Residents, council members press for tighter smoke-shop zoning, hotline and enforcement

Residents and council members pressed city staff on April 7 for faster, stricter controls on the growth and concentration of smoke shops in walkable Cleveland neighborhoods, saying clusters of shops are undermining neighborhood investment.

The issue came during the Health, Human Services and Arts Committee meeting as members discussed zoning measures. Shannon Leonard of the Division of Planning and Zoning told the committee, “Through the chair, yes. DPS. We've got the 2 zoning pieces for smoke shops on the agenda for tomorrow morning, for DPS.” Director David Margolius said the city will centralize complaints through the existing 311 system and augment enforcement temporarily: “We'll use 311 to just keep it all in the same place so people so our residents don't have to memorize a new number,” he said.

The matter matters to neighborhood leaders because multiple speakers reported high local density of smoke shops in some areas. Commenters said they have counted clusters of four or five shops on short stretches of walkable streets and noted proximity to churches, organizations that serve children and schools — a pattern they said deters investment and new businesses.

City staff described next steps and resources. Leonard is scheduled to present updated zoning information at a DPS meeting the next morning at 9:30 a.m., and staff said they will temporarily add three to four members to enforcement duties. City officials also said they will attend neighborhood safety meetings across districts to explain rules and gather reports. The Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation indicated it is planning to contribute between $50,000 and $100,000 to support the work; staff said they will return with legislation to accept the funds if the donation is finalized.

Several council members encouraged direct community engagement. A council member invited staff to appear at an April 17 community meeting to answer residents' questions and collect tips. Residents urged the city to use zoning, window-marketing limits and licensing to prevent saturations that occur in high-density, pedestrian-friendly corridors.

Next steps set by the committee include the zoning items on the DPS agenda and a follow-up legislative timeline: if the city is notified of external funding, staff said it will take about two weeks to draft and introduce the related ordinance to the committee or council. Staff asked residents to continue using 311 for complaints and to bring specific locations to neighborhood meetings so inspectors can follow up.