MINUTES OF THE CUYAHOGA COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

June 9, 2022

CALL TO ORDER
The meeting of the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission (County Planning) was called to order by Councilperson Simon at 2:03 p.m. and the roll call showed a quorum was present.

COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC
No requests for public comment.

MINUTES
On a motion by Mayor Bobst, seconded by Mayor Brennan, the minutes for the April 14, 2022, meeting were duly adopted by unanimous vote.

WELCOME NEW BOARD MEMBERS ALTERNATES
Councilperson Simon acknowledged the appointment of Director Joyce Pan Huang from the City of Cleveland as the Alternate Board member for the Cleveland Planning District. Director Cierebiej stated that Director Huang would not be able to join today’s meeting.

RESOLUTIONS

Resolution No. 220609-A
Requesting the approval of the Professional Planning Services Agreement with the City of North Olmsted to prepare a Zoning Map Update.

Mr. Dan Meaney briefly described the primary goals for the project and requested the approval of the Professional Planning Services Agreement with the City of North Olmsted to prepare a Zoning Map Update. The work scope includes converting North Olmsted’s CAD-generated zoning map into GIS format in which to post online and be interactive. The agreement is for a not-to-exceed amount of $7,000.00.

On a motion by Councilperson Simon, seconded by Mayor Orcutt, Resolution No. 220609-A requesting approval to authorize entering into an agreement of the Professional Planning Services Agreement with the City of North Olmsted to prepare a Zoning Map Update, was duly adopted by unanimous vote.

East Cleveland Parks & Greenspace Plan
Ms. Nichole Laird and Ms. Laura Mendez-Ortiz gave an update of the East Cleveland Parks and Greenspace Plan. The City of East Cleveland applied for and received a planning grant award in 2019 for professional planning services from County Planning to draft a parks and greenspace plan. The City of East Cleveland recognized that enhanced parks and green spaces have the potential to increase home values and become a catalyst for new development, thereby improving the quality of life and surrounding areas. The City of East Cleveland inventory showed the following results:  213 total acres of park land, 7 parks, 12.3 acres per 1,000 residents, 90% residents within ten minutes’ walk of a park, 2.4 miles of trails, and 99% streets with sidewalks. The plan included community engagement, visioning exercises, and recommendations that included strategies and action steps.  An implementation toolkit and potential funding resources were also included in the plan. The City of East Cleveland is reviewing the final draft for feedback and the plan should be submitted to City Council for approval this summer.

Brookpark Road Corridor Study
Ms. Susan Infeld reported on the five-phase process of the Brookpark Road Corridor Study that included current conditions, corridor vision, a business survey, recommendations, and an implementation plan. All the work done by the team resulted in a draft streetscape plan.

Lakefront Public Access Plan Update
Mr. James Sonnhalter outlined all the meetings and organizations that have participated in the Lakefront Public Access Plan in recent weeks and future dates. The Recommended Plan includes new public access to about half of Cuyahoga’s lakefront, an increase of 300% outside of downtown Cleveland, approximately 8.3 miles of new publicly accessible shoreline.  Lakewood’s Gold Coast has 3,800 linear feet (0.70 miles) of shoreline with public access among thirteen (13) properties within 40-60 feet of bluff top. An erosion mitigation plan for privately held properties was estimated at the cost at $4-$8 million in early 2022 when a schedule of site Investigations were completed in January 2022. The full Lakefront Public Access Plan is slated to be completed between the second and third quarter 2022. The preliminary Design & Engineering phase is scheduled between the third quarter of 2022 and the third quarter of 2023 before the construction phase starts with an estimated budget of $25-35 million.

The Euclid Beach Connector project entails 2/3 of a mile of rapidly eroding lakefront. Phase I East is 1,700 feet (0.32 miles) and Phase II West is 1,600 feet (0.30 miles). Design & Engineering should start between second quarter 2022 and second quarter of 2023. Construction is estimated to begin between second quarter of 2023 and third quarter of 2026 with a budget of $11 million.

Single-Family Zoning, Phase 2 Update
Mr. Patrick Hewitt gave a brief update on the Single-Family Zoning project which has been a partnership between County Planning and the Northeast Ohio First Suburbs Consortium. During Phase One, the goal was to identify issues within zoning regulations that make infill housing difficult to construct. Phase 2 takes the information learned from the previous phase and outlines best practices for improving zoning by updating codified ordinances and tracking infill housing. Phase 2 also includes a pilot program whereby two interested communities were selected to update their zoning code and participate in a code review for their single-family district. The pilot program was open to members of the first suburbs beginning in May 2022; six communities expressed interest and a random drawing will be held on June 14, 2022. There will be a participating cost of $2,500 each invoiced as revenue for County Planning under two separate contracts and County Planning will contribute $2,500 of in-kind assistance to each community.

Executive Director’s Report
Director Mary Cierebiej reported that the Senior Planner position will remain unfilled and be reposted in 2023; two Planner positions have been filled in 2022 instead. Paul Triolo, a current intern, accepted a position and another candidate accepted a full-time planner offer. Additionally, another one of the planner candidates has been offered a one-year internship.

The increase of employees provides more capacity as planning grants are slated to become available later in 2022. County Planning is developing a survey to solicit feedback from Planning Directors to identify the greatest needs for planning services.

Director Cierebiej continued to report that expenses and revenues for the first quarter of 2022 are on track with $28,000 received in revenues. County Council approved the full appropriation of $950 million for Program Year 3 of the Healthy Urban Tree Canopy grant program Year 2022 and the dollars will be moved out of County Planning’s operating budget into a separate budget. Director Cierebiej reported that there will be increased engagement and coordination with Mayors for the Greenways Plan.

Finally, Director Cierebiej explained County Planning is utilizing a new tool in 2022 for its annual employee performance reviews. There will be internal and external feedback component with a completion date of June 30, 2022. The merit raises have been budgeted in the biennial budget.

OLD BUSINESS
There was no old business.

NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business.

ADJOURNMENT
On a motion by Councilperson Simon, seconded by Mayor Bobst, the Planning Commission meeting was adjourned at 3:16 p.m.

Next tentative meeting is scheduled tentatively for July 14, 2022.

CUYAHOGA COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
MEETING ATTENDANCE
June 9, 2022