Fire at Cedarly Meadowbrook project draws regional response; Lee Road businesses seek city support

A large fire at the Cedarly Meadowbrook project in Cleveland Heights over the weekend drew firefighters from more than a dozen neighboring departments and left local business owners asking the city for short‑term support.

Mayor Mary Sarin said Monday that Cleveland Heights’ fire department, public works, parks and recreation and police worked alongside “over 15” outside partner agencies to contain the blaze and prevent it from spreading to adjacent residential buildings. “I want to take a moment, again, to thank the fire service, both in the city of Cleveland Heights, specifically Chief Harry, Assistant Chief, Battalion Chief Keane, who was the incident commander on‑site,” Sarin said. She added the department used a police drone to help firefighters locate hot spots.

The mayor told council the Ohio Fire Marshal had joined the investigation and city officials hoped to complete it “as quickly as possible so that we can move on to clearing that slate through demolition and . . . begin the process of rebuilding.” The city administrator, Dan Horegen, said the ongoing investigation affects the city’s ability to specify a demolition or reopening date for the nearby Cedar‑Lee garage and other facilities tied to the site.

Local business owners said the burned structure and the resulting loss of parking have hurt commerce on Lee Road and in Coventry Village. “It's an important business district. It's considered like the downtown of Cleveland Heights, and it's important we keep them vibrant,” said Melody Joy Hart, a Coventry resident, urging council to consider temporary measures such as valet parking or direct financial assistance so businesses remain open while cleanup and repairs proceed.

Council members and residents also raised broader recovery needs: short‑term parking solutions, expedited demolition when legally permitted, and communication from the city about timelines for reopening affected lots and garages. City staff said some timelines remain tentative because of the active fire investigation and concurrent engineering reviews of damaged structures and adjacent parking garages.

Public works and parking projects already under way were discussed in separate staff remarks. Horegen said sound and lighting equipment for Caine Park is en route with an anticipated installation target in April–May to meet the Cleveland Institute of Art graduation, and that cameras purchased for public spaces have arrived but require pole engineering and telecom coordination before installation.

Council and residents said they want regular updates as the investigation and cleanup proceed. The mayor said she will forward new information to council as soon as it becomes available and urged residents to patronize affected businesses in the meantime.