Plain Press

  • Cleveland Tax Abatement Study recommendations stir policy debate

    Cleveland Tax Abatement Study recommendations stir policy debate by Bruce Checefsky                                                                               (Plain Press, September 2020)       Michael H. Norton, Chief Policy Analyst at Reinvestment Fund, summarized the 109-page Cleveland Tax Abatement Study at the Committee of the Whole Council Meeting streamed live on July 29 on YouTube. He concluded the presentation with six broad recommendations: Cleveland should…

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  • Landmarks Commission weighs in on Lincoln Parks Flats project

    Landmarks Commission weighs in on Lincoln Parks Flats project by Bruce Checefsky (Plain Press, August 2020)            Director of Cleveland City Planning Commission Freddy Collier has come under criticism for his handling of a Landmarks Commission decision that took place in North Collinwood earlier this year. Cleveland historian and writer Carol Poh resigned from the…

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  • Cleveland City Council has a chance to do the right thing as it reviews tax abatement policy

    Cleveland City Council has a chance to do the right thing as it reviews tax abatement policy by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, August 2020)            Cleveland City Council announced in a July 23rd press release that it plans to hear a presentation from the Department of Community Development on a tax abatement study at its…

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  • Pilsener Brewing Bottling-Works building named as new city landmark

    (Plain Press, August 2020)            The vacant Pilsener Brewing Bottling-Works building on Clark Avenue is now a Cleveland landmark after Cleveland City Council recently approved the legislation at the June 1st meeting. The giant brick structure was built in 1913-1914 as part of a sprawling beer-brewing campus that produced the popular P.O.C beer – which…

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  • Cleveland City Council declares racism a public health crisis

    CITY COUNCIL POLICIES CONTRIBUTE TO CLEVELAND’S HIGH CHILDHOOD POVERTY RATE Cleveland City Council declares racism a public health crisis CITY COUNCIL POLICIES CONTRIBUTE TO CLEVELAND’S HIGH CHILDHOOD POVERTY RATE by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, July 2020)    At its June 3rd meeting, Cleveland City Council declared racism is a public health crisis. The legislation was unanimously passed by…

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  • Cleveland City Council gets tough with dollar stores and hands out tax subsidies to developers

    Cleveland City Council gets tough with dollar stores and hands out tax subsidies to developers by Bruce Checefsky (Plain Press, July 2020)    Cleveland City Council held a virtual meeting electronically on June 17, 2020, in compliance with Ohio’s Open Meetings Law.  Council President Kevin Kelley, who represents Ward 13, of which Old Brooklyn and part of…

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  • Clark Fulton neighborhood plan seeks input from target area residents and stakeholders

    Clark Fulton neighborhood plan seeks input from target area residents and stakeholders by Chuck Hoven (Plain Press, July 2020)                MetroWest Community Development Organization has joined in partnership with Ward 14 Councilwoman Jasmin Santana, the City of Cleveland, MetroHealth Medical Center, and the Cleveland Foundation to develop a master plan for a target area that includes all…

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  • Concerns about proposed Lincoln Park Flats Project expressed by Auburn-Lincoln Block Club members

    Concerns about proposed Lincoln Park Flats Project expressed by Auburn-Lincoln Block Club members by Bruce Checefsky  (Plain Press, July 2020)    A recent report released by RealtyHop ranked Cleveland #99 out of 100 cities in terms of having a strong housing market. Cleveland saw a -6.83% change in the asking price in June, according to Nina Furseth, Corporate Communications…

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  • Ohio Supreme Court green lights fast-track process that gives homes to developers, but fails to compensate owners and taxpayers

    Ohio Supreme Court green lights fast-track process that gives homes to developers, but fails to compensate owners and taxpayers In 2019, Taxpayers lost at least $11.25 million, While Homeowners and Banks lost up to $77 Million, But Title to Revamped Houses Remains Sound by Lucia Walinchus (Plain Press, July 2020)    This article provided by Eye…

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  • Market Square Project

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