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Council approves consultant engagement to refine city's form-based zoning code; members press for protections and mapping clarity
Summary
City planning staff won approval to solicit consultants to expand and refine Cleveland's form-based code pilot, while multiple council members pressed that the consultant work not map zones without further council review and asked for protections for single-family neighborhoods and anti-displacement measures.
City planning staff presented an ordinance to hire professional consultants to refine the city's form-based code pilot, expand code text, address conflicts with the fire code, evaluate district types (including industrial, transit-oriented, waterfront) and improve community engagement and permitting clarity.
Shannon Leonard, chief zoning administrator, explained the form-based code aims to focus on building form, scale and the public realm rather than purely separating uses, and described pilot-district lessons since 2019. Staff said the ordinance requests funds for consulting and planning only; any map or text amendments would still require planning commission review, a mandatory public hearing and separate council legislation.
Council members repeatedly asked whether mapping would be automatic and sought assurances that existing single-family mapped districts would remain protected. Members expressed concerns about gentrification and requested ward-specific map previews before voting on any future mapping. Staff said the consultant engagement will produce recommended text and mapping options and that council members will retain the legislative decision on any future code or map amendments.
After discussion and clarification the chair reported ordinance 1398 (form-based code consultant authorization) as approved as amended.
