Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Park Synagogue rezoning draws divided public comment; council delays vote after law department review
Summary
Public comment at the March 17 Cleveland Heights council meeting focused on the proposed rezoning of the Park Synagogue site at 3300 Mayfield Road. The ordinance (third reading) was not voted after the law department identified a flaw in the operative language for the S2 rezoning pathway.
Cleveland Heights City Council did not vote on an ordinance to rezone the Park Synagogue property at 3300 Mayfield Road on March 17, after the city law department identified a flaw in the operative language that affected the proper review path for an S2 rezoning.
The law department explained the defect just before public comment and said the operative language must be revised so the zoning matter will follow the correct review process for an S2 district. The council president announced the item would not be voted on that night.
The meeting’s public comment period was dominated by the Park Synagogue proposal. Supporters said adaptive reuse and denser housing would help the city’s economic viability and preserve the sanctuary. Architect and longtime resident Chuck Miller urged council to back the development proposal by Sustainable Community Associates, describing the Mendelsohn-designed synagogue as a candidate for preservation tied to compatible new housing. “Sustainable Community Associates is committed to creating and preserving these buildings as an arts and education center,” Miller said.
Opponents urged caution and more detail before a rezoning decision, citing density, parking and tree-loss concerns. Resident Sarah Curry, who lives adjacent to the site, said she and neighbors have not seen detailed renderings or elevations and expressed alarm at the scale of the proposed development. Curry relayed a developer-related estimate that, in her view, suggested as many as 400 apartments could be added behind neighbors’ yards and questioned parking calculations: “This means that the developer's proposed plans would require 695 parking spaces. The entire site currently only has 400 parking spaces as is,” she said. Curry asked the council to withhold action until formal plans and renderings are provided.
Other speakers urged preservation with careful development, including proposals for geothermal heating, tree plantings and an arts-and-education reuse for the sanctuary. Resident Paul Volpe and Chuck Miller both urged the council to ensure high design standards and to consider for-sale housing and senior-friendly units among housing types.
Council members and staff agreed the zoning language must be corrected so the planning commission and other review bodies follow the proper statutory path for an S2 rezoning. Council President Kuda and the law department said the revision is procedural and will be addressed before a future vote.
No formal action on Ordinance 245-2024 (rezoning to S2 mixed-use district) occurred on March 17; the item remains on third reading.
Ending: Council members said they expected a redrafted ordinance to return for future consideration after the law department corrects the operative language and the planning commission review path is confirmed.
