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South Euclid Residents Vote to Rezone Oakwood

Unofficial, final results in from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections

 

South Euclid residents voted to rezone the former Oakwood Country Club Tuesday night.

Unofficial, final results show that 4,272 voted for the rezoning, 3,451 voted against, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

First Interstate Properties of Lyndhurst, the developer that owns the 154-acre Oakwood land that is in both Cleveland Heights and South Euclid, is known for developing Legacy Village, Willoughby Commons, Steelyard Commons and Avon Commons, and plans to call the space "Oakwood Commons."

The land in South Euclid was zoned for residential development. First Interstate’s plans call for a mix of parkland and residential and commercial properties — 69 acres of green space, 63 acres of retail and 22 acres of high-end residential properties. The land must be rezoned in Cleveland Heights for the project to be completed.

South Euclid City Council unanimously granted rezoning its side of the land in June, but residents brought the issue to a referendum. After a back-and-forth battle between Citizens for Oakwood, which wants the property converted into a park, and First Interstate, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled 6-1 that South Euclid residents should vote on Issue 96 and determine whether the land is rezoned.

First Interstate purchased the Cleveland Heights side Oct. 18.

“I want to thank the voters for their support, voters who said they want a 21-acre park; voters who said they want new jobs for themselves, their children and for others who’ve searched in vain for work; voters who said let’s keep our tax dollars in South Euclid; voters who value reasonable and appropriate solutions that balance economic needs with environmental stewardship; and voters who chose win-win instead of win-lose,” said Mitchell Schneider, president of First Interstate Properties, in a press release.

Related Topics: Citizens for Oakwood, First Interstate Properties, Issue 96, Oakwood, Referendum, and South Euclid

Michael Kechisen

1:23 pm on Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Will Cleveland Heights residents have a say about the CH part of the rezoning?

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Carla

2:04 pm on Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Of course. Hope you will join our organized effort to obstruct the paving over of 90 acres of beautiful land and majestic trees in Cleveland Heights. Nine Mile Creek runs through Oakwood straight to Lake Erie. Now that golf course chemicals have not been applied for over two years, the land is quickly renewing itself and is more important to our precious watershed than ever.

Susan Miller

2:06 pm on Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Only if they get off the couch and participate in their government, work long hours, organize and insist on having their opinions heard. Otherwise the developer will roll right through CH just as he did in South Euclid. If you don't want your council to hit the easy button, be prepared for lots of meetings, plenty of research, letters to the editor and many public speaking engagements. What we just witnessed is referred to as representative democracy. It is largely also the sort practiced in Cleveland Heights. If this suburb is going to survive, no matter the issue, we'll have to switch to participatory democracy. It won't be easy. Your call CH. I'm in.

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