05/07/2025 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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To: Council, Mayor, Director of Law, Director of Urban Development From: Jim Burns (Personal) The following are additional comments regarding the Mall Area Mixed Use Overlay District. PARKING AND BUSINESS FUNCTION ACCESS Following the Council committee meeting of April 22"d, I met with representatives of the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission. I asked them about handicap, disabled and senior access to buildings when parking lots are located in the back of or along side of the building or a "city block." Remember thatthese people may be able to walk; however, they are limited to the distance they can walk. They said that this plan provides for sidewalks from parking to the building that can be used to walk to an entrance at the rear of the building or go around to the front of the building. This can be a long way to travel for an impaired individual. In the snow or rain it is even harder. Currently these people can park in front of the store and walk right in. I asked about trash pickup, deliveries and other functional operations required by a business. They said that service alleys are to run behind the buildings for this purpose. I asked where the rear of the building parking lot is to be. You are supposed to cross the alley from the parking lot to get to the building. I guess you will also walk by the dumpster, Loading dock or similar area and the grease trap. But remember, sidewalks will get you anywhere. At the committee meeting Councilwoman Hemann mentioned the problem of customers for another store parking in a designated parking area for a particular store. In her example, this created a significant loss of business for the that store. The answer given by the consultant was that that they had no recourse to help them. Street parking in front of buildings has a long and purposeful history. You look at streets like Lorain Ave and Clarke Ave in Cleveland, Detroit Ave and Madison Ave in Lakewood and Lorain Rd in Fairview Park that always have had street parking in front of buildings. Even in the 1800s horses and wagons were parked in front of buildings. (OVER)