Just over a month after a massive fire tore through the Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook development, forcing the temporary closure of the Cedar-Lee Garage, the parking structure has reopened. Although the costly fire did not directly damage the garage, the City of Cleveland Heights closed it as a precaution due to safety concerns arising from the blaze.
Local businesses, which had struggled with reduced parking access, are now seeing an uptick in customers. “It got to the point where we put valet on the weekends, and that kind of helped, but even then, [the valets] didn’t know where to park the cars anymore, so that just created more issues,” said Cozumel General Manager Andres Aguirre.
Some businesses, such as Boss Dog, took drastic measures in response to the reduced foot traffic. The restaurant posted a notice on its door and social media, announcing it would close on Mondays and Wednesdays “due to the circumstances in our neighborhood” until further notice.
With the garage now open as of last Friday, its north side remains boarded up to ensure safety for visitors and vehicles. Business owners reported a surge in activity over the weekend. “We had the best Saturday that we’ve had probably since November, so we did have a very good Saturday. My staff did a great job in looking at the receipts. We had a very strong Saturday, which was great, which was wonderful, and I’m very grateful for that,” said Destiny Burns, owner of CLE Urban Winery.
Aguirre echoed the sentiment, noting that Cozumel experienced one of its busiest Saturdays since the garage closure. “That was probably the busiest Saturday we’ve had since [the garage] was open. We had to wait for that day. Everyone was coming out to support, and it was good to have that back,” he said.
Cleveland Heights Mayor Khalil Seren expressed appreciation for the collaborative effort that led to the garage reopening. “We want to thank the businesses and, at the City, the Building and Fire Departments, the State Fire Marshal, and everyone who worked with us for this stop-gap solution. We want to encourage people to shop and let them know this is not the end. We are definitely going to rebuild. Our absolute certainty is that this project will be a benefit to the City of Cleveland Heights and the Cedar-Lee Business District.”
Despite the boost in business, some owners expressed frustration over a lack of communication from city officials throughout the closure. “There’s been no communication. People ask us, ‘Hey, what’s going on with them?’ We don’t know. We find out through Facebook like everyone else does, which was kind of odd. The city hasn’t really come by to explain. Even when they closed the parking garage, we didn’t know it was going to close or when it was going to open. I didn’t know it was going to open until I saw it on Facebook. We’re the ones that are directly affected by it. You’d think that more communication would be done,” Aguirre said.
Burns shared similar concerns, stating she was given less than 24 hours’ notice before the garage reopened. “These are all really important things that are happening and important milestones that we need to know about. The business owners here, especially on this part of Lee Road, where we’re directly affected by the construction site and by the demolition coming up, we should be treated as stakeholders,” she emphasized. “I’ve had a really hard time getting access to information, getting access to any kind of planning or anything like that. I keep asking, and I will keep asking.”
Addressing these concerns, Cleveland Heights Director of Communications Jessica Schantz acknowledged the city’s efforts to support local businesses. “While it’s not ideal, we are putting forth a great deal of effort to make sure that people are visiting the business district,” Schantz said. “From the city’s perspective, we’re keenly aware of how this impacts the businesses. They’re very much on our minds.”
Schantz explained that the city acted swiftly to reopen the Cedar-Lee Garage once it was deemed safe. “As soon as we knew it could reopen, we rushed to communicate that out,” she said.
For business owners like Burns, more proactive communication would be invaluable. “It would just really help us plan and prepare so that we can be ready, and our customers will be less impacted by us having to pivot, pivot, pivot every five minutes to try to keep up with what’s coming at us,” she said. “I’m scared. I am scared. We’re all just holding on. It’s been really, really tough, not just for us here in Cedar-Lee, but for the entire hospitality industry in Cleveland.”
According to the City of Cleveland Heights, both the city and state fire investigations have been completed. The next step is awaiting private insurance companies representing the developer to conduct their inspections. “We must allow them the time they need to go through a proper inspection,” Schantz stated. “As soon as we get the green light, we will enter into conversations about the process of deconstructing.”
At this time, the City of Cleveland Heights has given no timeline for when the final inspections will be completed.