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Flats business owner says Metroparks project removed street parking, requests meeting with officials
Summary
Norman Plonsky, owner of Major Hooples in the Flats, told the council that the Irishtown Bend Metroparks project eliminated most nearby street parking, damaged and flooded his property, and urged council leaders to convene Metroparks and ODOT to restore parking.
At the Oct. 28 Cuyahoga County Council meeting, Major Hooples owner Norman Plonsky said a Metroparks project near Irishtown Bend removed hundreds of feet of public street parking and has harmed his business.
"Since the Metroparks started their project by me, they have damaged and flooded my property and have eliminated over 60% of the public street parking," Plonsky told council. He said Metroparks removed the first 25 street parking spots on the north side of Franklin Road to build a 50‑yard bike path and later reduced available parking on the south side by narrowing the street from about 60 feet to 22 feet.
Plonsky said he proposed using a vacant lot across from his business as a public parking lot and offered to help maintain it, but that Metroparks rejected the proposal. He described a planned configuration that, as he put it, would result in "three paths, a boardwalk and parallel facilities" within a short riverside stretch, and said the loss of parking has had a major financial impact on his 44‑year family business.
Plonsky asked the council president and his county representative to set a meeting with Metroparks, ODOT and other stakeholders to seek a solution so his business can remain viable. Council did not vote on the matter during public comment; he concluded by asking if there were any questions.
