MINUTES OF THE CUYAHOGA COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

JUNE 11, 2026

CALL TO ORDER
The meeting of the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission (County Planning) was called to order by Mr. Christopher Alvarado at 2:05 p.m. and the roll call showed a quorum was present.

COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC
No Public Comment.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF APRIL 9, 2026, MEETING
On a motion by Mayor Weiss, seconded by Mayor Kurtz, the minutes from the April 9, 2026, meeting were duly adopted with a unanimous vote.

Resolution No. 260611-A – A Resolution approving the Revised Travel Policy, Section 16.01 of the County Planning Policies Procedures Manual.
Executive Director Mary Cierebiej explained that the revised Travel Policy, Section 16.01 was originally adopted by the County Planning Commission board in August 2024 which was based on the County’s Employee Handbook adopted by County Council in June 2013 and last revised in December 2025. The section was originally called Travel/Driving Business Policy and the references and requirements were outdated. The revised section now has updated references and requirements and clarifies pre-approval requirements and processes. The policy changes are more sensitive to budget implications of travel and mileage reimbursements and align with recent updates to County Planning’s Revised Professional Development Policy. The Travel Policy changes also include Appendices A and B containing required forms and a list of Premium Price Locations. If approved, the revised policy will become effective immediately with employees being provided with a copy and an acknowledgement of receipt for the employees to sign off.

On a motion by Mayor Dailey Jones, seconded by Mayor Gallo, Resolution No. 260611-A approving the Revised Travel Policy, Section 16.01 of the County Planning Policy & Procedures Manual, was duly adopted with a unanimous vote.

INFORMATION-ONLY PRESENTATIONS
GCRTA Presentation
Maribeth Feke, Director of Planning for GCRTA and Chris Urban, consultant from AECOM, presented on GCRTA’s Strategic Plan Update, a framework for the future that includes a vision and goals for public transportation in Cuyahoga County.

The update will reflect:

• Changes since 2020
• Re-assessment of Priority Corridors
• Adoption of the “Bus Rapid Transit Toolbox”
• Addition of Transit Oriented Development Chapter and Revenue Generation Opportunities
• Stakeholder Input and Priorities
• Reinforcement of the importance of safety

The Strategic Plan Update will go beyond just vision and goals, and will review, analyze, and include more opportunities for corridor investment, Transit Oriented Development, and stakeholder engagement. The Strategic Plan is scheduled to be completed by December of 2026 and adopted by the Board in January of 2027.

County Planning is one of the primary partners collaborating with GCRTA on their Strategic Plan Update. County Planning will assist through its strong regional partnership and has been working to advance development tracking tools and produce a trends report. The tracking tools and trends report will assist with TOD site identification and prioritizing redevelopment and investment along key corridors.

The City of Cleveland is working with GCRTA to assess high potential station areas, exploring RTA and City-owned properties and reviewing its land use and development policies for City-owned properties. Shared goals of these collaborative discussions between RTA, Cuyahoga County Planning Commission and City of Cleveland also include financing, and long-term strategies in order to move the County forward.

Cuyahoga TOD Initiative Overview
Patrick Hewitt and Luke Ols presented Cuyahoga’s Transit Oriented Development (TOD) workplan update which includes multiple activities and components:

• Update Model TOD Overlay
• Build a joint website*
• Continue publishing TOD Development Trends*
• Regularly update the TOD Navigator
• Implement the TOD Loan Program
• Align incentives for TOD
• Facilitate networking and collaboration
• Advertise technical assistance products
• Create TOD brand*
• Forming informational campaign
• Convene quarterly*
• Formalizing strategic plan for TOD
• Establish statewide TOD coalition

Areas that are being worked on currently.

County Planning staff shared its Development Trends Report Summary which analyzed corridors throughout the County that meet TOD design criteria. The design criteria include close proximity to the street, multiple stories tall, parking located to the rear/side, TOD friendly use/mixed-use, and a front-facing building entrance. In 2025, forty-two (42) developments were examined and more than half- twenty-six (26) newly built developments- met the TOD design criteria.

County Planning also reported that they have been working on a TOD “brand” and website. The TOD partner organization and the internal team worked with Cuyahoga County Communications to build a logo and brand specific to Cuyahoga County TOD. The goal was to develop a shared brand that can be used by all local TOD partners in communicating goals, values, opportunities, and ongoing work. The TOD website is being developed as a single, shared location for updates on TOD projects, access to resources, and a hub for information. The website is anticipated as a shared platform that can link out and be linked to and be housed and managed with County Planning for easy and rapid updates.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Executive Director Cierebiej reported on the Agency’s Budget & recent performance evaluations. While shortfalls were identified in salaries, benefits and operating, a request to repurpose $84.5K of County Planning’s 2026 Q1 revenue deposits to General Fund was denied by the County. Annual Performance Evaluations are still underway per County Planning’s Compensation Policy, but due to budget constraints, there is no ability to issue performance-based merits or promotions. Chair Christopher Alvarado addressed the budget issue and spoke from the perspective of the County Executive administration and the option of furloughs.

The Unified Zoning Code (UZC) Initiative launched this week on many social media platforms and was published in a Crains Cleveland article as well. Fundraising is continuing and is maintained under a separate accounting unit specifically for this project. The UZC is a long-term project expected to be active for many years.

The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) project is underway with a Request for Proposals issued for vendors to complete a comprehensive Safety Action Plan for Cuyahoga County. The deadline to respond is July 20^th.

Executive Director Cierebiej introduced Srushti Rahigude a Keithly-Cornell summer graduate student fellow. Rahigude is a shared resource with Annie Pease, Senior Transportation Advisor to the County Executive at no cost to County Planning which appreciates the extra project support.

Lastly, Executive Director Cierebiej reported on the Community Planning Services Program (CPSP) which received twelve (12) applications ranging from strategic Master Plans to trails, corridor, and wayfinding plans. The Agency’s current capacity will dictate the number of awards. The reviewing and scoring are being done internally with award announcements by July 1^st.

OLD BUSINESS
There was no old business.

NEW BUSINESS
Jim Sonnhalter started his report on the Cuyahoga Greenways Plan Update with a brief history. In 2017, County Planning was awarded funds from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) Transportation for Livable Community Initiative (TLCI) grant. Additional funding and in-kind support have been provided by County Planning, Cleveland Metroparks, and contributions from numerous local governments and public agencies. The consulting team of SmithGroup, WSP, and Guide Studio were hired to complete the Plan, which envisioned an 800-mile, All-Ages-and-Abilities, Active Transportation network. Through on street and off-street facilities, the Greenways Plan intended to connect all 59 cities, villages, and townships to each other and to the region. Plan alignments have advanced in phases from Planning to Preliminary Engineering to Construction. In recent years, numerous partnering agencies have recognized and responded to the need for a systematic update of the trails inventory.

The 2026 Cuyahoga Greenways Plan Partners include:

• Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
• Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency
• Rails to Trails Conservancy
• Trust for Public Land
• City of Cleveland
• State of Ohio Department of Transportation
• Cuyahoga County Planning Commission
• GCRTA
• Cuyahoga County
• Destination Cleveland
• Bike Cleveland
• Cleveland Metroparks
• National Park Service
• Greater Cleveland Partnership

The 2026 Greenways Plan Update has expanded to include facility types of off-street paths, defining all ages & abilities, adding more routes, and new additional signage and wayfinding. A couple of ways the Greenways plan update has been successful highlighting trails, and greenways is through Celebrate Trails Day and Bike with a Mayor.

ADJOURN
With no other business, Mr. Joseph Nanni made a motion to adjourn the meeting with a second by Mayor Kurtz at 3:05 p.m.

NEXT MEETING (Tentative)
July 9, 2026

NEXT REGULAR MEETING
August 13, 2026