South Euclid City Council dismisses Oakwood referendum on legal technicality

At the Aug. 8 council meeting, South Euclid City Council voted to dismiss placement on November's general election ballot an issue that would have allowed voters to accept or reject the recent rezoning of the South Euclid portion of the former Oakwood Club for commercial big box retail purposes.

Citing a State of Ohio election law that requires referendum petitioners to submit a certified copy of the petition to the city's auditor prior to collecting voter signatures, Michael Lograsso, South Euclid law director, said the peitioners had failed to meet the requirement. The council deemed the petition insufficient and voted not to send it to the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

Developer Mitchell Schneider, whose attorneys contacted the City of South Euclid on Friday to protest the referendum and call attention to the discrepancy, was on hand to hear the news. Two large warehouse stores, the tenants of which remain unnamed, are planned for the property, which abuts a densely built residential area. The developer exercised his option to purchase the 90-acres of the property that lie within the boundaries of the City of Cleveland Heights; however, the deal has not yet closed.

Sarah Wean

Sarah Wean lives in the Coventry Village neighborhood of Cleveland Heights and has a keen interest in land use planning.

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Volume 4, Issue 9, Posted 10:45 PM, 08.08.2011