Mayfield Triangle: Cleveland Heights mayor takes complex case to national development conference

In terms of potential development, it's been more of a Bermuda Triangle for years now. Cleveland Heights Mayor Kahlil Seren took a complex project to a national development conference in New York City, where he highlighted the "Noble-Warrensville-Mayfield Triangle" as a complex issue. The complex site, which has been the site of several municipal functions and includes a salt dome and former Hillside Dairy, may require Brownfield funding. Seren also mentioned the need for relocation of municipal functions within the city and the potential acquisition of additional parcels to create a more developable site for developers. The project was highlighted at the recent Mayors’ Institute on City Design, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and hosted at New York University. Sere expressed his intention to bring expert feedback back to Cleveland Heights.

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CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- When asked to bring a complex project to a conference in New York City last month, Mayor Kahlil Seren came to the table with much to unpack.

In his case, it was the puzzling “Noble-Warrensville-Mayfield Triangle,” a conundrum of mismatched land uses at “the eastern gateway” to the city.

“It has long been the site of several municipal functions -- where the least welcome happens to be a staging area for lawn and leaf debris,” Seren noted during his mayor’s comments at the May 20 City Council meeting.

But wait, there’s more, including a salt dome on the property also regarded as an eyesore, as well as the former Hillside Dairy, described by Seren as “an old building that desperately needs to be demolished.”

There may be some Brownfield funding for that as well, with environmental remediation likely required for the old dairy, which last served as a police annex building.

“They asked me to bring a complicated project, so I could best make use of the expertise in the room,” Seren said. “And I brought that one because it is complicated.”

Seren was one of six attendees at the recent Mayors’ Institute on City Design, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and hosted at New York University.

They even sent an NYU rep to Cleveland Heights to look over some prospective sites.

“There are also municipal functions that need to be relocated, preferably within the city for logistical purposes,” Seren explained. “And that, in and of itself, is a heavy lift.”

A second strategic piece would involve “figuring out how to consolidate the property and possibly acquire additional parcels in order to create a more developable, more attractive site for a developer to come in and do something amazing with, " Seren added.

There’s also the question of “what do we do with surrounding parcels and should we include other municipal functions that are nearby?”

As a result, “all of these things contributed to a relatively complex project,” Seren said. “And I was extremely fortunate to receive this feedback.”

Seren said he looks forward to future announcements on various aspects, and how the NEA and the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ feedback has shaped his approach to this property, with advice from developers, architects and designers.

But that will be for a future meeting.

“I want everybody to know, that’s what I am intent on doing: receiving expert feedback and bringing it back home to Cleveland Heights,” Seren said.

“That’s what this program has allowed me to do and I’m looking forward to seeing tangible results from that.”

In other business at the May 20 council meeting, Seren introduced Eric Elmi, the city’s new chief building official, a significant hire on many fronts.

“Some years back, after the mortgage foreclosure crisis,” possibly farther, the city began cutting staff and removing some services to the point where some duties could no longer be performed in-house, Seren said.

“One of the results of that was that, as a necessity, we contracted with a company called SafeBuilt, to perform building permitting and inspection functions,” Seren said.

“And we operated that way, outsourcing that particular function of city government, for years,” he added, noting that “in Ohio, it has been very difficult to find qualified people to fill this role of chief building official.”

This is due to what Seren described as a “massive amount of experience and training” that someone needs in order to qualify for the position.

With that in mind, “we were lucky, very fortunate to find Eric Elmi to fulfill those duties,” Seren added.

“It will allow us to revise our contract with SafeBuilt and begin the process of moving those functions back in-house, so Cleveland Heights employees are making sure that Cleveland Heights buildings are built the way they should be.”

This was met with a round of applause from council and the audience -- as was Elmi after Seren’s introduction.

“As we speak, we are reorganizing, planning and reshaping the building department,” Elmi said.

He previously spent six years as a chief inspector in the Cleveland Building Department, and prior to that, four years in the City of Lorain.

Elmi told council he has an “open door policy” and that members should not hesitate to reach out to him with any questions.

At the June 3 City Council meeting, Seren introduced the new Mayor’s Action Center Coordinator Todd Walburn, who provided an update on the development of the Access Cleveland Heights app and web portal.

“As many of you know, the rollout of the app took longer than expected,” the Cleveland Heights resident said. “In the interim, we have been able to utilize phone, email, walk-in and web portal to allow residents to share their concerns.”

Walburn gave his City Hall phone number at (216) 291-2323 and his email, [email protected]

“The process only works with participation and my goal is to make that participation as simple as possible,” Walburn said, adding that “the MAC is not run with Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and the complaints are very real to us.”

He said that the end-game will be to have the old Citizen Serve app integrated with Access Cleveland Heights.

“I’m happy to report that we have launched both the Apple and the Google versions of the app (available at respective stores and sites),” Walburn said.

He also uses a spreadsheet to track calls and contacts with residents, noting that Access Cleveland Heights has 36 different request categories, including police, public works, parks and recreation, planning and development departments.

Councilwoman Gail Larson said she has already received positive feedback on the city’s updated approach to providing a liaison for residents.

Councilman Jim Petras said both he and residents appreciate the “polite and professional tone” Walburn uses to address concerns, providing “a very good face for the mayor and our city government.”