Jan. 8: Cleveland Board of Zoning Appeals
Covered by Documenters Tucker Handley (notes) and Marvetta Rutherford (live-tweets)
Parking woes
The owner and designer of a new development at 1555 E. 118th St. asked the Cleveland Board of Zoning Appeals to approve nine parking spaces for 19 units. After hearing opposition from residents, the board voted to postpone a decision to give the owners more time to work with City Council Member Kevin Conwell on community engagement for the proposal.
The architect, Kevin Oliver, said the owners anticipate renting to students at Case Western Reserve University and people who work in University Circle who won’t necessarily need the parking spots. He said he has done other projects in Little Italy and has found that about half the tenants don’t have cars. Tenants of the East 118th property will be given bus passes, according to Oliver.
The two neighbors present told the board they did not support the proposal because it would use too much street parking, which they said was already in short supply. They also argued that the developer was wrong to assume only students and people working in University Circle would be tenants, and that based on surrounding rental units, it appeared that students in the neighborhood have cars.
This article and headline were updated to reflect the correct address of the proposed development.
Affordable transit-oriented housing
Plans for affordable apartments next to the West Boulevard Cudell Rapid Station were approved. The new building will house 60 units. The board approved zoning variances that were necessary to fit the unusual shape of the site created by its location directly adjacent to the RTA station.
An unconventional replacement
Fairfax resident Zachary Lewis asked that the board allow him to replace his garage with a shipping container. He said the garage was damaged and too expensive to repair.
The board approved the request, asking only that Lewis move the shipping container farther back from the property line so that it wouldn’t negatively impact future development in the Fairfax neighborhood.
How do you define affordable housing? Signal Cleveland’s Olivera Perkins is digging into affordable housing coverage this year, and we want to hear from you.
Read more from Documenter Tucker Handley:
Read the live-tweet thread from Documenter Marvetta Rutherford:
Suggested Reading
Does Cleveland’s Board of Zoning Appeals enforce compliance with conditions it sets?
When granting property owners permission to differ from the zoning code, the board sometimes sets additional conditions. Enforcement is out of its hands.