Council committee clears vacation of streets to consolidate 30 acres near Cleveland Hopkins for industrial redevelopment

The Development, Planning & Sustainability Committee approved Ordinance 9‑21‑20‑26 on Tuesday to vacate portions of several streets that currently fragment a roughly 30‑acre city‑owned parcel north of Cleveland Hopkins Airport.

Deputy Director David Lucas (Business Growth) told the committee the city plans to ready the site for semi‑industrial redevelopment aimed at advanced manufacturing and other job‑dense uses within current zoning. "So the plan is to get this site ready for industrial redevelopment in zone semi industry," Lucas said. He added that nearby industrial uses include Cisco and Constant Aviation on Cleveland Parkway.

Staff said the land was acquired decades ago with federal funds as part of runway‑expansion noise‑abatement buyouts and that parcels remain legally separate; vacating the streets is intended to allow parcel consolidation and redevelopment. A council member pressed staff for how many homes had been purchased and how much federal money was used; staff said those specific records were not on hand but would be retrieved and provided.

City staff and council members discussed that no housing is planned for the site and that current plans prioritize industrial and manufacturing uses to generate employment. The Chair announced there were no further questions and that the ordinance had been approved; members were asked to sign the ordinance.