Seven Hills council approves two emergency ordinances; development agreement moves to second reading

Seven Hills City Council on Feb. 25 passed two ordinances as emergency measures and held a second reading on a separate development agreement that will advance only if a partner board approves related tax-increment financing.

Ordinance 13-2025 authorizes the mayor to enter into an agreement with Osborne Engineering of Cleveland for engineering services on the Hickory Lane stormwater basin project. Council approved the ordinance, including the emergency clause, by roll call. Ordinance 14-2025 authorizes a community cost-share agreement with the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) to use the district's community cost-share account to assist the city with district-approved projects, including Hickory Lane acquisition and demolition; council passed that ordinance and its emergency clause by roll call as well.

Both measures were introduced and voted on with brief council motioning and no extended debate. The council recorded affirmative roll-call votes for each emergency passage. Ordinance 8-2025, the development agreement with LSB 7 Hills LLC, was read for a second time; no final vote was taken on that item during the meeting.

Mayor Villasciaga said the next milestone for the development agreement is a March 6 School Board meeting in which the board will vote on a TIF ordinance that would enable public improvements for the project. "With anticipated and hopeful passage from our partners, the next time we have a council meeting this will be on for third reading and if that passes we'd be in a place where we can start work on the project," the mayor said during the meeting.

During the public-comment period, resident Lucy McKernan asked whether an environmental impact study had been completed for the Rockside development tied to the agreements. McKernan asked, "Was there an EIS done?" Mayor Villasciaga replied that the matter would be taken under advisement and that staff would provide an answer with more time; McKernan noted the EIS document runs about 300 pages.

Council actions taken at the meeting were procedural and limited to adopting the two ordinances as emergencies, accepting minutes from the Feb. 11 meeting, and forwarding a recommendation to the planning commission on site-percentage guidance (the council moved to recommend a percentage of needs to 60% and include language limiting buildings to no more than one drive-through, to be considered by the planning commission at its March meeting). The second reading of Ordinance 8-2025 remains on the council's calendar pending external approvals.

Council members who voted in favor of the emergency passages and other roll-call motions were recorded on the meeting record as Elliot; Kelly; the member listed in the transcript as "Kiriace/Kyriase"; Martin; and Morrow. The meeting record shows no opposing or abstaining votes on the two emergency ordinances.

The council adjourned at approximately 6:46 p.m.