County Planning’s 2025 Annual Report recounts our planning efforts and project work for the year. As always, our project work and initiatives aim to help our region and its communities grow and thrive. This encompasses a focused effort to modernize zoning regulations and policies by updating zoning ordinances with best practices and removing legacy elements that no longer pertain. These zoning updates have included updated zoning maps, overlay zoning districts that establish development standards in addition to those of the underlying zoning district, and developing new chapters of zoning ordinances for transit-oriented development. Our zoning work in Cuyahoga County’s communities offers new growth opportunities for commercial corridors, large mall areas, and housing.

Our transit-oriented development work is complemented by our efforts to grow the Cuyahoga Greenways, a network of over 800 miles of on- and off-road trails in Cuyahoga County. Every year we see growth, both small and large, of this trails network that offers travel options for recreation and commuting, bringing trail users to destinations around the County. A significant benefit of these trails is human health and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The cornerstone of our work remains community engagement. We actively seek the input of community stakeholders and residents while formulating plans and advancing regional initiatives. In 2025, we concentrated on reaching all age groups, whether in elementary or high school classrooms, senior events, weekend fairs, and city-sponsored public meetings. Our firm belief is that community engagement throughout the process of creating a plan will produce a plan that reflects a community’s visions and goals.

Top image courtesy of Cuyahoga County