The View From City Council

Housing, Planning, & Development Committee Meeting

At last week’s Committee Meeting, we discussed Ordinance 20-2021, which would authorize the City to enter into an agreement with a realtor to market and sell homes located at 12311 Plover Street and 17450 Shaw Avenue.

The City used funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME Investment Partnership Program to build houses on these formerly vacant lots. This project is part of Lakewood’s Affordable Housing Strategy, and these homes will only be sold to buyers whose income is no more than 80% of the Area Medium Income (AMI). To avoid the home being “flipped,” there is a deed restricted mortgage that requires any profits be shared with the City if the buyer sells the home within the first 10 years of ownership.

The Plover Street house is 1,758 sq. ft. and has two bedrooms and two baths. The home also includes a first-floor workspace, which would be perfect for anyone looking to jumpstart their small business. The Shaw Avenue house is 2,170 sq. ft and features a first-floor master bedroom, two upstairs bedrooms, and a two-car garage.  

Block Parties are Back!

The Reveley Block Party was held this past weekend and was the first Ward 2 block party of the year! After a year without block parties, it was great to get together again. Thank you Reveley for the hospitality and great conversation. I'm looking forward to the next one!   Pride Month Happy Pride! Every June we recognize the important impact that our LGBTQIA+ community members have had in the world. Mayor George issued a proclamation to officially recognize the Month of June 2021 as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month in Lakewood. As the proclamation states, although the LGBTQIA+ community has made great progress toward full equality in recent years, much work is left to be done to ensure full inclusion, safety, equality, and acceptance.

Cleveland Stonewall Democrats' June Meeting

The June meeting was held on the 17th, and featured Avery Ware, who discussed Black queerness and the fight for Civil Rights. I learned a lot about the history of Black queerness in the United States, and different activists and leaders in the community who contributed to the movement and liberation work. Here's a link to the presentation on Facebook: https://fb.watch/6fGoAIkdgL/

After Avery's presentation, we voted on the endorsement for Ohio's 11th Congressional District. Stonewall has a thorough endorsement process, which includes speeches, interviews, questionnaires, and a thoughtful discussion from membership. I always appreciate how engaged and passionate the Stonewall Democrats are during this process. Congratulations to Nina Turner for receiving Stonewall's endorsement!

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Volume 17, Issue 14, Posted 3:01 PM, 07.07.2021