Everything has its place in Mayfield Heights. Townhouses do not belong in the middle of an executive office park. Here are the questions neighbors ask us most.
What is Issue 107?
Issue 107 is our chance to keep Mayfield working. Voting Yes fixes Council’s mistake and restores the property’s original office-park zoning.
Where exactly is this?
It is on Parkland Boulevard, tucked inside Landerhaven Corporate Park, the executive office park off Lander Road near I-271. The site sits right next to Rockwell Automation and just down the street from Parker Hannifin’s global headquarters. The property is ringed by executive offices. Townhouses do not belong there. This is not an existing neighborhood; they are being dropped into the middle of a working office corridor. It is the same street a major employer is bringing hundreds of new jobs.
Why should I care if it is not near my house?
It is your money either way. The income taxes from executive office jobs help pay for police, fire, and city services across all of Mayfield Heights. They are trading those jobs for townhouses that pay the city little, and everyone deals with the shortfall. This affects all of us.
Are you against housing?
We are not. Everything has its place in Mayfield Heights. Neighborhoods, parks, shopping, and offices all have their place in our community. This is not about being against growth. It is that townhouses do not belong in the middle of a working executive office park. The right developments in the right places.
Why does it matter if it is office or housing?
Executive office jobs generate income-tax revenue that funds our police, our fire, and city services. Townhouse owners who work elsewhere pay the city very little, and their property taxes go mostly to the schools. Trading office jobs for townhouses means less money for the services we all rely on.
Is office space dead? Who needs it anymore?
The people who own and lease office space here have invested millions in our community. They know this market better than anyone and say demand is real on Parkland Boulevard. This is the wrong place for townhouses. In fact, a major employer is coming to the same street bringing hundreds of new jobs.
If this does not get built, will the land just sit empty?
No. Voting YES restores office zoning. The demand is real. A major employer is bringing hundreds of jobs to the very same street. Our office owners know this market better than anyone. They agree. The choice is not townhouses or a vacant lot. It is what is its best use. You cannot unbuild townhouses.
Did the city follow the proper process?
The property was changed to townhouse zoning after a public hearing that lasted about four minutes. Council suspended its own rules and read the ordinance by title only, all in a single night. Usually, there are two more public hearings. No final development plan and no signed builder were submitted. The developer does not even own the land yet. A permanent decision this big needed real public input.
How many townhouses? Is that too dense?
Sixty-one. For developments like this, code allows a maximum of about 36 units. This is nearly double. The zoning board asked the developer why so many. The answer was that he “maximized” the number.
What is this about a tax subsidy?
According to the developer’s own documents, the plan proposes a 30-year tax incentive (TIF) worth about $9.3 million in public funds. On top of trading away the office jobs that fund the city and help prevent tax increases, it would hand the developer millions in public subsidies for three decades. A YES vote takes that proposed subsidy off the table.
Is this even legal? Can residents really reverse it?
Yes. We gathered the signatures and the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections certified them. It is why Issue 107 is on the ballot. Our city charter gives us the right to bring a question like this to the voters.
The developer’s lawyers say the city could get sued. Should we worry?
Independent legal experts have explained those threats do not hold up under Ohio law. A developer does not gain “vested rights” just because a rezoning passed. This is especially true when he does not even own the land. You can be sued for anything. It is not a reason to keep a bad decision in place.
Did anyone on Council side with residents?
Yes. When Council was forced by petition to hold additional meetings to hear the facts, the vote narrowed. President Pro Tem Kathy Telban moved to adopt the residents’ measure, and members Michael Buffa and King Miner voted with her. It fell short by one vote, so now it is up to the voters.
What exactly am I voting on?
A YES vote on Issue 107 restores the property’s executive-office zoning, the way it was before Council’s rushed decision. It keeps Parkland an office corridor that supports jobs and the city’s tax base.
What can I do to help?
Vote YES on Issue 107 on Tuesday, November 3rd. Tell your neighbors, put signs in your yard, and if you have time to volunteer, sign up here. Local elections are decided by the people who show up.
Everything has its place.
Townhouses do not belong in an executive office park.
Vote Yes on Issue 107 · Tuesday, November 3