Covered by Documenters Marvetta Rutherford and Tina Scott

What happened: The board approved plans for a group home in Glenville that will accommodate individuals with mental illnesses. Rita Davidson, who owns the property and Atir Catering and Event Planning, sought exceptions from the city’s zoning code. The space would provide three single rooms and one shared room. Residents would receive three meals per day, snacks, and other services. The group home is needed due to high rates of homelessness among people with mental illnesses, Davidson said.

Approval of youth drop-in center upheld: The Cleveland Board of Zoning Appeals denied a request from resident Ron O’Leary to “stay” — or temporarily suspend — its prior approval of zoning variances for a youth drop-in center in Ohio City. O’Leary, a former Housing Court judge who lives near the site, is appealing the board’s original decision in the Cuyahoga Court of Common Pleas. The center would support youth who are experiencing homelessness.

And also: The Famicos Foundation is set to build a single-family home on a vacant lot in Hough. The board approved the community development corporation’s request for a smaller rear yard than allowed by the zoning code. It also signed off on a zoning variance related to the distance of an attached garage to a side street. Maurice Ruelens of City Planning supported the variance requests, saying the proposed 13-foot rear yard leaves enough space to fight fires because the home will not have a second floor. Board Member Terri Hamilton-Brown encouraged developers to leave more space between neighboring homes on future projects to enhance families’ quality of life.

Read the live-tweet thread from Documenter Marvetta Rutherford:

Curious about youth homelessness in Cleveland? So was Documenter Sarah Tan, who asked about it after covering a discussion about supportive housing projects in a council committee meeting last November. Check out what we learned.