives from the Cleveland Department of Public Works will be at the next meeting. Starr said around 24,000 of the 27,000 vacant lots in Cleveland are on the East Side, which requires a lot of mowing. Starr said he is working with Public Works to ensure lots get mowed. Public Works will also discuss the citation process for overgrown lots.

The meeting adjourned at 7 p.m., with Starr saying that he wanted everyone to be able to watch the Cleveland Cavaliers playoff game.

These notes are by Documenter Julia Brookover. Audio recorded by Documenter Antoinette Williams.

If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalcleveland.org  with “Correction Request” in the subject line.

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