Cuyahoga County design team keeps expansion capacity while officials press for on-site firing range and stakeholder input

Cuyahoga County officials and the project design team said core systems for a proposed detention facility are being sized to allow expansion to 2,400 rated beds, even as council members raised questions about whether the planned initial buildout should include an on-site firing range and more formal participation from the prosecutor’s office and the chief judge.

The capacity and operations details surfaced during a meeting of county officials and the design team, where council members also pressed for clearer plans on police integration, animal access for working dogs, potential bird-safe glass, and a public timeline for design decisions.

Council member (unnamed) noted the project’s expansion history and current sizing: "You'll recall that going back to the original steering committee recommendations, even when it was 1,600, it was expandable to 2,400. . . . We have always said to the design team, you have to accommodate possible expansion to 2,400 rated capacity." The speaker and other officials said the initial housing-unit build-out under the current plan is 1,904…