Little Italy apartment proposal rejected by planning commission after drawing residents' ire - cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Encouraging growth in Little Italy while respecting the neighborhoods was the discussion topic Thursday at a Cleveland Landmarks Commission meeting.

The gathering drew dozens of attendees and passionate, sometimes contentious, debate on a proposed apartment project in Little Italy.

Ultimately, the commission voted 6-2 against a proposal from Hemingway Development and Property Advisors Group to build a 50-unit apartment building at Cornell and Murray Hill roads. It was the latest setback for developers, who were sent back to the drawing board by Landmarks at an initial meeting in March and who have had significant pushback from Little Italy residents.

The past year, developers and architects have reworked the plan in response to residents’ feedback. They have scrapped plans to demolish three houses on Murray Hill, reduced the height of the building, and scaled back the number of units to incorporate more two- and three-bedroom apartments that could accommodate families.

LDA Architects

The latest plans for a proposed apartment building at Cornell and Murray Hill roads in Little Italy (LDA Architects).

Still, many neighborhood residents said the building would not fit into the neighborhood, mostly due to its size. Residents also have objected to plans to tear down two houses at 2189 and 2193 Cornell Road to make way for the new building.

Thursday’s meeting didn’t get to a ruling on the proposed demolitions, as the commission rejected the developer’s plans for the project as a whole. But, three commission members noted that a visit to the houses on Wednesday led them to conclude the structures are in fair condition and do not need to be demolished.

The Plain Dealer

Poppies grown in the backyard of two homes on Cornell Rd. that are slated for demolish. Developers are proposing a multi-level apartment building at the corner of Cornell Road and Murray Hill Road. (Gus Chan/The Plain Dealer)

Among the commission members who voted against the proposal was city planning Director Freddy Collier, Jr. He said that while Mayor Frank Jackson’s administration has promoted development and urban density in many other cases, residents’ concerns about development need to be considered.

“I drove up in Little Italy [Wednesday]. … I saw a lot of development. I saw this commission approve a lot of that development,” Collier said. “The community has come out and they’ve been very adamant about their disdain for more investment at this time, and it would be, I think, rude of us as public servants and as the administration not to have a sensitive ear to that.”

City Councilman Blaine Griffin, Ward 6, who represents the neighborhood, also spoke in opposition to the project, saying his position stems from Little Italy being “one of the last ethnic enclaves in the city of Cleveland” and his desire to “protect the historical context of the area.”

The Plain Dealer

Washington Place Bistro & Inn is one of four businesses on the corner of Cornell and Murray Roads. Developers are proposing a multi-level apartment building at the corner of Cornell Road and Murray Hill Roads. (Gus Chan/The Plain Dealer)

Among those in support of the developer’s plan was Carmen Petrello, who owns one of the Cornell Road houses the developer would have demolish. Petrello said he has lived in Little Italy for more than 50 years, and is now looking to sell his property to prepare for a move from the East Side neighborhood.

“Little Italy will always be there. It’s never going anywhere. The Feast [of Assumption] will go on year after year,” he said. “I hope we’re not swayed by the guise of the building size, when the underlying premise, I believe, is who can and who cannot reside in Little Italy.”

Thomas Dier, retired director of Cleveland State University’s Center for Housing Research and Policy, said he supports the project due to a need to grow the city’s residential tax base. “What comes down to the fundamental condition of a city is its tax base,” he said, noting huge tax-base losses over the past several decades, as well as progress building new housing in recent years. “My support for this is in terms of continuing the momentum that has been established in the last 10, 20 years in the city.”

The Plain Dealer

A passerby walks past several homes that have been acquired by developers for renovation on Murray Hill Rd. Developers are proposing a multi-level apartment building at the corner of Cornell Road and Murray Hill Road. (Gus Chan | The Plain Dealer)

The commission also heard from University Circle Inc. President Chris Ronayne, who characterized decisions such as this as “a fight for Cleveland.”

“Today is a difficult conversation, but it’s one we’re going to need to have more of as a city in our near future as we attempt to grow again after seven decades of disinvestment,” he said.

Ronayne spoke in favor of the project and its reworked design, saying, “It will never satisfy the resident who said at at our public forum on Monday, ‘We don’t want your project in our neighborhood.' Respectfully, we question who is ‘we’ and what is ‘our’?’”

As for what’s next, Michael Panzica of Hemingway Development said his team needs to reevaluate its plans. The developers can rework the proposal and bring it back to Landmarks if they choose.

“My takeaway is that there is willingness to compromise, and we’ve shown a willingness to do that all along, with many iterations,” Panzica said. “We need to revaluate. Obviously it needs to make economic sense, but we’re certainly not shutting the door."

LDA Architects

The current view of the proposed development site from Murray Hill (LDA Architects).

LDA Architects

This rendering shows the view from Murray Hill with a three-story building in the background (LDA Architects).

LDA Architects

This rendering by LDA Architects depicts a view of the proposed apartment building from Cornell Road.

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