The Village of Brooklyn Heights Master Plan is a long-term guide for the future and is meant to direct the Village for the next five to ten years. It was unanimously adopted by the Brooklyn Heights Village Council on October 4, 2022.

cover of the Brooklyn Heights Master Plan
Brooklyn Heights Master Plan

Process

The Master Plan is the community's plan. As such, public input was collected throughout the planning process, including a public meeting. Additionally, Brooklyn Heights residents, business owners, community leaders, and other stakeholders were engaged to develop and refine the content of the Plan.

The Brooklyn Heights Master Plan contained a five-phase process:

current conditions iconThe Current Conditions phase involved data collection on demographics, land use, and transportation that was used as a baseline for understanding the community.

community vision iconThe Community Vision phase utilized input from residents, businesses, and community leaders to articulate a vision for how they want the Village to grow and change over the next decade.

goals and actions iconThe Recommendations phase outlined specific goals and action steps necessary to achieve the community's desired future.

implementation iconThe Implementation phase built upon the recommendation steps from the previous phase and outlined strategies, partners, responsibilities, and priorities for undertaking actions.

draft plan iconThe Master Plan is the final phase, that combined all the previous phases into a completed Master Plan document.

Public Engagement

Because of the COVID-19 health guidelines, typical large-scale public meetings were not possible. County Planning worked with the Village of Brooklyn Heights and other partners to engage the community and facilitate ongoing discussions.

Virtual Public Presentation (January 4–February 7, 2021)

Download the presentation

Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, community outreach was conducted via an online survey and virtual public presentation, which were made available to the public via the Village and County Planning websites from January 4—February 7, 2021. Notices about the survey, virtual presentation, and the opportunity for public input and comment were also made available via paper copies through a Villagewide mass mailing. There were 206 respondents (155 online, 51 paper) with approximately 506 written comments in total.

Plan Structure

The Village of Brooklyn Heights Master Plan included a Vision Statement with five Vision Objectives covering redevelopment, connectivity, environmental, regionalism, and housing. These objectives laid the foundation for all of the plan’s Goals and Strategies and support the broad Vision Statement and Objectives. These Goals and Strategies were grouped into two recommendations frameworks. The Villagewide recommendations outlined changes to village policy that would benefit the community as a whole and Focus Area recommendations for specific locations throughout Brooklyn Heights that are greater opportunities for new development.

Vision Statement and Objectives & Villagewide Recommendations

The Community Vision Statement and Objectives were comprised of a broad statement and five objectives that described what type of future the residents and community leaders want over the next decade. The Villagewide Goals and Strategies are grouped according to the five Vision Objectives. These goals and associated strategies are to be used to accomplish those goals and focus on Villagewide issues that are not necessarily based on a specific Focus Area, but these strategies could be applied in the Focus Areas as well.

The Vision Statement, five Objectives and Villagewide recommendations are described below:

The Village of Brooklyn Heights is a small Village, but a big community that will employ the following objectives to guide future development:

REDEVELOPMENT

Attract and Retain Strong Businesses Through a Welcoming Community.

Brooklyn Heights will be a community that aims to focus on the attraction and retention of high-quality jobs and businesses that support the economic vitality of the Village's existing commercial and industrial areas, and that will facilitate redevelopment in the Valley Belt and Spring Road industrial corridors.

  • Goal 1: Develop a business attraction program that targets those economic sectors in Brooklyn Heights that can create or sustain economic growth and job creation
  • Goal 2: Foster the retention and expansion of Brooklyn Heights' existing businesses through ongoing engagement and information sharing
  • Goal 3: Design attractive spaces to create a welcoming environment in and adjacent to industrial and commercial areas

CONNECTIVITY

Develop an Interconnected Network to Neighborhoods and Districts While Promoting and Providing Healthy Alternatives for Residents.

Brooklyn Heights will be a community that aims to improve the pedestrian and bicycle network by providing a strategic system of safe, all-purpose trails, sidewalks, and other facilities which emphasize local and regional connections while considering neighborhood impacts.

  • Goal 1: Improve bicycle and pedestrian access to neighborhoods and regional trails
  • Goal 2: Improve the safety of transportation systems for users of all ages and abilities through improvements and education
  • Goal 3: Add or enhance bicycle amenities to encourage active transportation
  • Goal 4: Improve the look and feel of major streets, especially Tuxedo Avenue and Schaaf Road

ENVIRONMENTAL

Preserve Environmentally Sensitive Areas.

Brooklyn Heights will be a community that prioritizes sustainable development that utilizes environmentally friendly design, green infrastructure, and development regulations to improve storm water management, develop sustainable landfill end uses, enhance park amenities and recreational facilities, expand recreational offerings, and elevate the environmental quality of the area.

  • Goal 1: Protect and maintain the existing park land, river corridors, and open spaces within Brooklyn Heights
  • Goal 2: Continue to increase tree canopy cover through tree preservation and plantings
  • Goal 3: Increase the Village's role as an advocate for public health
  • Goal 4: Improve the Village's existing park facilities, amenities, and access points
  • Goal 5: Encourage the use of renewable energy resources, such as solar and wind, especially on former landfills

REGIONAL COLLABORATION

Enhance Regional Collaborations and Partnerships.

Brooklyn Heights will be a community that continues to build on its strong regional partnerships and collaborations with nearby government entities and local organizations to provide superior services to residents, visitors, and businesses while promoting the region.

  • Goal 1: Promote a proactive relationship among surrounding communities and regional entities
  • Goal 2: Partner with the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority to increase transit accessibility in the Village
  • Goal 3: Improve online communications systems to better connect the Village to regional activities and resources

HOUSING

Maintain High Residential Standards that Accommodate a Broad and Diverse Range of Lifestyles and Stages of Life.

Brooklyn Heights will be a community of well-maintained neighborhoods that allow families to live and grow in the Village, while providing housing types that accommodate varied ages, income groups of different household sized, and person of all abilities.

  • Goal 1: Continue to maintain Brooklyn Heights' high-quality housing and neighborhoods
  • Goal 2: Enable homeowners to age in place by remaining in their homes safely and affordably
  • Goal 3: Support community engagement and neighborhood network opportunities

Focus Area Recommendations

In addition to the broad vision objectives, and recommendations, the plan includes recommendations for targeted areas. The four Focus Areas are commercial corridors, industrial areas, and parks specific to areas within Brooklyn Heights that had the greatest assets and opportunities for new development. The four Focus Areas are:

  1. Downtown Brooklyn Heights
  2. Van Epps – Spring Road Industrial Corridor
  3. Valley Belt Road – Cuyahoga River Corridor
  4. Eastern Gateway

As an example of Focus Area recommendations, the Downtown Brooklyn Heights Focus Area centered around Tuxedo Avenue and Granger Road and included the Village Municipal Center, Community Center, Service Department, and a global headquarters and local businesses.

Focus Areas Plan recommends focusing efforts on enlivening and branding the corridor as the heart of Brooklyn Heights.

The images below showcased how the Village could enliven the Downtown Brooklyn Heights area through phased transportation improvements, new economic development opportunities, and an enhanced gathering area that would bolster a fresh, vibrant community public space in the heart of Brooklyn Heights. The three scenarios are intended to build upon each other.

Scenario 1 outlined a short-term transportation improvement to elevate the non-motorists’ experience and make biking and walking to Downtown Brooklyn Heights destinations easier and safer. It also highlighted recommendations for upgrades and an expansion of public spaces along Tuxedo Avenue.
Scenario 2 outlined further improvements to the transportation system to establish safer, more permanent bicycle connections. Scenario 2 also outlined economic development strategies for creating new and expanding existing commercial and retail opportunities in Downtown Brooklyn Heights that builds on the community gathering space introduced in Scenario 1.
Scenario 3 expands on the strategies from Scenarios 1 and 2 to create a lively space that is visible, active, and supportive of prospective activities and community groups such as farmers markets, pop-ups shops, or other community-wide events. Downtown Brooklyn Heights could become a place that supports businesses, connects the community to local and regional amenities, and develops an atmosphere where residents take a respite from walking and biking, relax and enjoy a meal, or buy goods or services from a local merchant. This scenario also showcased how the Village could invest in green energy technologies through small scale solar techniques such as roof top solar on municipal buildings or partnering with businesses to expand roof top solar capacity for environmental and economic benefits.