Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development Noble Road topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cleveland Heights committee reviews ThinkPlace market study for Noble Road redevelopment
Summary
City council committee discussed a proposed market study by ThinkPlace to inform redevelopment of the Noble Road corridor, asked whether ARPA or other funds will pay for it, and heard that a community feedback timeline and an action matrix will be released.
Cleveland Heights City Council’s Committee of the Whole on June 16 discussed a proposed market assessment for the Noble Road corridor and a contract with ThinkPlace, a New York City planning/market consultant, intended to inform a multi-part corridor plan.
Committee members asked whether the study would be paid from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds and how the new market assessment would relate to previous plans for Noble Road. The council was told the city had done multiple prior studies but had not had a standalone market study in about eight to nine years.
The discussion focused on three practical questions: who was administering prior work on Noble Road, whether the same or new consultants are being retained, and how the market assessment will fit into the city’s Noble action matrix. “I think this is still ARPA fund money we’re talking about here,” a council member said during the discussion. Staff said they reached out to regional and national firms; ThinkPlace responded with a competitive scope and price and that local firms did not bid with the same scope of services.
Staff told the committee they expect to publish a Noble action matrix for community prioritization and feedback “this week,” asking residents to rank recommended items so the city can set priorities and produce an implementation timeline. Committee members asked for a clear timeline that showed study, recommendations and implementation steps.
No formal vote on the ThinkPlace contract was recorded in committee on June 16; the item was presented as first reading and remains pending further council action. Staff said community outreach materials and a timeline would be provided as the procurement advances.
The item was discussed as part of the legislative review portion of the committee meeting and will return to the council for further action if the administration moves forward with a contract award.
