Garfield Heights mayor backs $30 million application to fund Turning Road extension

Mayor Matthew Burke told the Drivehill Heights council on Aug. 11 that Lee Boyes of Boyes Excavating will apply, with city and county support, to the All Ohio Future Fund for about $30 million to complete the Turning Road extension to Rockside. Burke said the road is a roughly three-quarter-mile project that has faced “many roadblocks” over more than 15 years and that the application follows county economic-impact studies that showed benefits to Garfield Heights and surrounding areas. The mayor said he negotiated a right-of-way transition with Boyes and that the city and Cuyahoga County will back the application. “As soon as that application goes in, I will be working the phones with Lydia Mihalik trying to get that funding from the state of Ohio,” Burke said. He added that if the All Ohio Future Fund does not cover the project, other funding mechanisms will be pursued. Why it matters: Burke framed the Turning Road extension as the city’s largest near-term economic opportunity, saying it could attract retail and other development and estimating county investment in the neighborhood campus at about $1 billion over time. He repeatedly described the project as bigger than other items on the evening’s agenda and said the city is prepared to market the corridor to potential developers. Discussion vs. decision: Council heard Burke’s report; no final appropriation or binding contract was presented to council at the meeting. The mayor said the developer will file the state grant application and the city will support it. Council did not vote on the Turning Road project itself during the Aug. 11 meeting. Concerns and process notes: Burke said multiple studies were required for the grant application, and that state funding often requires additional advocacy. He noted the city’s prior zoning changes (Issue 14) and other marketing efforts intended to attract retailers. No timeline for the grant decision or construction milestones was provided at the meeting. Background: The mayor described a multi-year effort involving the city and private property owners that he said included negotiating right-of-way access and preparing an economic-impact study. He referenced the All Ohio Future Fund as the targeted state program and named Ohio Department of Development contacts he intends to work with. Ending: Burke said the project remains “not over” and emphasized continued outreach to state officials. No ordinance, appropriation, or intergovernmental agreement concerning the Turning Road extension was adopted during the meeting.