Covered by Documenters Marvetta Rutherford and Giorgiana Lascu
What happened: The committee moved along legislation that would allow the city to purchase the ArtCraft building for the new police headquarters. The total cost of the project is about $90 million, officials said. They estimate it to be about $71 million cheaper than the long-planned site along the Opportunity Corridor. Ward 5 Council Member Richard Starr asked about plans for relocating the building’s current tenants, many of whom are artists. Jon Pinney of TurnDev, a project partner, said the building was 80 percent vacant. He said they offered up to six months of free rent to relocate tenants and forgave 100 percent of past-due rent. Signal Cleveland’s Olivera Perkins spoke to some tenants about the plans in December.
Highland Park Golf Course: The committee discussed legislation that would allow the city to pay the Highland Park Golf Foundation to manage the course for up to 30 years. Annual management fees would be about $250,000, officials said. The course, located in the suburban village of Highland Hills, is owned by Cleveland. Historically, the course has been a preferred destination of many Black golfers. Committee Chair Kevin Bishop said that he supports the initiative but that he and other council members want more information. Council Member Mike Polensek said he would like to see the city consider a proposal from the Cleveland Metroparks to manage the course.
Insuring Browns Stadium: The committee advanced legislation allowing the city to pay about $510,000 annually for insurance for Cleveland Browns Stadium. The stadium is worth about $700 million, according to John Laird, assistant director of Public Works. City Council passed the legislation at its meeting that night.
Read the live-tweet thread from Documenter Giorgiana Lascu:
Curious about how council moves legislation? Check out our one-page guide to council’s legislative process.