South Euclid Residents Show Huge Turnout at Oakwood Public Hearing

Fifty-three South Euclid residents made their voices heard before City Council Wednesday night at a of land at the site of the shuttered Oakwood Country Club.

It was a far cry from the, when Cleveland Heights residents came out in droves and dominated the conversation. Only 19 Cleveland Heights residents spoke Wednesday night.

Although the numbers increased, the result was similar to the last hearing — the majority of South Euclid residents who spoke, an estimated 26, were against rezoning the land from residential to commercial so that a retail center called Oakwood Commons can be built there. Nineteen came out in favor, while the rest simply asked questions or did not choose sides. All Cleveland Heights residents spoke out against.

Those who spoke comprised nearly half of the 150 or so who crammed into Council Chambers. Dozens more stood out in the hall or listened from a smaller, adjacent room where audio from the hearing was patched in.

Those in favor of the proposal said they appreciated that for 41 acres of country club land that falls within South Euclid, both because it would give residents a place to shop and provide much-needed tax revenue for the city.

“The city of South Euclid has never allowed, nor have they had, a good tax base other than residential,” said James Maruna, a retired South Euclid firefighter. “Our taxes are one of the highest residential in the area and I think First Interstate has a track records that is very enviable.”

The development could bring in as much as $469,000 in tax revenue per year to South Euclid, according to the website First Interstate created for the development. That figure comes from a study done at the developer’s request by Team NEO on the economic impact of 325,000 square feet of retail, according to the site.

Avi Goldman, a South Euclid resident since 1979, said he has watched with dismay these last four years as for sale signs kept cropping up on the lawns of homes throughout the city. He said the way to attract people back is with jobs, 400 of which First Interstate has said will be created in South Euclid with the development, not those related to the construction.

“Streets without traffic is a dying community,” he said. “We need traffic in South Euclid, and I bless the developer for buying the area there. We have a city that needs support financially. If we want to maintain the integrity and quality of that city, we need jobs.”

Others touted the fact that First Interstate plans to give 21 acres of country club land back to South Euclid to be used for parkland. There is currently only 36 acres of parkland in all of South Euclid.

Many on the other side of the issue made themselves known both in and outside of city hall. About 28 of them gathered in front of the South Euclid municipal building two hours before the hearing began for a rally, carrying signs condemning the development. The rally was mobilized by Citizens for Oakwood, a group created by the Cleveland Heights non-profit Severance Neighborhood Organization.

Once inside they shared the : that the area already has too much retail, with many shopping centers like Severance Town Center and University Square still needing occupants.

“We don’t need this extra retail space. It’s just going to be parasitic and cannibalistic against all the other malls in the area,” said Howard Senkfor, a South Euclid resident for more than 20 years. “We talk about regionalism. What are we going to do, help another city decline?”

Laura Luxenberg said the tax benefits to the city aren’t enough compared to the problems a large shopping development will cause to the neighborhood, including increased traffic and light and noise pollution. That’s especially true since the property tax revenue won’t even go to the local school district, she said. The property is in the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District.

“I can’t help but feel, ‘How is this going to benefit the quality of life in South Euclid?’” she asked council. “I don’t feel it’s going to improve the quality of my life. I haven’t seen enough that convinces me that it will be a benefit.”

First interstate also , about 42 acres of which will be parkland and the rest a mix of residential and retail.

Cleveland Heights resident Jan Snellman said the country club property is right outside her bedroom window. She said before moving to Cleveland Heights, her family had discussed moving to Pepper Pike. Now, she said, she fears she made a "terrible mistake."

"You talk about the developer and that he has rights, but he bought land that was zoned residential," Snellman told the Council. "He does not have rights, per se, to build commercial property and change it."

South Euclid City Council will vote on the rezoning at an upcoming meeting. A date for the vote has not been set.