A photo of Cleveland City Council Member Michael Polensek (left) talking about past job losses in Cleveland at the Cleveland City Council Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee meeting on May 22, 2023.
Council Member Michael Polensek (left) talks about past job losses in Cleveland. Credit: Cleveland City Council YouTube

Covered by Documenter Gennifer Harding-Gosnell

Jobs, jobs, jobs: Cleveland City Council’s Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee heard a proposal to invest $50 million into a $100 million fund for site readiness. The Cuyahoga County Land Bank will manage the fund. The money will be used to prepare vacant sites for companies wanting to build job facilities in Cleveland, as opposed to housing or another use. Site preparation would include work such as demolishing existing buildings and remediating polluted land. Chief Financial Officer Ahmed Abonamah said this work could bring more than 25,000 jobs to Cleveland. The full council passed the legislation later that evening.

Mystery sites: Abonamah said the goal of the site readiness fund is to prepare 1,000 acres of land for development in the next 10 years. All the sites will be within Cleveland city limits. Council Member Brian Kazy expressed frustration no one would share the exact locations of potential sites. Abonamah told him that sharing the locations risks driving up the price before the city is able to buy the land.

Read the Twitter thread by Documenter Gennifer Harding-Gosnell:

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