The Cleveland Planning Commission voted unanimously (5-0) to deny McDonald’s a conditional use permit which would have let the fast-food giant set up shop on Lorain and W. 38th in Ohio City. The meeting this morning featured an extensive public comments portion in which residents and small-business owners argued that a McDonald’s posed a serious safety threat for the pedestrian-friendly neighborhood and that a busy two-lane drive-thru would affect quality of life.
The proposed McDonald’s would have been a relocation of a current franchise on Detroit and W. 70th in Detroit-Shoreway. As such, Councilman Joe Cimperman said that no new jobs would be created.
McDonald’s attorney Bruce Rinker touted his client’s compliance with zoning regulations. And despite public comments which Rinker acknowledged were “sincere,” he said that ultimately, the city was dealing with “legal criteria” and that McDonald’s would do everything in its power to make the site safe. (Rinker moonlights as the Mayor of Mayfield Village, where there are zero McDonald’s, and a commissioner of the Cleveland Metroparks).
Not safe enough for Ohio City residents, evidently. The public opposition centered on children walking to school, cyclists who utilize Lorain and the exacerbation of an already unwieldy intersection. Cimperman said that 80 percent of fast food patrons ignore “No Left Turn” signs.
Some Cleveland.com commenters suspected that the opposition was much more philosophical, that McDonald’s simply doesn’t fit “liberal” residents’ vision for the neighborhood which emphasizes local food and indie retail. In an earlier story, Cimperman told Scene that McDonald’s wasn’t all that “Ohio-City-istic.”
That may be true, but residents came out in force this morning to assert their opposition and the planning commission took heed. The plus side for Ohio City, according to Cimperman — via text message immediately following the meeting — was that the city’s law department now becomes the neighborhood’s lawyer if McDonald’s chooses to pursue (which Cimperman thinks is likely).
It’s good to see public comments registered and acted upon by a governing body. But it’d be nice to see the same sort of response in neighborhoods other than Ohio City. At a public meeting for the Opportunity Corridor last month, the pronounced opposition from residents on Cleveland’s east side — many of whom were scheduled to have their homes demolished — were uniformly ignored. The comments questioning that project hasn’t seemed to deter developers or alter their pre-determined schedule and plan of action in any appreciable way.
This article appears in Nov 13-19, 2013.
I welcome McDonalds in the neighborhood….it brings jobs to the neighborhood and they keep their places neat an clean.
As stated earlier, this would be a relocation, hence a net zero in job creation.
@Earl
They often do not keep their properties clean, there is a lot of extra litter that results from fast food joints, as well as traffic which is the major concern with this location. The corner is just not configured to have a drive thru.
Also, the proposed location would open as the McDonalds on Detroit closed, so no jobs would be added in the neighborhood.
I was skeptical about the argument at first too, but the neighborhood leaders who are fighting it have very good reasons to not want it.
Save our abandoned Hollywood Video! Three cheers for all the useless fucks who run our fair city!
No surprise here. While restrictions on fast food are a good thing, this issue was more about class warfare than pedestrian safety and food policy. Circa 1990s this would have not been an issue. While I applaud Cleveland city council, community members (plus outside interest groups) for their work, this matter is part of a larger social policy issue which is not being addressed. Why is it okay for the proposed McD’s to not be allowed in the newly gentrified Ohio City, but okay for McD locations to be permitted in low-income communities? I’m pretty sure the same building codes exist through all of Cleveland, right? Yet, there’s a McD’s on ever corner of every other Cleveland neighborhood. Is anyone going to do anything about the drunk ass&^#holes, noise pollution, litter, etc from all the bars and increased traffic in Ohio City now that it’s a booming area?
I agree with Jason. Why are poor people even allowed to enjoy fast food like the rest of us?!!! Outrageous!
This may be a small victory, all be it just a relocation and not an out and out stopage of McSprawl, but it will be short lived.
The village of Hudson spent tens of thousands of dollars in the 70’s and 80’s trying to keep McGarbage out of town and eventually lost.
It creates HORRIBLE jobs for little money and no benefits and generates MOUNTAINS of trash which they rarely keep clean.
Someday maybe the legal system will recognize that valuable jobs are jobs that lift a community up and not generate minimum wage dead ends.
You people are so miserable I can’t even troll this page. I need a Big Mac to cheer me up 🙂
Nancy, I’ll let whoever serves me know that you’d love to see them fired.
@Admiralcatpants…
Aaaaaaahahahahaahahaahaaaaa!
Yer one funny F*ck!!!!!!
Well how about a Starfucks???
YUM!!!!
No McFeed for Ohio City. Good.
Dear Ohio City: News Flash, you’re still Cleveland. Get over yourself. You’ve already let a select few grab up all the businesses on W25 St.
do you have to live in this neighborhood? well if you don’t then you get no opinion.
McDonalds is beyong horrible for your body and for the environment.
Great Job Planning Commission! Please ban all future garbage establishments.
I was looking forward to handjobs in the parking lot while I dipped my nuggets.
I like egg mcmuffins more than I like vacant storefronts.
It’s reading comments from people like magnotto that I have lost all hope in humanity.
I rather see a vacant storefront any day than see a cancer cell with glowing arches on the landscape.
Hey Ham, u can still get the handjobs
and props to Ronald for not giving into to greasing the wheels at city hall to make this happen
The only downside is, if McD’s sues, the city has to pay the legal fees.
getoutttheway–so a McD burger is bad for you, but a $10 one at (name your overpriced pub in OC here) is good for you?? and what about happy dog–are hot dogs healthy??Sounds snobbish to me, and not scientifically proven,