• Ohio Fair Lending Coalition and City Council hold Public Forum to address fair lending issues

    by Bruce Checefsky (Plain Press, June 2022)                            The Ohio Fair Lending Coalition, a collaboration of organizations across the state of Ohio banding together to address fair lending and banking issues, sponsored a forum featuring the newly elected Cleveland City Council members Deborah Gray, Ward 4; Richard Starr, Ward 5; Stephanie Howse, Ward 7; and Kris Harsh, Ward…


  • Advocates calling for City of Cleveland to take measures to slow traffic, cite traffic fatality on W. 50th Street

    PHOTO BY CHUCK HOVEN Monday, May 16, 2022; Cleveland City Council Meeting, Cleveland City Hall, 601 Lakeside Avenue: During the Public Comment period, Ward 15 resident Nora Rodriguez testified about a traffic problem on W. 81st Street just north of Madison. Rodriguez said cars don’t stop at the stop sign at W. 81st and Lawn Avenue. She…


  • City Planning Commission votes to approve MetroHealth’s plan for a 3-acre park

    by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, June 2022)          The Cleveland Planning Commission voted unanimously on May 20th to approve the final plans for a 3-acre park on the MetroHealth Campus. The park, expected to be completed by the end of this year, will be located between W. 25th and Scranton Road on land that now has a 250-car surface parking…


  • City of Cleveland seeks National Park Service grant to develop park near the Clark Recreation Center

    (Plain Press, June 2022)                      City Council members Jenny Spencer, Kevin Bishop, Anthony Hairston and Blaine Griffin plan to introduce an emergency ordinance authorizing the Director of Public Works to apply for and acthcept a grant from the National Park Service for the purpose of developing a new city park to be located near the Clark Recreation Center.…


  • How residents can address issues concerning tax abatement and the Cleveland Community Development Corporations

    How residents can address issues concerning tax abatement and the Cleveland Community Development Corporations To the Editor: (Plain Press, June 2022)          The May 2022 issue of the Plain Press has to be the finest edition of the Plain Press of all time. It should be framed and mounted on the wall of Cleveland City Council’s chambers: https://plainpress.blog/2022/05/ .      Here…


  • MetroHealth Park plans reviewed at community meetings

    MetroHealth Park plans reviewed at community meetings by Chuck Hoven Plain Press, May 2022        The temporary 3-acre park proposed by MetroHealth Medical Center for an area just across Scranton Road from its new Glick Center was the subject of a community meeting held at the Family Ministry Center on Fulton Road on April 6th. The meeting…


  • Resident urges Planning Commission to keep the Farnsworth House and Byelorussian Church as part of the MetroHealth Park

    Resident urges Planning Commission to keep the Farnsworth House and Byelorussian Church as part of the MetroHealth Park To the editor: Open letter to the Planning Commission: Plain Press, May 2022        I am writing to you in response to news I heard about MetroHealth’s plans to demolish three buildings between W. 25th St. and Scranton Rd.…


  • Residents urged to contact Planning Commission to prevent demolition of Farnsworth House and Byelorussian Church

    Residents urged to contact Planning Commission to prevent demolition of Farnsworth House and Byelorussian Church To the editor: Plain Press, May 2022             The full Planning Commission meeting where the MetroHealth (MH) demolitions and temporary 3-acre park concept plan may be voted on has been moved to May 6th @ 9am.       I’ve been talking with some of…


  • Cleveland’s approach to community development should put people before developers’ profits

    Cleveland’s approach to community development should put people before developers’ profits by Chuck Hoven Plain Press, May 2022             The City of Cleveland’s tax abatement program is coming up for renewal at the end of May. For many years, the City has used tax abatement as a means of attracting new residents and improving its housing stock…


  • Participatory Budgeting Cleveland presents its 2022 Action Plan

    Participatory Budgeting Cleveland presents its 2022 Action Plan by Bruce Checefsky Plain Press, May 2022             Molly Martin took the microphone to address Cleveland City Council on the need for Participatory Budgeting using The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding. In her three-minute talk, Martin, a member of the PB CLE (Participatory Budgeting Cleveland), a coalition of individuals…