posted Aug 8, 2011 4:27 AM by Fran Mentch
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updated Aug 8, 2011 4:29 AM
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Update on Taylor Rd Rehab project. Plans are for Taylor Rd to be narrowed by 2 lanes in the section between Mayfield and Euclid Heights Blvd. But, plans are for the greenspace to be added on the commercial side--NOT on the side where people live. Neighbors want the greenspace and a bike lane to be added to their side, primarily for safety and quality of life issues.
The following Update is sent on behalf of Doug Whipple and other concerned residents:
Despite some setbacks, I am pleased that the City is working diligently to address this imminent train wreck. The meeting that had been scheduled for next Wed., Aug. 10, is officially postponed, but it will be rescheduled soon.
Contrary to the "opinion" expressed by Councilwoman Bonita Caplan, the meeting is not by invitation only; it will be open to the public. According to my information, the City might not be warmly receptive to suggestions about major issues such as green space allocation but they are open to public input nevertheless, on such issues as bike lanes for example.
The City is formulating the plan to eliminate the tons of unnatural accumulation of plowed snow on the westerly sidewalk that they will be prepared to discuss at the meeting. Essentially, all the lanes of snow will be plowed to the east instead of to the west. This should be of comfort to the residents on the west side of Taylor, but motorists travelling northbound during plowing activities presumably will encounter a convoy of southbound plows pushing a tsunami of snow and ice in their direction. :-0
The ODOT representive who has managed the project planning process for lo these many years is retiring. I understand that his replacement has not yet been announced. I have expressed my concern, as a Taylor Road resident, that I expect ODOT to have someone on this project who is competent and up to speed. We cannot afford to have this project proceed with inadequate management and supervision. With the construction set to begin on Aug. 22, that would seem to be a tall order.
In the June 25 Cleveland Heights Patch.com, Mayor Kelley was quoted as saying "I want it done right the first time." Let's hope that he was speaking on behalf of the whole Council, the City, the contractor and ODOT.
Regards, Doug
PS Doug's group is looking for engineers and other knowledgeable people to help evaluate and comment on the ODOT proposal. |
posted Aug 3, 2011 11:08 AM by Fran Mentch
Please mark your calendars!
The public hearing about the Taylor Rd rehab will be held next Wednesday, August 10, at 6 p.m. at the Cleveland Heights Community Center (Recreation Center) located at the corner of Mayfield and Monticello Rd.
This discussion includes consideration of narrowing Taylor Rd from 7 lanes to 5 lanes between Mayfield and Euclid Heights Blvd.
The plan currently calls for the greenspace to be added to the commercial side of the street, not the side where the houses are located.
Please attend and help us get the greenspace to move to the other side!
Greenspace added to the residential side of the street will make our community safer and more accessible to walkers, bikers, wheelchairs and strollers.
More details about the meeting to follow.
See you there! |
posted Jul 15, 2011 5:28 PM by Fran Mentch
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updated Jul 18, 2011 3:45 PM
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Council plans to narrow Taylor Rd between Mayfield and Euclid Heights Blvd, but they plan to add the greenspace to the Severance Town Center side, NOT on the side where the people live.
Please read this post and the accompanying documents by Doug Whipple and then write to City Council and attend the City Council meeting on Monday, July 18th at 7:30pm. See you there! Please contact Doug if you would like more information and/or want to help with this issue.
COUNCIL INVITES MORE COSTLY TAYLOR ROAD DELAYS
By Douglas Whipple
After a decade of City mismanagement, the rehabilitation of Taylor Road is in jeopardy of being stalled indefinitely by expensive litigation.
The project had called for narrowing of the seven-lane South Taylor Road and allocating some of that new space for wider tree lawns and pedestrian access on the residential west side of the road.1 But the City secretly altered the plan to add all the land to the already oversized setbacks on the commercial side to the east.2 The City intentionally rejected the public input it had received but never notified its citizens of this ill-conceived decision.
Concerned residents discovered and publicized the deception in March of this year.3 4 5 The City responded by promising to hold a public hearing, but no hearing has yet been scheduled. Meanwhile, Council hurriedly authorized the final contract in a Resolution6 that never appeared on its Agenda.7 When asked, the City Manager could not explain how this blatant irregularity could have happened.
Instead of addressing the issue, City officials have simply “circled the wagons.” By running roughshod over important legal procedures—not to mention the public concerns that have been voiced—Council is exposing the project to costly lawsuits. The solution is for the Council to return to the sensible, community-friendly Concept that the City and the public had endorsed originally, before the furtive modifications were made.
Now is the time for Council members who espouse pedestrian safety, sustainability and astute neighborhood designs to stand up and be counted. The same may be said for those who support municipal competence and transparency and are opposed to avoidable litigation. Council still has a few days left to correct the mistakes that the City has made but only if it addresses the situation promptly and proactively.
Interested persons should attend the Council meeting at 7:30 PM, Mon., July 18, or contact their preferred Council member at once. Doug Whipple may be reached at dpw53@sbcglobal.net. (Douglas Whipple is a sixteen-year resident of Cleveland Heights. He is solely responsible for any opinions expressed herein.)
IMAGES & PHOTOGRAPHS:
1. Concept C, approved at a public meeting in 2002.
2. City’s non-public modification of Concept C, allocating all the green space to the east side.
3. March 2011 Future Heights article, bringing the City’s secret modification to light.
4. Photograph of three lanes of snow plowed onto the sidewalks of South Taylor Road.
5. Photograph of a South Taylor sidewalk in winter.
6. Minutes of June 20, 2011 Council meeting, passing Resolution 78-2011(MS).
7. Agenda of June 20 Council meeting, on which Resolution 78-2011(MS) does not appear.
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posted Jun 27, 2011 8:50 AM by Fran Mentch
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updated Jun 29, 2011 7:56 AM
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Please join us for our annual meeting this Thursday, June 30th at 6:15-6:45pm.
Followed by OUR PROGRAM at 7p.m.
Program to be held at the Noble Road Presbyterian Church - Fellowship Hall - 2780 Noble Road, Cleveland Heights, located on the corner of Noble and Kirkwood.
You can park on the street or in the church parking lot, on the other side of Noble Rd.
West Creek succeeded in perserving land surrounding the 9-mile tributary of the Cuyahoga in the city of Parma. An open discussion with WCPC Executive Director,David Linchek, about what they did and how we can learn from them to help save and preserve Oakwood Golf Club.
West Creek has been so successful that they have gone on to establish the Greater Cleveland Urban Land Conservancy program.
Bring all your questions for Dave and join us for a lively and informative discussion.
See you there! |
posted Jun 26, 2011 6:32 AM by Fran Mentch
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updated Jun 26, 2011 7:07 AM
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 We asked Shakespeare if he thought First Interstate donating their 7 acre stormwater management system was a tax abatement.
He said “Yes!” and went on to explain why:
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.
Updated version: No matter what you call it…a tax abatement is a tax abatement!
I would check his math, though. He is much better at writing plays.
Check Shakespeare’s calculations below:
First Interstate says their 40 acre development will be valued at $45,000,000.00.
First Interstate’s stormwater management system takes up 7acres next to the 40 acre development.
These 7 acres will be donated to the city of South Euclid. So,no taxes will be paid on these 7 acres, even though they will be used every day as part of First Interstate’s development.
First Interstate will not pay taxes on its 7acre stormwater management system, so it WILL SAVE $312,637.50 IN TAXES PER YEAR.
Over the course of 10 years, THIS WILL SAVE FIRST INTERSTATE $3,126,375.50 IN TAXES.
What if First Interstate decided to put its 7 acre stormwater management system somewhere else on its property?
Oops! There’s no place else to put it.
See for yourself by looking at the site plan .
This chart was taken from document at this link at the City of South Euclid website. Document was provided by First Interstate.
Here is a plan for the 21 Acre Park that shows the 7 acres used for stormwater management from the proposed development.
PS. If you haven’t signed our petition yet, you can join 574 others and sign it by clicking here! |
posted Jun 21, 2011 12:18 PM by Fran Mentch
South Euclid Zoning and Planning Committee meeting was held last night and they voted to send the Oakwood rezoning proposal to South Euclid City Council.
South Euclid City Council will probably vote on the Oakwood rezoning at Monday's meeting, June 27th at 8pm in South Euclid City Hall.
The Oakwood proposal states:
"The development will be a model for low-impact, sustainable design, including stream preservation, native plantings, drip irrigation, LEED certified buildings and LED parking lot lighting, etc. as discussed in the Executive Summary."
Instead, based on the discussion that took place last night in the city council committee meeting, South Euclid city officials may settle for:
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The lowest level LEED certification--all new buildings must meet this specification.Shouldn't the buildings in a model sustainable design exceed the lowest LEED certification?
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Only 80,000 sq ft of permeable surface. To see what a small proportion this is compared to the entire site, please look at the two propose site designs. Here is site design #1 and site design #2.
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No right of first hire for South Euclid.
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No guaranteed living wage for the new jobs. A living wage is a minimum of $8.88/hr What is more important for sustainability than a living wage?
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The stormwater management system for the development is 1/3 of the donated greenspace. The developer will pay no taxes on this mandated land use.
- The 21 acre park will not have restrooms or a water fountain.
- What is the justification for not paying taxes on land used for legally mandated stormwater management?
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The design for Cedar Center is a more interesting sustainable design than the one proposed for Oakwood. City council knows what to ask for, why are they asking for less for Oakwood?
To read the complete application for rezoning, click herePlease ask yourself if it is worth ripping up the largest remaining greenspace in the inner ring suburbs for this proposed commercial development.
Please write or call (381-0400) the South Euclid city officials for one last time before they vote on the rezoning of Oakwood:
PS. If you haven't signed our petition yet, you can join 503 others and sign it by clicking here!
THANK YOU.
We do not oppose development. We want the right kind in the right place. Develop Cedar Center NOT Oakwood |
posted May 18, 2011 7:27 PM by Fran Mentch
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updated May 19, 2011 3:56 AM
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1. Download one of our signs. You can cut them in half and post them inside your car window, or on your front door or on the back of your raincoat! Please use them to help spread the word…You can download them by clicking here: Stop Big Box on Oakwood or Not A Done Deal
2. 25 ft buffer zone from Nine Mile Creek.The developer’s agreement only provides for a 25 ft buffer between construction and the banks of Nine Mile Creek.
Binxie the dog is positioned 25 ft from the banks of a section of Nine Mile Creek.
3. Deer.When we arrived on the scene for the photoshoot, there were 3 deer there, resting in a wooded area about the size of a median strip.
The wooded area is at the edge of a large parking lot.
The old Center Mayfield theater parking lot at the corner of Mayfield and Warrensville-Center Rd.
The deer got up when we approached and ran back into Oakwood.
Next Wednesday is the MUST ATTEND public hearing for the rezoning of Oakwood; 6pm in the South Euclid City Hall.
Oakwood needs your support!
Please arrive early so that you have time to park and sign the clipboard before the meeting starts.
Thank you!
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posted May 11, 2011 10:00 PM by Severance Neighborhood Organization
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updated May 12, 2011 6:52 AM by Fran Mentch
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The post "Would you want Big Box built 50 ft from your property line?" drew an angry response from First Interstate.
Actually, part of the plan only calls for a 25 ft. buffer!
Please read the attached document from the Cleveland Height Planning Director to get more details about the 25ft and 50ft proposed buffers. The two attached images illustrate dramatically what the spatial relationship will be between the buildings and the existing homes along Oakwood.
Click on images to enlarge.
Green box in the lower left represents a home.. 
All 3 documents were submitted by the Cleveland Heights Planning Director as part of the public hearing on March 10th.
No one, neither the developer nor any member of the South Euclid Planning Commission has offered to increase the buffer zone between the proposed buildings and the existing homes. Residents of both cities will be affected.
Our community is a means to an end for the developer and his global investment firm. They do not live here and do not care about the community.
If we let them...they will make a little bit of money for a few years and then move on, having destroyed the largest remaining greenspace in the inner ring suburbs.
Oppose the rezoning of Oakwood.
THIS IS OUR COMMUNITY.
Please mark your calendars for the South Euclid City Council Public Hearing on May 25th at 6pm in the South Euclid City Hall. See you there! |
posted May 9, 2011 12:17 PM by Fran Mentch
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updated May 9, 2011 12:27 PM
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1. Would you like to donate your front yard to your city?
You could get a tax deduction for it, and would never have to pay taxes on it, mow it, or pay to maintain it in any way.
The developer and his global investment group are selling 21 acres of Oakwood to South Euclid for $1.
That is 21 acres that they cannot use, and do not want to the city of South Euclid.
The developer and his global investment group will:
Get a tax write-off for the value of the donated land.
Never have to pay taxes on it again.
Never have to pay to maintain it.
And still be able to use 1/3 of the 21 acres for the stormwater management they are mandated to provide by law.
On the attached map, this retention basin is labeled a stormwater "wetland".
It will hold runoff from the 825,649 square feet of buildings and parking lot.
It will contain large amounts of road salt in the winter and petroleum residue from the cars and the asphalt parking lot in the warmer months.
Would you want to have this "wetland" on your property?
A truly sustainable development would have porous pavement and there would be no need for a retention basin.
2. Beautiful spring photos of Oakwood. Thanks to Jim Miller for the spring photos of Oakwood. We all have to continue to work hard and spread the word so that Oakwood will not be destroyed and be just as beautiful next spring.
For more great photos of Oakwood in spring and fall, taken by supporters Jim and Cindi, click here and here. |
posted May 1, 2011 9:25 PM by Fran Mentch
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updated May 1, 2011 9:53 PM by Fran Mentch
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The South Euclid Planning Commission approved a plan for a Big Box store to be built 50 feet from the Oakwood property line.
We took the attached pictures today, at the Severance Walmart, of Binxie and her owner standing at a 50 ft marker.
We carefully measured 50 ft from the back of the Big Box store and positioned Binxie and her owner on the 50 ft line.
That is how close the Big Box store will be built to the property lines of the homes along Oakwood.
The back of the building will have loading docks and the garbage dumpster area.
In these photos you only see the garbage dumpster area. Please note the door left ajar to the dumpster area, litter in the area around it and the rat poison container in one corner.
The homes will be so close to the proposed Big Box that they will see nothing but a solid concrete wall.
To read the Mitigation Analysis and the Developer's Agreement, go to this link.
Page 3 of the Developer's Agreement states that the sidewalks will be 5 ft wide, and includes detailed dimensions of the parking spaces.
Page 5 of the Developer's Agreement stipulates that drive-through stacking spaces will be 20 ft long and a minimum of 9 feet wide.
But they did not include in the Developer's Agreement an adequate buffer of at least 150ft from the houses that will see the back of the Big Box.
Don't the people of our community count more than parking spaces, sidewalks and drive-through stacking spaces?
OPPOSE THE REZONING OF OAKWOOD.
ATTEND THE SOUTH EUCLID CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC MEETING WEDNESDAY, MAY 25TH AT 6PM in South Euclid City Hall.
Please donate. Yesterday we received $160 toward costs of our next postcard mailing to South Euclid residents. We need $1331.24 more to cover the cost.
You can donate via PayPal here .
Or you can mail a check to Citizens for Oakwood; 1413 Lynn Park Dr; CH 44121
THANK YOU! |
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