CDC gets Cleveland loan to start transformation of W. 25th St. / Stockyards corridor
Cleveland City Council met as a Committee of the Whole on Wednesday, Aug. 13, for a day-long session to discuss legislation ahead of its council meeting later that night.
That afternoon, the committee approved a $2.3 million forgivable loan to the Metro West Community Development Corp. to help purchase several mixed-used commercial buildings in Ward 14’s West 25th Street and Stockyards corridor.
City of Cleveland Economic Development Director Tom McNair said the loan to the CDC would initiate the first phase of a neighborhood transformation project in the area.
Ward 14 Council Member Jasmin Santana said earlier plans made for development were not led by residents. “Now that we have that playbook, it’s the right time, the right moment, right leadership in place for us to allocate this funding to the Ward 14 West 25th and Stockyard corridor,” Santana said.
Santana also pointed out that the area of focus in the Stockyards neighborhood is currently 90% vacant.
Cleveland City Council passed the legislation to approve the loan later that night.
Rust Belt Riders to expand composting operations at E. 79th St.
Food composting company Rust Belt Riders plans to purchase three parcels of land it currently leases from the city to expand its operations and install a retail outlet at its East 79th Street location.
McNair told Cleveland City Council that Rust Belt Riders plans to invest around $3.5 million in a new composting facility at the site and retain 30 jobs, plus create 15 more.
Nathan Rutz of Rust Belt Riders said the company wants to stay and expand in Cleveland. Rutz said the company’s bank is requiring the purchase of the land it leases in order to get loans needed to expand the composting facility.
Cleveland City Council approved the land sale—with the price set at $790,000 minus land remediation costs—at its meeting later that night.
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Daily cost to Cleveland to incarcerate people at county jail goes up
Cleveland City Council’s Committee of the Whole had a lengthy discussion with city and county officials about a contract amendment that increases the daily rate the county charges the City of Cleveland to incarcerate a person in the county jail. The cost is increasing from $99 per day per person to $143. The increased rate will cost the city an additional $174,000 per year.
This is the first increase of the daily rate since 2018, when the city transferred responsibility for city detainees to the county.
Cleveland Law Director Mark Griffin said the purpose of the amendment was to increase booking and detention efficiency and to “uphold the due process rights of detainees.”
Ward 16 Cleveland City Council Member Brian Kazy said Griffin was offering “smoke and mirrors,” saying improving efficiency and due process should be happening anyway and was not related to the proposed cost increase.
Kazy was the lone “nay” vote on the legislation, which the full council passed at its meeting later Wednesday night.