Cleveland Planning Commission Report – Friday, March 3, 2006

Cleveland Planning Commission Report – Friday, March 3, 2006

Call to order – 9:12 AM

Roll Call –

Present:
Bob Brown
Tony Coyne
Joe Cimperman
Lillian Kuri
Gloria Jean Pinkney
David Bowen

Absent:
Larry Lumpkin
Rev. S. Small

Approved February 17th minutes

Zoning

Ordinance No 272-06: (approved)
Change the zoning on the southwest corner of Linnet Avenue and West 117th Street from General Retail Business District to a Multi-Family District.

City Planner, Michal Bosak and Councilwoman Dona Brady spoke on behalf of the project and the property owner directly affected spoke against it.
Brady:
This is a continuation of the Master Plan.
The rezoning has already been completed up to Governor.
There is a lack of parking for the business that are there now. Patrons are parking on the local side streets, blocking access to residents and the fire station in particular.
We think it would be a great place residential occupation. Especially with Halloran Park across the street.
The master plan is calling for West 117th Street to be all residential from Lorain Avenue to Bellaire Road.

Councilwoman Brady was expecting to introduce legislation for more zoning at the council meeting Monday, March 6. This will make land use more compatible with what is happening in the neighborhood. The proposed rezoning will run along the entire West 117th Street corridor from Lorain to Bellaire on both sides of the street. Of course, any properties that currently have business on them will be grandfathered in.

There was one person opposed to the rezoning. Mainly because he did not understand how this would impact his business. He owns a bar that is currently closed for renovations. As long as his bar reopens within at least six months, his business can remain.

Mandatory Referral

1. Ordinance No. 325-06: Authorizes the sale of Land Reutilization Program property located on Union Avenue to Kids Health 2020. APPROVED
(This is a Child and Family Welness Center. The Sommission stated that the title not be transferred until they see final drawings.)

(Photos courtesy of Alethea Ray, City of Cleveland)

2. Ordinance No. 164-06: Authorizes the sale of Land Reutilization Program property located on East 33rd Street and Cedar Avenue to Burton, Bell, Carr Development, Inc. (TABLED)

Summary Calendar (all approved)

1. Ordinance No. 1835-05: Authorizes the sale of Land Reutilization Program property located on East 49th Street to Scott Bibb.
2. Ordinance No. 193-06: Authorizes funding to rehabilitate parts of St. Clair Avenue between East 55th and 72nd Streets. {Interesting – this is in Councilman Cimperman’s ward and he was very surprised to hear about it… but happy nonetheless.}

Design Review

1. DRC 06-016: 10000 St. Clair, the Liberty at St. Clair, Multi-family Supportive Housing (withdrawn).
2. DRC 06-013: 750 Huron Road. AT&T Building. Skyline and Street Level Signs (withdrawn).
3. DRC 06-007: 811 Prospect Avenue, Fantasy One Night Club, Renovation and Signage.
The owners are asking for final approval for this property that used to be the site of the former Standard Theater. (approved)

From CinemaTreasures.org:

This downtown Cleveland theatre, which was sort of out of the way on Prospect Avenue, was mainly a venue for adult pornographic films, although it had shown mainstream films early in its life. The Standard closed in the mid-1980's. The theatre had shown black-oriented action films briefly in the early 1980's.

The building that exists there now has been empty ever since it was constructed in the mid 80’s The new nightclub/restaurant is expected to be open early during the week to feed business people and late night for club goers. (6:00 AM – 2:00 AM) There will be a video game arcade on the first floor and bar/nightclub on the second floor and mezzanine. The is to be decorative lighting on the outside that is to give the feeling of effervescence to those on the street.
Kuri suggested they test the lighting out first because the streetlights may drown out the special lighting, as is what happened with the lighting for Cleveland Public Art.

Fantasy One Night Club should be open by the middle of June.

Innerbelt Update:
James Haviland gave the Commission a briefing from the Community Meeting on Tuesday, February 21.

Some of the discussion from the update (everyone was talking and over-speaking each other, that I missed much of it)

Cimperman: Listening to ODOT was like watching FOX News – everything was like “TERROR AERT… TERROR ALERT”
Kuri: If the Economic Impact Study has 50% of the graphic detail as the accident graphics ODOT showed on the screen, we would have one heck of a report.
Cimperman: ODOT keeps telling us, “This is the most dangerous section of freeway in the state.” Of course what they do not say in the same sentence is that this one of he busiest sections of freeway in state as well.
Haviland: We found there are more severe accidents along the I480/I77 interchanges.
CSU is on board with ODOT, but we are not in concert.
Coyne: Doesn’t CSU gain more land in this deal?
EVERYONE: YES!!!
The conversation turned to the proposed ramp closure at Carnegie Avenue and how if the ramp is going to stay, the Juvenile Court House might have to go.
Cimperman: All of the sudden, ODOT has become the great defender of Historic Preservation
Coyne: The Courthouse is in the hands of the County Commissioners. If they put their foot down and make the judges move to the property in Fannie Lewis’s ward, the building could come down.
Haviland: Downtown Cleveland Alliance has now sent letters of concern to ODOT, Voinovich and many others. The Indians and the Cleveland Clinic are now seeing the problems that will occur with the eliminations of Carnegie and Prospect. They are beginning to make some noise.
We are hiring are own traffic engineer to do further studying.
Cimperman: I will go on record – If this plan is approved as currently stated, it will kill the city.
Coyne: We need to wrap this up for today, but let me add, we may be done with public input. We are going to have to lock some people in a room and not let them out until this is resolved.