Evergreen Cooperative Laundry Buys Land Bank Lots

Neighborhood Childcare: A new childcare option is planned in Cudell. The Cleveland Board of Zoning Appeals gave Kimberly Glass the OK to offer the service from a home. The city zoning code lays out a few requirements for daycares in residential neighborhoods, including that they cannot be within 30 feet of neighboring buildings that are “not used for a similar purpose.” The board granted Glass a variance, or exception, to that and other zoning rules.

The service will:

“Cuyahoga County must first inspect the property before the childcare service opens”, Glass said.

Hillside Living: The board also approved zoning variances for a three-story, 21-unit apartment building in Tremont. The property, located at 1923 Willey Avenue, is near a hillside. Westleigh Harper, an architect on the project, told board members that developers aim to leave the hillside undisturbed.

Board Member Priscila Rocha asked about nearby railroad tracks. Harper said the tracks are no longer in use and that he heard there are plans to convert them into a walking trail.

Land Bank Lots: The board approved the transfer of 17 properties from the Cleveland Land Bank, most of them for $200 for people to expand their yards. Eight parcels in the Glenville neighborhood were sold for $51,500 to Evergreen Cooperative Laundry, a worker-owned commercial facility, to use for parking. Evergreen has operated in the neighborhood since 2009.

Another property was sold for $4,000 to a resident who plans to build a single-family home on Parkridge, near the Cleveland Metroparks Brookside Reservation.

Law Director Mark Griffin asked if the sale price for the lots sold to Evergreen was fair market value. Community Development Director Alyssa Hernandez said the city is using a new method to calculate the sale price for lots and “that is why you have seen us not give away lots anymore but to actually get fair market value when we are helping to support for-profit industry.”

Clean Cleveland Water: The Board of Control approved a $2.25 million contract for sodium hypochlorite, a chemical commonly called bleach. Cleveland Water uses it in large quantities to disinfect the city’s water supply. “Delivery of such a large amount of the chemical is heavily regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which makes it hard to find a qualified supplier for large quantities on short notice”, Public Utilities Director Martin Keane said.

I Can See Clearly Now: New cameras in City Hall’s Red Room mean Cleveland Documenters – and residents – have a clearer picture of what’s happening at the Board of Control, where city officials discuss and approve contracts large and small. Documenter Dan McLaughlin, who covered many fuzzy and slightly muffled meetings, lauded the clarity and the multiple camera angles.

Rising Waters: Cleveland Water customers can expect higher bills next year. Alex Margevicius, commissioner of the water division, reminded the committee that bills will increase by about 3.5%. The average monthly bill for Cleveland residents is estimated to be $25.58, up from the current average of $24.71. “The hike, approved by City Council more than two years ago, is the first in several years”, Margevicuis said.

Bubbling Up: Damage to water mains – the primary pipes carrying Cleveland’s drinking water – was also on officials’ minds. “Division workers fix 87.5% of water main breaks in eight days or less”, Margevicius said.

Council Member Jenny Spencer raised the issue of breaks happening shortly after the city resurfaces a street. She asked if the division could cooperate with the Mayor’s Office of Capital Projects to inspect and fix mains as street repairs are happening. The division sets aside $4 million each year to do exactly that, according to Margevicius.

‘Until the Second Coming:’ Council Member Michael Polensek asked how many water mains the city has recently repaired or replaced. Margevicius said well more than half.

Additionally, the city has shifted from a “fix” to a “replace” approach, which Margevicius said is more costly. It had focused on fixing in previous years due to urgent fire safety needs. With this new approach, the city will be “replacing water lines until the Second Coming,” Polensek said.

Apprentice-Powered: Cleveland Public Power partners with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), the line workers trade union, IBEW Local 39, and the city for its Intern to Apprentice Program. The program targets CMSD high school students to create pipelines to paid apprenticeships in electrical line work, cable splicing, electric meter installation, and low-tension line work. The internship program is one strategy for filling union positions at Cleveland Public Power. There are roughly 88 open positions, according to Martin Keane, the director of the Department of Utilities. Students can enter the internship program after graduating from a CMSD high school. The internship is full-time for one year and students make $16.50 per hour with benefits. Students can apply for the program as long as they graduated from a CMSD school within the last three years. Students who complete the internship program can transition into the four-year apprentice program. Apprentices make between $30-50 per hour full-time, with healthcare and retirement benefits. Earlier this year, Ta’Jahnae Buchanan became the first woman– and Black woman– to graduate from the line workers apprentice program.

Frogs Over Snakes: During a presentation from the city’s utilities department, Cleveland Council Member Polensek said he is concerned about where the deposits from utility companies are going. “There shouldn’t be a nickel… going to any institution that’s been redlining our neighborhoods,” said Polensek, who also said he will be paying attention to this during next year’s budget hearings. “We’re not going to fatten frogs for snakes… If we fatten people who are not helping our neighborhoods, then shame on us,” he said, quoting late Council Member Fannie Lewis. Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Utilities Catherine Troy said that the city’s Division of Treasury chooses the bank, not them. Currently, the money is deposited into Huntington Bank. She said that she did not know the details of Huntington Bank’s lending practices.

Carbnb: Starting Jan. 1, Cleveland will collect a 10% fee on the money made by companies offering peer-to-peer vehicle-sharing services at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The service, approved by City Council earlier this year, allows people to sign up to offer their vehicle for rent or to book one for use. The board approved the fee, and one official estimated the airport could collect as much as a few hundred thousand dollars in the first two years.

Land Swap: The Board of Control approved the transfer of a city-owned parking lot to Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) for a minimum of $460,000. “In exchange, the city will get a different parking lot owned by CPT to use for future development”, Director of Community Development Alyssa Hernandez said. Both parking lots are on Detroit Avenue on opposite sides of the street, which caused parking confusion. City Council approved the deal in September. The larger lot owned by CPT is worth $580,000, according to a recent appraisal. The city will pay the $120,000 difference.

Getting Mobile: The city tapped Toole Design Group, a planning firm that specializes in multimodal transportation, for a $199,998 contract to create a plan for the city to improve bike, transit, and other transportation options. The multimodal design aims to reduce the use of private cars on public streets in favor of other forms of transportation and public uses.