Cuyahoga County Planning Commission Weblog

Election recap

This month's election included the following issues (PDF):

• Brecksville
  Issue 26 (institutional rezoning): passed
• Broadview Heights
  Issue 29 (prohibit oil and gas drilling): passed

  Activists celebrated its passage, while City officials said it wouldn't stop drilling and could lead to lawsuits against the city.

• Fairview Park
  Issue 52 (church rezoning): passed
• Garfield Heights
  Issue 55 (commercial rezoning): passed
• Highland Heights
  Issue 57 (parking lot rezoning): passed
  Issue 58 (retail rezoning): failed

  City officials and the developer are considering next steps.

• Moreland Hills
  Issue 68 (retail rezoning): passed
• North Royalton
  Issue 73 (planning commission referrals): passed
• Pepper Pike
  Issue 82 (procedures for zoning code revisions): passed
• Solon
  Issue 87 (zoning charter amendment): passed
  Issues 89 & 90 (zoning code changes): passed
• Strongsville
  Issue 97 (senior housing rezoning): passed
• Westlake
  Issue 102 (mixed-use rezoning): passed
• Cuyahoga County
  Issue 108 (Port Authority levy): failed

  Port Authority leaders said they need some time to review their options, and a Plain Dealer editorial said that they "must do a far better job convincing voters it's a good investment."

In Summit County, Green residents voted to ban casino gambling and horse racing.

Visit the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections for complete results.

E-books distributor OverDrive last week broke ground on its new $10 million headquarters building in Garfield Heights. The company expects to complete construction of the 95,000-square-foot building in September.

The City of Garfield Heights announced on Friday that it will extend Transportation Boulevard south to Rockside Road.

Giant Eagle exercised a right in its lease and vetoed the plans to reopen the former Wal-Mart store at City View Center as the Cuyahoga Convention Center.

The former Wal-Mart store at City View Center in Garfield Heights will reopen next month as the Cuyahoga Convention Center. The struggling shopping center lost another tenant last week, when its Dick's Sporting Goods store closed. A similar convention facility will open in Euclid later this month.

The Ohio EPA is offering financial assistance for the design and construction of methane extraction systems at City View Center in Garfield Heights.

The Ohio EPA filed contempt of court charges (PDF) against developer John McGill for failing to make environmental improvements at City View Center in Garfield Heights. McGill Property Group officials say that the company lacks the money to install the systems at the shopping center. John McGill recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Florida.

The Ohio EPA approved a methane extraction plan for the City View Center site in Garfield Heights. The property's court-appointed receiver is optimistic about the shopping center's future.

City View Center in Garfield Heights landed in receivership after owner City View Center LLC defaulted on its loan. The investor group purchased the troubled shopping center from the McGill Property Group in 2006 for a reported $100 million.

Update: the Plain Dealer described the situation as going "from fairy-tale development to nightmare".

Mayor Longo of Garfield Heights said that a new developer is partnering with Snider-Cannata Interests on the troubled Bridgeview Crossing shopping center, but did not name the developer.

The Ohio EPA will monitor construction at the closed Matousek landfill in Garfield Heights. Developers have proposed building a second phase of the City View Center retail development, as well as a quarter-mile extension of Transportation Boulevard to Rockside Road.

Developers in Garfield Heights are seeking permission to extend Transportation Boulevard south to Rockside Road. The proposal requires Ohio EPA approval because part of the route runs through a closed landfill.

Contractors that have worked on the Bridgeview Crossing shopping center in Garfield Heights filed about $9.5 million in liens against the property this month.

Valley View officials say that their concerns about City View Center have been addressed by the recent settlement between shopping center owners and the Ohio EPA.

With the Ohio EPA lawsuit resolved, McGill Property Group hopes to proceed with a second phase of construction at City View shopping center in Garfield Heights. Developers of the nearby Bridgeview Crossing shopping center may ask City Council to approve modified plans for its development.

The Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District dropped its plans to build a recycling center at the General Chemical site in Garfield Heights and Cuyahoga Heights, because environmental remediation costs grew beyond initial expectations.

The Bridgeview Crossing shopping center under construction in Garfield Heights continues to experience financial setbacks. In addition to the previously reported issues with the Lowe's store, Target has not closed on the purchase of 8.5 acres for its store. Port Authority bonds for the development are on hold.

The City of Cleveland sued Standex International, the former owner of the Trinity property on Detroit Road, and is seeking more than $1.5 million in compensation for the environmental cleanup of the site. Meanwhile, the Ohio EPA reached a settlement with the owners of City View Center in Garfield Heights. The developers agreed to make major infrastructure improvements (PDF) and pay a $1.2 million fine.

The Ohio EPA is close to reaching a settlement with developers and the City of Garfield Heights in the City View Center lawsuit. A trial was scheduled to begin on December 8, but was pushed back to December 15.

Lowe's "has backed away from closing" on its store at Bridgeview Crossing, creating another delay for the shopping center under development in Garfield Heights. The Plain Dealer reports that it's unclear if Lowe's has pulled out of the project entirely.

Citing safety concerns, Wal-Mart indefinitely closed its store at City View Center this morning. A company spokesperson said that the list of problems includes "structural shifts, foundation issues, electrical issues, methane gas level issues, sewage backup," and that Wal-Mart does not intend to reopen the store.

Update: the Plain Dealer and WTAM have more details.

Mayor Longo of Garfield Heights is confident that the Ohio EPA's lawsuit against City View Center will be resolved soon.

The Ohio EPA remains unsatisfied with the efforts to monitor and vent methane gas at City View Center, and has threatened to shut down the shopping center in Garfield Heights if the issues are not resolved.

The City of Garfield Heights will seek additional state funding for road improvements near the Bridgeview Crossing shopping center.

The Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District may build a recycling center on the 55 acre former General Chemical site in Garfield Heights and Cuyahoga Heights. A portion of the brownfield site would become a park which would include the planned Mill Creek trail.

Valley View officials are confident that stormwater controls at the Bridgeview Crossing shopping center under construction in neighboring Garfield Heights will prevent additional flooding in Valley View.

Paperwork problems have caused another delay for the Bridgeview Crossing project in Garfield Heights.

The developer of Bridgeview Crossing said that its pace of construction will increase soon. Work on the shopping center in Garfield Heights is behind schedule. Major tenants in the development are expected to include Aldi, Lowe's, JC Penney, and Target.

At the request of the Ohio EPA, the Ohio Attorney General's Office filed a 25-count complaint against the owners and operators of City View Center in Garfield Heights. The lawsuit alleges (PDF) that departures from approved plans resulted in insufficient controls for erosion, leachate management, and methane collection.

Update: the Garfield-Maple Sun supplies more details.

On Friday, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority voted to issue $40 million in tax-exempt bonds for the Bridgeview Crossing shopping center in Garfield Heights. Some hope that the new center will create a regional draw when it is added to nearby retail development. Critics of the decision say that the Port Authority should not be subsidizing retail developments.

The City of Garfield Heights may withdraw from the Senior Transportation Connection of Cuyahoga County because of cost concerns.

The Garfield Heights company that was fighting its eviction reached a settlement with the City.

A business on Transportation Boulevard is contesting an eviction notice filed by the City of Garfield Heights. Last month, the City took ownership of the building that houses the company.

The City of Garfield Heights is attempting to evict tenants from buildings it is acquiring via eminent domain. The City intends to take 56 parcels for roads leading to the under construction Bridgeview Crossing shopping center.

The Ohio EPA has cited the owners of City View Center for at least 20 environmental violations, including a buildup of methane gas and seepage of polluted water into storm and sanitary sewers. The shopping center in Garfield Heights was the first major commercial development in the state to be built atop a closed landfill.

Garfield Heights City Council approved the use of eminent domain for 20 parcels needed for the Bridgeview Crossing shopping center.

Six new single family houses for seniors are under construction at the Jennings Center for Older Adults in Garfield Heights. In Maple Heights, a developer has expressed interest in building apartments for seniors on a three acre site near St. Andrew Eastern Orthodox Church.

Construction of the Bridgeview Crossing shopping center in Garfield Heights is behind schedule. It was originally scheduled to open in November 2008, but the first stores are not expected to open until March 2009.

Garfield Heights City Council unanimously approved easements at Bridgeview Crossing for sewer and water lines and for signage.

Plans for Hathaway Park in Garfield Heights will affect up to 0.21 acres of wetlands and 3,285 feet of stream. The Ohio EPA will hold a public meeting about the potential impacts on November 15 at the Garfield Heights Civic Center.

The Garfield Heights Board of Education approved an amended compensation agreement for payments in lieu of taxes in the Bridgeview Crossing TIF package. A $3 million dollar payment originally scheduled for June was shifted to December 31.

Target plans to build a 145,000 square foot store at the Bridgeview Crossing shopping center under construction in Garfield Heights. It is tentatively scheduled to open in October 2008.

The City of Garfield Heights will issue $3.5 million in bonds to fund the conversion of the former Wargo Farm into Hathaway Park (PDF).

A Garfield Heights Municipal Court judge ordered Sandy Krulak and Jeff Simler of Ameri-Con Homes to plant grass, install fencing around two unfinished foundations, and form a homeowners association at their unfinished Valley Ranch subdivision by June 30.

Developers of Bridgeview Crossing have obtained some, but not all, of the stormwater permits needed to resume construction of the shopping center.

Builder Ameri-Con Homes will not complete construction or cleanup of the Valley Ranch subdivision in Garfield Heights because they are out of money. A bank is taking over the development.

An owner of Ameri-Con Homes agreed to remove construction debris and erect a fence around unfinished foundations at the Valley Ranch subdivision in Garfield Heights. A formal sentencing in the case is scheduled for May 15.

Although demolition work continues, construction of the Bridgeview Crossing shopping center in Garfield Heights remains halted while a stormwater management plan is reviewed. Developer Snider-Cannata Interests submitted a plan on April 6.

Early last week, the City of Garfield Heights shut down construction of the Bridgeview Crossing shopping center because the builders had no plan for stormwater management at the construction site. Developer Snider-Cannata plans to submit plans soon.

The Stark House, one of Garfield Heights' oldest homes, was razed to accommodate construction of the Bridgeview Crossing shopping center at Granger Road and Transportation Boulevard. The owner of the 1864 house sold it to developers for $150,000 in January.

The principals of Ameri-Con homes appeared in court last week and entered pleas of not guilty in the lawsuit brought against them by the City of Garfield Heights for failing to remove debris and complete common areas in their Valley Ranch subdivision. The case is scheduled to resume on April 10.

The City of Garfield Heights' lawsuit against Ameri-Con Homes went to trial earlier this week. Company officials failed to appear at an pretrial hearing last month.

The 13 Garfield Heights landowners who are involved in eminent domain cases appear to be challenging the buyout figures offered by the developer, not the City's eminent domain power. The properties are on the site of the planned Bridgeview Crossing (PDFs) shopping center, and much of the neighborhood has already been demolished.

Some residents of the area slated for redevelopment as the Bridgeview Crossing shopping center in Garfield Heights feel that developer Snider-Cannata Interests has not treated them fairly. Eminent domain cases are scheduled to be heard next Wednesday.

The City of Garfield Heights is suing homebuilder Ameri-Con Homes because the company has been slow to clean up debris and finish common areas in its Valley Ranch subdivision near Turney Road.

Toxic waste runoff from the closed Boyas landfill in Garfield Heights, now the site of the recently sold City View Center, may be the source of cancer among residents in a downstream Valley View neighborhood.