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Committee approves contracts for green-space restoration and moves VAPAC to Fair Housing Center
Summary
Council committee approved an emergency professional-services contract with Western Reserve Land Conservancy to plan and restore vacant parcels and a separate contract moving VAPAC work to the Fair Housing Center; Western Reserve outlined past investments and neighborhood work.
The Finance, Diversity & Inclusion Committee on Nov. 17 approved emergency ordinances to engage Western Reserve Land Conservancy for signature green-space creation and to authorize a contract routing VAPAC (Vacant and Abandoned Property Action Council) work to the Fair Housing Center for Rights and Research.
Matt, a Western Reserve representative, told the committee his organization has leveraged more than $30,000,000 in green-space improvements and planted roughly 2,500 trees in formerly vacant land, including planning and policy work. "Over the last 5 years, we have leveraged your investment in our organization by bringing online $30,000,000 plus worth of green space improvements on land that was formerly vacant," he said. He described the proposed contract as a citywide professional-service arrangement to help council members with planning strategy, reforestation and vacant-land restoration and noted existing neighborhood projects such as the Thurgood Marshall Green, a $3,000,000 park set to open.
Council members pressed for clarity on funding sources and neighborhood reach. Western Reserve described partnerships with neighborhood centers and a tree steward training program; it also described a proposed MOU with Cleveland Metropolitan School District to assess and plant trees on school properties at no cost to the district. The chair announced ordinance 14-31-2025 had been approved.
On a separate but related agenda item, the committee approved ordinance 14-21-2025 to authorize an agreement with the Fair Housing Center to carry the Vacant and Abandoned Property Action Council (VAPAC) work. Matt explained VAPAC’s 20-year history, the role of more than 50 member organizations and the planned December 11 VAPAC anniversary event. The Fair Housing Center was described as the new host for VAPAC’s work, continuing coordination among community development corporations and city staff.
The committee did not record roll-call vote tallies in the transcript; the chair announced approvals and asked vendors to sign on.
