Council Meeting Highlights

Jun 02, 2025

City Council convened for a regular in-person meeting in Council Chambers, which was also live-streamed. This is the final regular meeting before the summer recess. During the summer, two meetings will be held, one in July and one in August. Below are the highlights from tonight’s meeting:

Major Change to I-X Center: Council approved amending the lease at the I-X Center that will eliminate its use for large exhibitions, including the home and garden show and the annual car show, in the future. Instead, the lessee expects to bring a Fortune 500 company with 200+ jobs to the massive building, with an expected $23M payroll. The annual rent for the building is nearly $2.2 million.

The I-X Center was bought by the city when new runways for Hopkins were expected and planned, but the need vanished. While rent is paid to the airport, all taxes generated by the facility are paid to the City of Brook Park per a legal settlement agreement dating to the acquisition of I-X Center. The lease was to end in 14 years, but the legislation extends it for 49 years. The City has the right to terminate the lease after 10 years if needed for airport/aviation use by uncontested eminent domain.

Originally built in 1942 as the Cleveland Bomber Plant, it was a crucial manufacturing site for the B-29 bomber during the war. Later, it became known as the Cleveland Tank Plant, producing tanks and other military vehicles. After the war, the facility transitioned to various uses, including an exhibition hall and soybean storage, before becoming the I-X Center in 1985. Ord. No. 1241-2024

Warner and Swasey Building Close to Renovation Phase: Council passed several pieces of legislation dealing with the Warner and Swasey Building, including selling the building at 5701 Carnegie Avenue to Pennrose Holdings. Penrose plans to redevelop the building into affordable and senior housing and commercial development. Ord. No. 738-2025

Legislation was also approved to enter into a $3 million forgivable loan agreement with Pennrose Holdings, LLC, to assist and partially finance the redevelopment of the Warner and Swasey and other associated costs necessary to redevelop the property. Ord. No. 742-2025  

New Green Space in Hough: Council approved agreements with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Natural Areas Land Conservancy to co-sponsoring a grant with the Natural Areas Land Conservancy, from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to complete the Hough Community Green Space Project; and to accept the donation of the Hough Community Green Space from the Natural Areas Land Conservancy, or its designee, for use as a dedicated City-operated park (1596 E 86th St.) upon completion of the project. Ord. No. 635-2025

New Technology Purchase to Track and Integrate Data: Legislation was passed authorizing the purchase of Salesforce. The administration "is the only technology that meets our needs and integrates with existing city systems," the administration contends. Salesforce would provide the ability to track: grants, loans, and incentives. Also business growth, retention, and expansion, land bank transactions, real estate development projects. It will also fully integrate with Accela for all permitting, design review, and planning commission so that projects can be comprehensively tracked – inside City Hall, at City Council, and with the public. The total cost of Salesforce would be $1.5M over 3 years, which includes the full cost of implementation and the yearly run rate. Ord. No. 551-2025.  

Council Opposes State Investment in Brook Park Stadium: Council approved a resolution, sponsored by Councilman Brian Kazy, opposing the State of Ohio’s proposed $600 million bond investment toward a new Cleveland Browns stadium in Brook Park - which will cost taxpayers close to $1 billion when finally paid off. Instead, the State of Ohio is encouraged to invest $350 million toward renovating the current downtown Cleveland Browns stadium, urging the Cleveland Browns to remain at their current downtown stadium on the lakefront. Res. No. 748-2025
 

June is Pride Month in Cleveland: Council approved a resolution, declaring June 2025 as “Pride Month” in the City of Cleveland to provide an opportunity for our residents to celebrate the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community and to learn about the discrimination and inequality that the LGBTQ+ community has experienced and continues to experience. The resolution was sponsored by Council members, Rebecca Maurer, Kerry McCormack, and Anthony Hairston. Res. No. 734-2025

Introductions

Legislation was introduced to establish a Cleveland Commission on Black Males whose "mission is to study and research the state of Black men and boys in the city of Cleveland to understand gaps in services and areas of need to ensure improved quality of life for Black men and boys; and to build a network of organizations that serve the Black male population, and create and uplift mentorship opportunities and programs for young Black males transitioning out of high school into adulthood." The legislation is sponsored by Councilman Richard Starr.