Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1. If
you
truly
want
an
open
discussion
about
the
proposed
Oakwood
development,
all
sides
should
be
represented.
I
would
have
been
most
happy
to
sit
on
the
panel,
present
my
plan
for
the
former
Oakwood
Country
Club
and
take
questions
from
the
audience.
However,
you
did
not
invite
me.
In
fact,
I
only
found
out
about
this
yesterday,
by
chance.
2. Your
forum
is
to
take
place
at
the
same
time
as
a
work
session
of
the
South
Euclid
Planning
Commission,
effectively
precluding
me
from
participating.
In
an
email
exchange
with
Bob
Rosenbaum
from
FutureHeights,
Mr.
Rosenbaum
told
me
that
the
South
Euclid
Planning
Commission
Schedule
had
been
checked.
However,
when
I
went
to
that
website,
I
immediately
saw
the
conflict.
I
must
note
the
South
Euclid
Planning
Commission
meeting
was
added
by
the
Commission
during
its
meeting
on
March
24,
before
plans
for
the
FutureHeights
forum
were
posted
on
the
Observer
web
site.
I
would
additionally
note
that
several
parties
active
with
the
Heights
Observer
and
FutureHeights
were
present
at
the
March
24
meeting
of
the
South
Euclid
Planning
Commission.
3. Your
meeting
announcement
says,
“Forum
speakers
will
address
the
following
topics:
Retail
needs
and
opportunities
in
Cleveland's
eastern
suburbs;
housing
trends,
needs,
and
opportunities
in
older
suburbs;
and
long-‐term
and
regional
perspectives
in
balancing
the
needs
for
green
space,
maintaining
high
quality
of
life,
and
sustainable
revenue
streams
for
local
governments.”
However,
after
I
called
Bob
Rosenbaum
to
share
my
concerns,
you
left
me
a
voicemail
message
back
explicitly
stating
that
the
Forum
wasn’t
related
to
the
actual
development,
and/or
whether
the
Oakwood
Club
should
be
developed
as
a
retail
facility,
but
that
the
focus
was
“How
can
we
get
the
citizens
of
Cleveland
Heights,
University
Heights
and
South
Euclid
to
be
involved
in
the
decision-‐making
process
and
how
can
we
get
the
cities
to
be
more
responsive
to
what
the
community
needs
may
be.”
Mr.
Bell,
it
remains
unclear
to
me
whether
your
forum
is
intended
to
consider
what
you
have
listed
on
the
FutureHeights
website,
or
are
your
goals
the
ones
you
articulated
on
my
voicemail,
which
I
interpret
as
clearly
excluding
my
participation?
It
would
also
seem
that
your
organization
is
excluding
the
residents
of
South
Euclid
who
have
been
neither
notified
nor
invited
to
attend
your
forum.
(Your
website
explicitly
states
that
your
organization
serves
Cleveland
Heights
and
University
Heights.)
4. It
appears
clear
to
me
that
your
forum
is
not
intended
to
take
the
needs
of
South
Euclid
residents
into
consideration.
As
stated
many
times
by
members
of
the
South
Euclid
city
administration
and
commissions,
South
Euclid
intends
to
increase
its
commercial
tax
base
and
provide
additional
green
space
in
its
efforts
to
become
a
sustainable
community.
Furthermore,
South
Euclid
officials
have
stated
that
First
Interstate’s
plans
for
the
proposed
commercial
and
dedicated
parkland
development
in
South
Euclid
achieve
both
of
these
objectives.
In
fact,
the
primary
opposition
to
the
South
Euclid
project,
at
both
the
Planning
Commission
meetings
and
the
South
Euclid
ward
meetings,
comes
almost
exclusively
from
Cleveland
Heights
residents.
5. The
City
of
South
Euclid
has
provided
many
open
community
meetings
for
its
residents
to
have
input
into
the
process.
There
have
been
at
least
six
open
Planning
Commission
meetings,
as
well
as
a
formal
Public
Hearing
in
South
Euclid,
as
well
as
a
City
Council
meeting
with
the
public
comment
portion
open
to
the
public
on
this
proposal.
Mr.
Bell,
you
have
selected
a
distinguished
panel
of
experts
to
serve
on
the
April
7
panel.
How
they
can
offer
constructive
comment
on
the
proposed
Oakwood
Commons
project
is
a
puzzle,
since,
to
my
knowledge,
none
of
them
have
been
provided
with
full
and
correct
information
about
the
project.
As
mentioned,
I
am
more
than
happy
to
meet
with
members
of
your
organization
and
members
of
the
public
who
are
interested
in
hearing
both
sides
of
the
issue
and
participating
in
a
civil
discussion.
I
just
ask
that
you
hold
that
meeting
at
a
time
when
we
do
not
have
a
clear
and
public
scheduling
conflict.
Of
course,
you
and
your
organization
are
certainly
entitled
to
your
own
opinions,
but
you
are
not
entitled
to
your
own
facts.
I
welcome
an
opportunity
to
share
those
facts
with
you
and
your
organization.
Sincerely,
The Offices at Legacy Village – 25333 Cedar Road, Suite 300 – Lyndhurst, OH 44124
216.381.2900 – www.first-‐interstate.com