Business View Civil & Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 11

133 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 11 GARF I ELD HE IGHTS , OHIO as our team or residents. I can’t say enough about our people.” These collaborative efforts, especially on behalf of City Council, assist with the enormous task of reformulating the Garfield Heights Master Plan. The Council has been working on the project since 2019. In the meantime, the city received a $50,000 grant from the Cuyahoga Planning Commission for the upgrade titled Rural Town to First Suburb – Planning for Garfield Heights’ Next Century. The plan will allow residents, businesses, and community organizations to discuss local issues, and opportunities with the goal of creating a holistic vision for the city’s future. Specific issues include transportation, infrastructure, land use, zoning, and housing. Surveys will soon be sent to residents to find out their overall expectations for Garfield Heights. An important aspect of the plan is housing, zoning, and land use. Even though the current housing market is “great” with houses selling for approximately $50,000 more than five years ago, Burke believes there’s still room for growth. He admits, “We’ve been through economic downturns, resulting in vacant homes we demolished and causing empty lots. We’re working with the county to review zoning codes to ensure they don’t prevent the construction of any homes built on those lots.” The house designs are slighter higher than what zoning requirements detail. So, they’re changing the zoning to make it better for businesses to buy the lots and to build affordable single-family homes. “Currently, it’s just an empty lot. That doesn’t do anything for us. We’re looking at ways to turn that into something positive for our community.” While reviewing zoning, it was clear Garfield Heights doesn’t have an official downtown. Regardless, the community chose one for itself. According to Burke, Garfield Park is a very busy gathering spot and is always in use. “In partership with Cleveland Metroparks, we’re