Oakwood Public Hearing in South Euclid Set for May 25

About 4,500 South Euclid residents recently received postcards in the mail urging them to attend an upcoming public hearing before City Council regarding the proposed .

The postcards were sent by Citizens for Oakwood, an arm of the Cleveland Heights-based nonprofit group, Severance Neighborhood Organization, asking residents to come and voice their opposition to the proposed mix of retail, residences and parkland.

SNO and its supporters have , even trying to raise funds to purchase the land and turn it all into a park.

“The future of the neighborhood is in your hands” is written on the front of the postcard, along with date and time of the meeting. A photo of the former Oakwood Country Club, where the development will go, contains a superimposed image of a bulldozer long with the question, “Is This What You Want?” featured in bold letters above.

“We want everyone’s voices heard,” said Fran Mentch, president of SNO.

All active registered voters in South Euclid received the postcards, along with about 100 homes in Cleveland Heights that border the Oakwood property, Mentch said.

Mentch said the organization received more than $1,500 from supporters to pay for both the postage and printing. Donations were solicited through the organization’s email list and website.

South Euclid City Council will host the public hearing before it votes on whether to rezone about 62 acres of land that falls within the city from residential to commercial. The land has to be rezoned before First Interstate Properties, which purchased the land last year, can build. The company also

The public hearing will be held in Council chambers at 6 p.m. May 25. 

Editor's Note: The postcards were actually mailed after this article was published.