Update IV: The ballot issue failed; Oakwood will remain zoned for development and the project will go forward. No need for heated outlashes, gloating, or poor sportsmanship.
Unless you’re South Euclid Council President David Miller, that is, who after the victory, spoke to opponents of the project when he told the Sun Messenger, “Thank you and goodbye. Crawl back under the rock you came from.”
Nice.
He sort of apologized at a later council meeting, according to the paper, but not really.
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Update III: A signature drive and a fresh batch of outrage at the availability of $5 tube socks delivered voters the right to decide whether the former Oakwood country club property would be zoned for development or something more east-sidey, like a park, or 10 mph speed trap. Congratulations. Unfortunately, the latest news proves that the vote itself might not only fail, but it could be completely impotent should it succeed.
The PD reports that South Euclid mayor Mayor Georgine Welo thinks voters will decide to keep the commercial zoning. Bummer. But beyond that, First Interstate Properties might be able to appeal to have the commercial zoning grandfathered in, regardless of what the voters decide. That, in effect, might be feasible because the commercial zoning was set by council before First Interstate Properties owned the property. Double bummer.
Triple bummer: the South Euclid law director says the pending vote won’t stop the developer from proceeding with work before citizens head to the ballot-box.
(For some awesome history on the country club itself, check out this post from Cleveland Area History.)
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Update II: Last we checked in with the fight against the rezoning of the former Oakwood Country Club, Citizens for Oakwood had had their petition ruled invalid on a super minor technicality: they handed off the paperwork to a South Euclid clerk instead of the city finance director. First Interstate Properties pounced on the error, hoping to prevent the referendum from hitting the ballots in November and expediting their plans to build.
This article appears in Nov 16-22, 2011.
Sad. What waste of a nice greenspace, which are few and far between. Hopefully it gets voted on in Nov, and local media pickup on the plight of this land. Concrete and cars not as appealing as trees and grass.
If the rezoning gets voted in November, the next step is likely to be a series of costly lawsuits from First Interstate whose options otherwise would be limited to either selling the land – but no one is on the horizon that has the money to buy it for green space or any other use – or build housing, which the city doesn’t need in light of all the already vacant housing. One thing it is virtually certain never to be is public-use green space because no one has stepped up at any stage with the money to buy the property, create the green space (it’s not usable green space now), and maintain it. Yes, it’s a lovely idea but how is it going to happen. No one has put forth a viable plan.