GRAPHIC COURTESY OF CLEVELAND CITY COUNCIL

At its January 6, 2025, meeting, Cleveland City Council voted 14-2 to adopt a new Cleveland Ward Plan represented in this map. As required by Cleveland’s City Charter, because of reduced population count in the 2020 census, City Council reduced the number of wards from 17 to 15. The new wards will take effect in January of 2026. City Council candidates will vie to represent the new wards in a September 9^th, 2025, Primary Election and a General Election in November of 2025.

     (Plain Press April 2025) In a September 9^th 2025Primary Election and the November 4^th, 2025, General Election, Cleveland voters will have an opportunity to select City Council members to represent them in newly formed City Council Wards.

     At the January 6^th Cleveland City Council meeting, Cleveland City Council voted on new ward boundaries for 15 City Council wards. 2020 United States Census showed Cleveland lost population. According the City Council website, Cleveland lost 24,191 residents between 2010 and 2020. Cleveland’s population was reduced from 396,815 in 2010 to 372,624 in 2020. Because of the loss of population Cleveland’s City Charter requires that the number of City Council wards be reduced from the current 17 wards to 15 wards.

     The new City Council Ward maps show eight City Council wards that are completely east of the Cuyahoga River, and six City Council wards that are west of the Cuyahoga River. The new Ward 7, while mostly on the west side, includes part of downtown and a stretch of the lakefront that includes Burke Lakefront Airport.

     Candidates for Cleveland City Council have until June 11^th, 2025, to file petitions to run in the September 9^th Primary Election. Primary elections will be held in wards where there are more than two candidates.

     In the area served by the Plain Press there will be six City Council wards: Ward 7, Ward 14, Ward 4, Ward 11, Ward 12, and Ward 13.  The most dramatic changes are in the middle of the west side of Cleveland where City Council wards once ran east and west and now the new Ward 11 and Ward 12 will run north and south.

     A map of the newly formed wards can be found on the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website. You can enlarge the map of each ward to see some of the street names. The Cleveland City Record for the January 10^th, 2025, has legal descriptions of the boundaries of each ward. Below are rough outlines of each ward’s boundaries taken from the legal descriptions of ward boundaries found in the City Record for the wards in the area served by the Plain Press.

The new Ward 7’s boundaries

     Ward 7 includes all of the Ohio City neighborhood, a portion of downtown and portions of the Detroit Shoreway, Tremont, Stockyard neighborhoods. Lake Erie as its northern boundary.

     The southern boundary stretches from W. 65^th and Clark to the midline of Train Avenue east to the center line of I-90 and then goes south along the center line of I-71 to Clark Avenue.

     Now in the Tremont neighborhood the ward boundary takes Clark to W. 14^th. It goes south along W. 14^th to the center line of Quigley and then back to Clark Avenue.

     From there it heads to the center of the Cuyahoga River and goes in a northeastern direction along the center line of I-90 to Broadway and Ontario. It goes through downtown to W. 9^th and takes W. 9^th to the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks which it takes east to the midline of the Memorial Shoreway. The boundary goes along the Memorial Shoreway to E. 49^th where it heads north to the Lake Erie shore. Ward 7 includes all of Burke Lakefront Airport.

     The northern boundary stretches along the Lake Erie shore to W. 65^th.

     The western boundary of Ward 7 proceeds along W. 65^th to the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks. It proceeds west along the tracks to the center line of W. 76^th Street and heads south to the center line of Goodwalt Avenue. It proceeds east along Goodwalt to the center line of W 74^th. It goes south along the centerline of W. 74^th to Detroit Avenue. It jogs west on Detroit and then continues south on W. 74^th to Madison Avenue.

     The boundary goes along the centerline of Madison Avenue to W. 73^rd and then south along W. 73^rd to the center line of Colgate Court. From there it goes to the center line of W. 65^th Street and then heads south to where we began at W. 65^th and Clark Avenue.

The new Ward 14’s boundaries

     Ward 14 includes all of the Clark Fulton and Brooklyn Centre neighborhoods and part of the Stockyard and Tremont neighborhoods.

     The northern boundary is the same as the southern boundary of Ward 7 described above – it goes from W. 65^th and Clark, along the center line of Train, I-90, I-71, W. 14, Quigley and Clark Avenue again to the center line of the Cuyahoga River.

     From there the eastern boundary of Ward 14 goes along the center line of the river to the intersection of the boundary of Cleveland and the Village of Cuyahoga Heights. It south goes along that border to the middle of Harvard Avenue.

     From there the southern boundary of Ward 14 begins as the boundary proceeds west along the centerline of Harvard to Jennings Road where it proceeds north to W. 14^th. The boundary goes along the centerline of W. 14^th to the centerline of Norfolk Southern Railroad where it proceeds west. This area is just north of Brookside Park.

     The boundary emerges from the railroad track at the I-71Denison exit. From there it goes along the centerline of Denison Avenue to the centerline of W. 67^th Street.

     Here the western boundary of Ward 14 begins as the boundary heads north on W. 67^th to Storer Avenue, along the centerline of Storer Avenue to W. 65^th and then along the centerline of W. 65h back to the beginning at W. 65^th and Clark Avenue.

The new Ward 4 boundaries

     Ward 4 includes a good portion of the Old Brooklyn neighborhood. The Cleveland border marks the eastern, southern, and western parts of this ward. Along the Ward 4 border you will find the City of Brooklyn, the City of Parma, the Village of Brooklyn Heights, and the Village of Cuyahoga Heights.

     The City Record’s description of Ward 4 begins at the centerline of W. 47^th and Woburn Avenue. It goes west along Woburn to just past W. 66^th and Woburn where it intersects with the City of Brooklyn border. The Ward 4 boundary then heads south along the Brooklyn border to Brookpark Road and the border with the City of Parma. The boundary goes east along the Parma border to the intersection of the Cleveland, Parma, and Village of Brooklyn Heights border. It then heads north along that border to the border of Cuyahoga Heights which runs along the Cuyahoga River.

     Ward 4’s boundary runs along the Cuyahoga Heights border until it reaches the centerline of Harvard Avenue. From there the border goes west to the centerline of Jennings Road and then northwest to the centerline of W. 14^th. It continues along W. 14^th to the centerline of the Norfolk Southern Railway tracks and goes from there to the centerline of Pearl Road. The border continues in a southernly direction along Pearl to the intersection of Broadview Rd.

     [Editor’s note: While the original map provided to City Council by the consultants continued south on Pearl- City Council changed the map to include a proposed development at Pearl and Memphis – so the final map now goes west of Pearl and then comes back]

     The border goes west of Pearl Road along Broadview to the centerline of W. 36^th Street. It continues south along W. 36^th Street to the centerline of Muriel Avenue. It goes east on Muriel to the centerline of W. 35^th Street. It proceeds southernly along W. 35^th to the center line of Memphis Avenue. From there the boundary goes east to the centerline of Pearl Road.

     The Ward 4 border then continues southwest along the centerline of Pearl Road to the centerline of Henritze Avenue and then west on Henritze to W. 47^th.

     The border then goes south along W. 47^th to the centerline of Woburn Avenue – the point of beginning.

The new Ward 11 boundaries

     The new Ward 11 stretches from Edgewater Park and Lake Erie on the north to the Old Brooklyn neighborhood on the south. On its way south Ward 11 includes parts of the Detroit Shoreway, Cudell, West Boulevard, and Stockyard neighborhoods.

     The City Record begins its description of the boundaries of Ward 11 at the centerline of Clark and W. 65^th Street. Moving south on W. 65th, the border goes to the centerline of Storer Ave and then jogs west along Storer to the centerline of W. 67th. From there the border goes south to the centerline of Denison Avenue.

     The Ward 11 boundary then continues southeast along Denison Avenue to the centerline of the I-71 off ramp. It continues south along the centerline of the I-71 off ramp to the centerline of the Norfolk Southern Railway tracks. The border continues southeast along the tracks to the centerline of Pearl Road until it reaches the centerline of Broadview Road.

     The Ward 11 boundary then goes west long Broadview to the centerline of W. 36^th Street. It continues along the centerline of W. 36^th to the centerline of Muriel Avenue and from there to the centerline on W. 35^th Street. The border continues along the centerline of W. 35^th Street to the centerline of Memphis Avenue. From there it returns to Pearl Road along the centerline of Memphis Avenue.

     The Ward 11 boundary continues along the centerline of Pearl Road to the centerline of Henritze Avenue. It continues west along the centerline of Henritze Ave to W. 47^th and long the center of W. 47^th to the center of Woburn Avenue. The boundary continues west along Wobern to the border between the City of Cleveland and the City of Brooklyn. It then follows the Brooklyn borderline north to the eastern edge of Walford Avenue.

     The Ward boundary then moves west along the centerline of Walford Avenue to W. 100^th. At W. 100^th the western boundary of Ward 11 heads north to the centerline of Denison Avenue and then West to the centerline of Lorain Avenue. The boundary then goes east along the centerline of Lorain Avenue to W. 98^th Street.

     At W. 98^th Street the Ward 11 boundary goes north to the centerline of Western Avenue. The border jogs west on Western Avenue to W. 100^th Street and then goes north on the centerline of W. 100^th to the centerline of Old West Boulevard. The border continues north on Old West Boulevard to the centerline of Detroit Avenue. The border proceeds east on Detroit Avenue to the centerline of Detroit and West Boulevard and then proceeds north along the centerline of West Boulevard to Baltic Avenue.

     Ward 11’s boundary then goes northeast along the centerline of Baltic to the centerline of Clifton Boulevard where it begins a northwestward move to the centerline of West Boulevard. From there it heads north along the centerline of West Boulevard to Edgewater Park and the Lake Erie shoreline.

     The northern boundary of Ward 11 goes east along the Lake Erie shoreline until it is parallel to the centerline of W. 65^th Street.

     Then the eastern boundary of Ward 11 heads south on W. 65^th Street to the centerline of the Norfolk Southern Railway tracks. The boundary line moves southwest along the centerline of the tracks until it reaches W. 76^th Street. From there it goes south on the centerline of W. 76^th Street to the intersection of W. 76^th and Goodwalt Avenue. The boundary proceeds east along the centerline of Goodwalt to the centerline of W. 74^th Street. It then goes south along the centerline of W. 74^th to the centerline of Detroit Avenue.

     At Detroit Avenue the border of Ward 11 jogs a little to the west and then continues south on W. 74^th to the centerline of Madison Avenue. At Madison Avenue it jogs a little to the east and then continues south along the centerline of W. 73^rd Street until it reaches the centerline of Colgate Court.

     From Colgate Court the Ward 11 boundary moves to the centerline of W. 65^th where it proceeds south to the starting point at W. 65^th and Clark Avenue.

New Ward 12 boundaries

     The new Ward 12 will go from Lake Erie on the north to the Cleveland border with the Village of Lindale and City of Brooklyn on the south. The new Ward 12 will pass through the Edgewater, Cudell, West Boulevard, Jefferson, and Bellaire Puritas neighborhoods.

     The City Record begins the outline of the boundary of Ward 12 at the border between Cleveland and Lakewood at W. 117^th and the centerline of Berea Road.

     From there the Ward 12 boundary moves south on W. 117^th to the centerline of Geraldine Avenue. It goes west on the centerline of Geraldine Avenue to W. 120^th. It then moves south along the centerline of W. 120^th to Lorain Avenue. It proceeds west along the centerline of Lorain Avenue to W. 132^nd Street and then south along the centerline of W. 132^nd Street to Cooley Avenue. The border moves east along the centerline of Cooley to W. 128^th Street and then south along the centerline of W. 128^th to Worthington Avenue. The border then proceeds west along the centerline of Worthington to W. 130^th. From there the border goes down the centerline of W. 130^th to the center of Interstate 71.

     The boundary goes east on I-71 to the intersection of the City of Cleveland and the Village of Lindale border line. From there the Ward 12 boundary moves along the border of Lindale to where the border of Lindale, Cleveland and the City of Brooklyn intersect. From there the boundary of Ward 12 moves along the Cleveland-Brooklyn border to Walford Avenue.

     From Walford Avenue in the south to Lake Erie on the north the eastern boundary of Ward 12 shares a center line with the western boundary of Ward 11.

     The Ward boundary moves west along the centerline of Walford Avenue to W. 100^th. At W. 100^th the western boundary of Ward 12 heads north to the centerline of Denison Avenue and then West to the centerline of Lorain Avenue. The boundary then goes east along the centerline of Lorain Avenue to W. 98^th Street.

     At W. 98^th Street the Ward 12 boundary goes north to the centerline of Western Avenue. The border jogs west on Western Avenue to W. 100^th Street and then goes north on the centerline of W. 100^th to the centerline of Old West Boulevard. The border continues north on Old West Boulevard to the centerline of Detroit Avenue. The border proceeds east on Detroit Avenue to the centerline of Detroit and West Boulevard and then proceeds north along the centerline of West Boulevard to Baltic Avenue.

     Ward 12’s boundary then goes northeast along the centerline of Baltic to the centerline of Clifton Boulevard where it begins a northwestward move to the centerline of West Boulevard. From there it heads north along the centerline of West Boulevard to Edgewater Park and the Lake Erie shoreline.

     The Ward 12 boundary then goes westward along the Lake Erie shoreline to the Cleveland Lakewood border. From there it goes south along the Cleveland-Lakewood border to the point of beginning at W. 117^th and the center line of Berea Road.

The new Ward 13 boundaries

     The new Ward 13 stretches from the border between Cleveland and the City of Lakewood on the north to the border between Cleveland and the cities of Parma and Brookpark on the south. The new ward includes a good portion of the Jefferson and Bellaire Puritas neighborhoods.

     The eastern boundary of Ward 13 shares a centerline with the western boundary of Ward 12 from the corner of Berea and W. 117^th south to the Cleveland border with Lindale and Brooklyn.

     The City Record begins the outline of the boundary of Ward 13 at the border between Cleveland and Lakewood at W. 117^th and the centerline of Berea Road.

     From there the Ward 13 boundary moves south on W. 117^th to the centerline of Geraldine Avenue. It goes west on the centerline of Geraldine Avenue to W. 120^th. It then moves south along the centerline of W. 120^th to Lorain Avenue. It proceeds west along the centerline of Lorain Avenue to W. 132^nd Street and then south along the centerline of W. 132^nd Street to Cooley Avenue. The border moves east along the centerline of Cooley to W. 128^th Street and then south along the centerline of W. 128^th to Worthington Avenue. The border then proceeds west along the centerline of Worthington to W. 130^th. From there the border goes down the centerline of W. 130^th to the center of Interstate 71.

     The boundary goes east on I-71 to the intersection of the City of Cleveland and the Village of Lindale border line. From there the Ward 13 boundary moves along the border of Lindale to where the border of Lindale, Cleveland and the City of Brooklyn intersect.

     From the border intersection the boundary goes south in a clockwise direction along the City of Brooklyn border until reaching the point where the Cleveland and Brooklyn borders meet the border of the City of Parma.

     The Ward 13 boundary then moves along the Cleveland-Parma border to where it meets the City of Brook Park border and the Norfolk Southern Railway tracks. The Ward 13 boundary then proceeds down the centerline of the railway tracks to W. 140^th Street. The Ward 13 boundary then goes north along the centerline of W. 140^th street to the Cleveland Lakewood border. It then moves east in a clockwise direction to the intersection of Berea Road and W. 117^th – the point of beginning.