History
of the Proposed Oakwood Commons Development
- Abbreviations:
- SE = South Euclid
- CH = Cleveland Heights
- FISE = developer
Mitchell Schneider (a.k.a. First Interstate Properties, Ltd.)
- CfO = Citizens for
Oakwood (community group opposed to retail development on the Oakwood
land)
- Key documents:
- FISE
press release (30-Dec-2010) announcing purchase of SE portion (62
acres) of Oakwood property and intention to purchase the CH portion (92
acres). FISE will develop 41 acres of SE land as “multi-tenant retail”
and donate 21 acres to SE for a park. FISE claims to have been “working
closely” with the SE administration and the press release contains a
lengthy quote by SE Mayor Welo supporting the development.
- SE Councilperson Jane
Goodman was quoted in the 11-Jan-11 Cleveland Plain Dealer: “We’re
sitting like a homeless guy with a tin can held up and somebody comes
and gives us enough money to live on for an entire year and says ‘You’ll
get this for the next 20 years.’ If we said ‘No thanks,’ I can’t imagine
that our residents would appreciate that. I don’t mind a knight on a
white horse.”
- Press release remains
on the SE website (as of 17-Jul-2011) despite a request by Fran Mentch
to either allow CfO “equal time” or to remove it.
- FISE
FAQ document:
- Multi-tenant retail
and restaurants.
- Paid $1.8M for 62
acres of SE property.
- Option to purchase 92
acres of CH land by 30-Apr-2011.
- Expect to begin
construction of retail by late summer of 2011.
- Expect park to be
available by fall of 2011.
- Compared to Steelyard Commons and Avon Commons.
- Oakwood Commons will
be a “model for sustainable design”.
- Includes preliminary
site plan.
- Oakwood Commons web site. In particular see
the “mailer” under “project details”. This mailer was sent by FISE to
(some) residents of SE and CH in February 2011.
- Application
for rezoning submitted by FISE to SE:
- 325,000 square feet of
multi-tenant retail.
- $45M investment, 400
full-time equivalent jobs, $12M payroll.
- $1.7M property taxes:
- $1.1M to CH/UH
schools.
- $250k to SE.
- $100k to libraries.
- $300k to Cuyahoga County.
- Conceptual designs 1
and 2.
Bird’s-eye-view sketches of possible Oakwood Commons layouts, including
park. SE land only.
- Proposed
design for 21-acre park is a map showing access, parking, trails, and
configuration of “storm water wetlands” detention basin.
- Rezoning
ordinance 05-11. Change zoning of Oakwood land from R-75
“single-family residential” to C-2 “general commercial district”.
- Traffic
impact study.
- As of 17-Jul-2011, the
traffic impact study has not taken into account the imminent
reconstruction of SE’s Cedar Center North shopping center, even though it
is located less than one mile from the proposed Oakwood Commons.
- Mitigation
analysis by SE Planning Commission. Actually, there are several
versions (mitigation
analysis 2, mitigation
analysis 3).
- SE Comprehensive Plan:
- The Comprehensive Plan
approved by SE City Council in 2000
states (page 33): “It is important to note that this policy reflects
the position that this site [Oakwood] should not be developed for retail
uses.”
- Updates to the 2000 Comprehensive
Plan were recommended by the Planning Commission in 2005
and 2010,
but were not approved by City Council. Neither of these updates altered
the statements about Oakwood from the 2000 Comprehensive Plan.
- Another update to the
Comprehensive Plan was recommended by the Planning Commission on 14-Apr-2011.
Among other changes, this update encourages commercial development of
the Oakwood land. A City Council public hearing regarding this update
was held 18-May-2011 and it was approved unanimously by City Council on
13-Jun-2011.
- The McKenna
report attempts to show that rezoning is consistent with the “spirit”
of the Comprehensive Plan despite the fact that retail development of
Oakwood is expressly forbidden. The report suggests updating the
Comprehensive Plan to make it consistent with retail development of
Oakwood. The report was written by John Cieszkowski (consultant from
McKenna Associates).
- Economic
impact analysis by Rick Seifritz of Team NEO for the Greater
Cleveland Partnership. Based on FISE estimate of number of square feet of
retail and using Westgate Shopping Center as a model of the mix of
various types of retail, this report uses tabulated factors from the
Urban Land Institute to estimate numbers of jobs, wages, income tax
revenues, and Gross Regional Product. Concludes that Oakwood Commons will
generate $470k ($524K with a grocery) of annual SE city income tax.
Analysis does not consider any costs, such as increased policing or
traffic maintenance, nor does it consider competitive effects on existing
businesses.
- Comment on the
Seifritz report by Dr. Mark Salling of Cleveland State University: “I skimmed it and talked to the author. The study just says that given some
national rates, retail of the kind listed in the report generates a
certain amount of revenue and thus taxes. It does not consider
competition, displacement of other retail, market size, or anything that
would tell you the development is viable or otherwise a good thing. You
could put that retail space at the North Pole and the report would say
the same thing.”
- Retail
“gap” analysis. Mr. Schneider’s response to claims that there is
already too much retail in the vicinity of Oakwood Commons.
- Development
agreement between SE and FISE. Contract governing the 41 acres of
commercial development by FISE.
- Donation
agreement between SE and FISE. Contract governing the donation to SE
by FISE of 21 acres of land for a park.
- Public
benefit agreement between SE and FISE. Contract governing FISE’s
responsibilities for the 21-acre park.
- SE City Council
meetings:
- 10-Jan-2011
- First reading of ordinance
01-11 to rezone Oakwood property from R-75 “Single-Family Residential”
to C-3 “Special Commercial District”.
- 14-Feb-2011
- First reading of ordinance
05-11 amending ordinance 01-11. Change rezoning from C-3 “Special
Commercial District” to C-2 “General Commercial District”, and declare
an emergency.
- Fran Mentch (and
others of CfO) questioned the reason for the rezoning change and the
emergency declaration, but were told nothing of substance.
- 28-Feb-2011
- Fran Mentch addressed
council suggesting that rezoning of Oakwood is not consistent with the
2000 Comprehensive Plan.
- 25-Apr-2011
- Second reading of ordinance
05-11.
- Meeting minutes not
available as of 17-Jul-2011.
- 09-May-2011
- 18-May-2011
- Public hearing
regarding Comprehensive Plan update recommendations from the Planning
Commission. No transcript available.
- Meeting minutes not
available as of 17-Jul-2011.
- 23-May-2011
- Second readings of the
following resolutions: 18-11; 20-11; 21-11; 22-11; and 23-11.
- Meeting minutes not
available as of 17-Jul-2011.
- 25-May-2011
- Public hearing
regarding rezoning recommendations from the Planning Commission. CfO
commissioned court reporter to provide transcript.
CfO also compiled a summary
of the transcript.
- Richard Wong (CH
Director of Planning and Development) submitted a letter.
- Richard Sones (CH
resident) submitted a letter.
- Meeting minutes not
available as of 17-Jul-2011.
- 13-Jun-2011
- Third reading of
resolution 18-11 (update to Comprehensive Plan); unanimously approved by
City Council.
- Meeting minutes not
available as of 17-Jul-2011.
- 27-Jun-2011
- Third reading of
ordinance 05-11 (rezoning). Third readings of the following resolutions:
20-11; 21-11; 22-11; and 23-11. All unanimously approved by City
Council.
- Meeting minutes not
available as of 17-Jul-2011.
- SE Planning
Commission meetings:
- 13-Jan-2011
- Materials distributed
to Planning Commission members related to rezoning application.
- 10-Feb-2011
- Discussion of rezoning
application.
- Richard Wong (CH
Director of Planning and Development) submitted a letter (not available)
requesting 150-foot setbacks.
- Mitchell Schneider
present.
- 17-Feb-2011
- Mitchell Schneider
made presentation on proposed Oakwood Commons project.
- Discussion of traffic
impact study of Oakwood Commons.
- 24-Feb-2011
- Discussion of donated
parkland.
- Mitchell Schneider
present.
- 03-Mar-2011
- Discussion of gas
wells and McKenna report.
- John Cieszkowski
(consultant from McKenna Associates and author of McKenna report)
suggests revising Comprehensive Plan to make it consistent with Oakwood
rezoning.
- Mitchell Schneider
present.
- 10-Mar-2011
- Public hearing on
Oakwood rezoning. No transcript available. Minutes include only the
names and addresses of people who signed in at the start of the meeting
intending to speak.
- Richard Wong (CH
Director of Planning and Development) submitted a letter
and graphics (rendering 1
and 2).
- Mitchell Schneider
present.
- 17-Mar-2011
- Discussion of “minor lot
split” application, concerning separation of the part of the SE land
which is to be donated as a park (to remain residentially zoned) from
the commercial portion.
- Discussion of
mitigation analysis (particularly traffic) and update to Comprehensive
Plan.
- The update to the
Comprehensive Plan appears to be tightly coupled to the rezoning
request.
- Mitchell Schneider said
that he has “exercised” his option on the CH land, but has not yet
completed the purchase. (As of 17-Jul-2011 the title of the land still
has not transferred.)
- 24-Mar-2011
- Discussion and
unanimous approval of “minor lot split” application.
- Discussion of update
of Comprehensive Plan and mitigation analysis.
- The document “starting
point for discussion regarding the Oakwood development” mentioned in the
minutes is not available.
- Tracie Zamiska (member
of the Planning Commission) volunteers to assist Mr. Cieszkowski with
updating of the Comprehensive Plan.
- Art Goddard (Planning
Commission Chairman) said he had done some “legal research” and
dismissed accusations of spot zoning as groundless. These comments were
apparently in response to an open letter
by Richard Sones sent to the Planning Commission shortly before
24-Mar-2011.
- Mitchell Schneider
present.
- 07-Apr-2011
- Discussion of
Development Agreement, retail “gap” analysis, and update of
Comprehensive Plan.
- Mitchell Schneider
present.
- 14-Apr-2011
- Tracie Zamiska makes
statement (see Internet video)
denying that the Planning Commission is engaged in spot zoning,
describing the process as “spot planning”.
- Unanimous approval of Development
Agreement, rezoning application, and update to the Comprehensive Plan.
- Mitchell Schneider
present.
- Meeting minutes not
available as of 17-Jul-2011.
- CfO
- CfO web presence: Citizens for Oakwood.
- First
postcard mailing to SE residents:
- Sent to every SE
address (4456 total) with one or more voters who voted in the November
2010 election.
- Goal: Raise awareness
of Oakwood Commons project in SE and encourage participation in CfO.
- Second
postcard mailing to SE and CH residents:
- Sent to every SE
address (4456 total) with one or more voters who voted in the November
2010 election.
- Sent to every CH
address (675 total) in the region bounded by Cedar, Taylor, Mayfield and
Warrensville roads with one or more voters who voted in the November
2010 election.
- Goal: Encourage a
large turnout for the SE City Council public hearing (25-May-2011) on
rezoning.
- Referendum petitions:
- Petitions containing
about 550 signatures of SE registered voters were submitted to Keith
Benjamin (SE Clerk of Council) on 11-Jul-2011.
- Summary of expenses
incurred in circulating and photocopying petitions was filed with Keith
Benjamin a few days after 11-Jul-2011.
- SE Ward meetings:
- SE held a series of
Ward meetings and allowed the developer to make presentations at them
and answer questions. CfO representatives were either not allowed to
attend, or not allowed to speak.
- Citizens
for Oakwood Coalition form.
- Will there be a Walmart Supercenter at Oakwood Commons?
- Mitchell Schneider,
when asked directly in an open
letter, does not deny it.
- Several of Mitchell
Schneider’s developments
contain stores owned by Walmart.
- There are other
reasons to suspect Walmart would consider locating at Oakwood
Commons.
- Media
- Newspapers (print
edition):
- Plain Dealer:
- Sun (edition unknown):
- Sun Messenger:
- Sun News:
- Sun Press:
