Brooklyn Magazine 2023

Mayor Ron Van Kirk

Council Members

Aaron Borowski

Andy Celcherts

Steven Coyle

Sue Grodek

Kathy Pucci

Meg Ryan Shockey

Kevin Tanski

8000 Memphis Avenue Brooklyn, OH 44144 216-351-2133

brooklynohio.gov

DEPARTMENTS

4 Q&A with the Mayor Mayor Ron Van Kirk shares his thoughts about the job.

5 City Updates

Learn about the new master plan and city center updates.

15 City Scene

The newly developed Veterans Memorial Plaza offers a place to celebrate history.

FEATURES

7 The Big Picture

After developing a master plan for the city new projects are coming to Brooklyn.

10 A Place to Call Home Brooklyn is creating opportunities for residents.

13 Staying Safe

The city’s fire and police departments are adding to their services.

CONVERSATION with the Mayor

For the past seven years, Ron Van Kirk served as the President of the Brooklyn City Council. In late December of last year, he learned that he would be stepping into the role of Mayor. The previous mayor had resigned for another opportunity. We chatted with Mayor Van Kirk to get his thoughts and impressions on his new role.

Q: How have you adjusted to this career change?

A: Serving as Mayor has been an honor. Everyday brings a new challenge and an opportunity to learn and grow. I have enjoyed getting to know our employees and the hard work that they do for our community. I made it a point to meet with each department and understand exactly how they operate and focus on how we can be constantly improving our services.

Q: How are things progressing with the Master Plan?

A: Brooklyn is in the midst of a revitalization. We have seen the completion of our City Center and have invested in updates to our parks and infrastructure. Our rebranding allows for us to put Brooklyn on the map with new city signage and a fresh look. Maintaining the integrity of our

neighborhoods is also something we take pride in as we offer home grant programs for our residents. I am excited about the upcoming projects such as the new Brooklyn Public Library, hiring of additional personnel for our senior center and the continuous updating of our parks that will benefit the community.

Q: What do see as a Challenge for the City?

A: Maintaining the safety of our community is always important. As many cities see fewer applicants for their safety forces, we have been proactive in hiring police officers and firefighters and performing staffing assessments. We recently hired three police officers with plans to add four additional officers. We also added three firefighters to our fire department in May. Moving forward, we will continue seeking ways to enhance our safety forces.

Q: How is the City attracting new businesses to town?

A: Visiting with our business community has been inspiring. From homegrown small businesses to company world headquarters, we have a wonderful mix of businesses that support our city. Brooklyn is truly an ideal location to call home. Our business park at One American Road is just one example and is filled with new companies. By investing in our businesses, we invest in our community.

Q: On a personal level, how has your family adjusted to your new role?

A: My wife Christina and our two boys, Tanner and Judah love Brooklyn and are proud to call it our home. When this opportunity presented itself, I was grateful for my family’s support. I was fortunate to have a smooth transition into the role.

City Updates

MEMPHIS AVENUE IS GETTING A FRESH LOOK.

When we completed the master plan three years ago, one thing that came out of that process was improving the city center area,” says Mayor Ron Van Kirk. “Now that the new city hall/ police station building is finished, we’re working on a road diet for Memphis Avenue to improve vehicular and pedestrian safety.”

The highlight of the new city center is the police station. Police Chief Scott Mielke explains that the new station was designed to utilize today’s technology. “The station is built with computers and connectivity in mind, the officers have access to quality Wi-Fi and all the technology infrastructure

is integrated into the buildings. There’s room to accommodate the public for specific functions that we didn’t have in the previous space. We have more room for processing evidence and securing DNA evidence. The huge garage can accommodate all our marked cars, which will save money by protecting them from the elements.”

Plus, Brooklyn is seeing changes to its parks, says Jack Abbruzzese, parks and recreation commissioner.

“Residents will see improvements at Veterans Memorial Park,” says Abbruzzese.

“Connectivity will be improved by installing additional walking paths and enhanced greenspace areas throughout the upper and lower portions of the park. New lighting and security cameras will be added soon.”

Additionally, the Cuyahoga County Library is building the new Brooklyn branch as part of the city center. The 25,000 square foot library will offer an Innovation Center makerspace and a Pearson Vue testing center amongst its several amenities.

Ruth Corradi Beach

KEVIN REEVES

Behind the Plan

BROOKLYN ACTIVATES NEW MASTER PLAN AND ZONING CODE.

In early 2021, the city adopted a new master plan, and in January 2023, City Council adopted a new Planning and Zoning Code to replace the outdated 30 year old code. Meetings with residents during the beginning of the planning process revealed four main concerns including preserving the city’s parks and open spaces, increasing housing options, assuring the compatibility of uses and development, and transparency during the update process.

The city took these concerns into account when updating the Planning and Zoning Code, which was overwhelmingly approved by residents in a May 2023 referendum. “Our old zoning code did not have a parks and open space district, notes Mayor Ron Van Kirk. “Under the new Planning and

Zoning Code our parks and open spaces are preserved and protected.”

The desire for additional housing options were also addressed. “The city owns a fiveacre property on Memphis Avenue that could be a great location for a small housing development,” says Mayor Van Kirk. “The Planning and Zoning Code update allows for more flexibility in the type of owneroccupied housing that can be constructed.” He notes that the sale of the land and construction plans still required approval by city council and the planning commission.

The compatibility of uses and development is addressed in the new zoning code, explains Jeremy Rowan, economic development and planning director. That includes bringing zoning standards and uses up to

date. “The new Planning and Zoning Code modernizes the types of businesses permitted in commercial areas,” he says. The new zoning code has specifically revised parking requirements, allowing businesses to have less parking if they can prove they don’t need it. There are new requirements for street trees, onsite landscaping for businesses, and enhanced bufferings where business and residential come into contact.

Much of the background research and meeting materials from the master plan and Planning and Zoning Code updates is available for review on the city website at BrooklynOhio.gov. RB

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THE BIG BIG PICTURE

The City of Brooklyn’s master plan means changes for residents and visitors.

BY SARAH WEBB

Prior to its latest update in 2020, the master plan for the City of Brooklyn hadn’t been touched since 2006, so it was high time for a refresh.

“The plan from 2006 was fine, but little action was taken to implement the plan,” says Brooklyn Mayor Ron Van Kirk.

For its current master plan, which was officially adopted in early 2021, the city sent out a large resident survey seeking priorities that were important to residents. From there, city officials came up with several categories

to focus on and specific actions to achieve these goals.

“We began working through the recommendations and have been completing action items,” Van Kirk says. “The master plan provides a blueprint — a path — for the city to follow.”

Mayor Van Kirk, Jack Abbruzzese, recreational commissioner, and Jeremy Rowan, economic development director, provide details on how Brooklyn’s master plan was created and what it entails.

1 New Businesses

Rowan notes that a refresh to the master plan was especially important after The American Greetings headquarters — and all the income tax that came with it — moved out of Brooklyn in 2014.

However, the situation changed for the better when the American Greetings warehouse space became redeveloped into a multitenant business park that houses 11 companies and more than 2,000 employees.

The 1.6-million-square-foot complex is now home to Inogen, Progressive Insurance, TRG Multimedia, Graphic Packaging, MMI Textiles, Navage, HKM Direct Marketing, Health-Mor Industries, National Safety Apparel and Taylor Exhibitions. About 118,000 square feet remain of available warehouse and some residual office space for lease.

A key tenant for the complex is Medical Mutual, which took occupancy in 2020 of the 320,000-square-foot former American Greetings office tower. The company invested $30 million to modernize the four-story building.

Additionally, in exchange for bringing at least 750 jobs and $57 million in payroll, Brooklyn agreed to provide the firm with economic-development incentives valued between $1.3 million and $5 million over six years, Rowan says.

“Medical Mutual signed a 20year lease and has 1,000 employees in that space,” Rowan says. “So, it turned from a fairly devastating situation when American Greetings left to a success story of how to repurpose a vacant facility.”

Van Kirk adds that the long-term investment of companies such as Medical Mutual is especially key.

“It’s not just that new businesses are coming here — it’s also their staying power and that they’re investing millions,” says Van Kirk.

In addition, Amazon began operating a new 124,000-square-foot delivery center on a 15-acre parcel in 2022. Plus, 25 acres of additional vacant property provides more opportunities for future projects.

In fact, marketing efforts are currently underway for the 300,000-square-foot industrial and manufacturing building that includes modern features such as 36foot clear height ceilings, an ESFR sprinkler system, a 50-foot-by-60foot column spacing and LED lighting. The building can be leased by a single tenant or be divided into 75,000-square-foot suites meant for multiple tenants.

“The business community is the lifeblood of our finances,” says Van Kirk. “What’s been accomplished within the past five to seven years from an economic development perspective is really incredible.”

2

Housing Opportunities

New businesses aren’t alone in calling Brooklyn home — soon, new residents will, too, as the city is setting the foundation for new houses to be built.

“We haven’t built houses in Brooklyn for quite some time, but it’s important to do so if we want to continue drawing in a new generation of residents,” Mayor Van Kirk says.

Rowan notes that one of the biggest recommendations from the master plan was to revisit the zoning code, which hadn’t been updated in 30 years. The process of rewriting the Planning and Zoning Code, which residents supported in a recent referendum, has taken place over the past 2.5 years.

The areas selected for residential rezoning included properties held by the city and some privately-owned parcels. These areas were rezoned to allow for the construction of attached single family and detached single family homes, Rowan says.

“We recently issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to the development community asking for proposals to build housing on the city-owned former Up-to-Bat property on Memphis Avenue,” Rowan adds. “We’ll evaluate the proposals and move forward with utilizing the property for new housing.”

The city also plans to develop housing on other city-owned property.

“We have other vacant pieces of property that have been in limbo for years because they weren’t zoned correctly, but now the zoning is aligned with what the market wants to build,” Rowan says.

“There is a lot of interest in Brooklyn. Increasingly people want to live in places with the services of a suburban community and proximity to the amenities provided in a more urban environment, which perfectly describes Brooklyn,” Rowan adds.

3

Infrastructure Improvements

As recommended in the master plan, the City of Brooklyn is implementing a robust capital improvement plan. Every year, the city decides which roads should be updated based on a road classification system and spends between $1 million and $2 million on road construction, says Mayor Van Kirk.

“We repair a number of streets every year based upon need and budget,” Mayor Van Kirk says. “When people drive through Brooklyn, they have an expectation of good roads, and Brooklyn has some of the best roads in the county Updated roads allow our safety forces to get to emergencies quickly. The city invests a lot of money into infrastructure.”

Ridge Road and Brookpark Road are currently undergoing repairs, and, while those constitute county and state projects, the city has contributed

4 Recreational Developments

The master plan encompasses updates to the city’s recreational offerings, says Abbruzzese.

“While our recreational facilities are well maintained, they’re showing their age and require updating,” he says. “The buildings require mechanical and HVAC updates, have ADA compliance issues and just need general upgrades to keep our patrons coming back.”

Based on the results of a recent survey, the city plans to embark on several

renovation projects, starting with the pools. The hope is to secure an architect for the pool renovations this year, finalize the design in 2024 and start those renovations in 2025.

“We hope that people will appreciate all the improvement projects and continue visiting our facilities and signing up for programs,” Abbruzzese says. “The Recreation Department continues to market our facilities throughout the community.”

Abbruzzese adds Behnke Landscape Architects and the City of Brooklyn are finalizing a master plan for Upper and Lower Memorial Park.

The Upper Park renovations will include:

A new pavilion to replace the Grand Pavilion

• A new maintenance and park office to replace the existing building

• A new multiuse sport court area to house tennis, volleyball, basketball, pickleball, hockey, etc.

• Extended walking trails

Extended green space to accommodate large community events

A new fence, lighting and infield on Memorial No. 1 Field

• Additional playground amenities to include handicap-accessible features and areas

The Lower Park will receive the following renovations:

A new baseball infield

• A new walking trail around outfield fence of Memorial No. 2 to connect residents to the lower park, upper park trails and baseball diamond

Updates to Old Stone Pavilion

• A new restroom facility

Looking Ahead

significant funding to each effort. The city is also working with the Norfolk Southern Railroad to repair the railroad bridges over Memphis Avenue and Clinton Road. These should be completed this year.

Cuyahoga County recently replaced the Memphis Avenue Bridge, which is part of the travel corridor for the Amazon facility and other companies in the area. The next major infrastructure project planned for this area is the Memphis Avenue Road Diet.

Currently, the section of Memphis Avenue that spans from Tiedeman Road to Ridge Road includes two travel lanes, one east and one west, with no center turn lane. Because the lanes are expansive, Rowan says people drive two cars wide even though the travel lanes are meant for one vehicle.

With that in mind, the city is planning to undertake a whole corridor road diet so that Memphis Avenue will have one true east lane and one true west lane, with a center turn lane so cars can make left-hand turns safely.

“When the engineers studied this corridor, they found the area has a high rate of accidents because of the way it was originally built,” Rowan says. “The project could also include bike lanes heading east and west, traffic calming features such as bump outs at key intersections, reevaluating light sequencing and installing landscape medians. All these enhancements will improve safety for pedestrians and drivers.”

The revamped infrastructure will also serve to beautify the area.

For example, the city recently completed a project that landscaped and installed brand-new signs at the I-480 and Tiedeman Road interchange.

“As residents, we all know this is a great place to live. When people see the updates upon entering the city, they will understand Brooklyn is a thriving community, open for business and moving forward. We will continue to build on that recognition as we make Brooklyn a destination city,” Mayor Van Kirk adds.

While the city has continued full speed ahead implementing the steps outlined in its current master plan, Mayor Van Kirk says that it will never stop updating the document.

“It’s a document that will be ever-changing, it guides the city moving forward,” Van Kirk says.

“If you’re not looking forward and evolving as a community, you’re not going to be able to achieve the desired progress in the future.”

Rowan adds that the city’s willingness to invest in implementing the master plan recommendations further encourages people to make Brooklyn their home.

“It’s hard to ask people to invest in a community if the community isn’t going to invest in itself,” Rowan says. “When you look at all the recent public and private investments throughout Brooklyn, it makes for a place that people want to be.”

GREG WILSON

A Place to Call HOME

Amid maintenance grants, incentive programs and ongoing street projects, the City of Brooklyn has put forth a lot of effort in keeping its neighborhoods and housing stock updated and attractive for current and prospective residents.

“You don’t want to move to a street that has boarded-up windows, overgrown shrubs and peeling paint everywhere,” says Mike Greer, building official for the City of Brooklyn. “Anything that we can do at the city level to ensure that houses are properly maintained helps create that sense of community and pride in where you live and, in turn, translates to people wanting to move to the community.”

Greer, Mike Henry, vice president of Chagrin Valley Engineering; Jeremy Rowan, economic development director; and Mayor Ron Van Kirk discuss the programs and incentives the City of Brooklyn has put in place to make the community a desirable place to call home.

Maintenance Grants

Awarded to the City of Brooklyn from Cuyahoga County, the Community Development Supplemental Grant includes $50,000 for Brooklyn residents to put toward exterior home improvements. Brooklyn’s City Council historically has agreed to match that amount dollar for dollar, creating an available fund of $100,000.

“When someone looks to move into a new house, one of the first things they look at are the neighbor’s houses around them,” Mayor Van Kirk says. “So, it’s important that each house is maintained, as it benefits the entire neighborhood. Right now, the vast majority of people in Brooklyn take great care of their homes, and we are working to assist those who need some help in doing so.”

The grant covers items such as new roofs, new windows, exterior paint or siding and concrete repair. The maximum an applicant can receive is $3,000.

“If a homeowner decides to move in a year or two, those improvements will increase the

value of their house so that it’s attractive to prospective buyers,” Greer says.

While the grant application process has closed for 2023, Greer says it’s more than likely that the city will run the program again next year, with the stipulation that if a resident receives a grant award the year prior, they are not eligible the following year.

“That way we can help spread the money around to help as many Brooklyn residents as possible,” Greer says.

Get the scoop on programs and initiatives taking place in the city to keep Brooklyn’s housing stock updated and make it attractive to residents.

BY SARAH WEBB

Van Kirk adds that dozens of residents have benefitted from the grant in previous years.

The application process typically begins in February or March and runs for about six weeks. More information on how to apply can be found at BrooklynOhio.gov

“The most important thing for residents is to understand that we’re not trying to be punitive but more so preemptive when we see maintenance issues that could cause a larger problem,” Greer says. “If you do the little things early, you can typically avoid the bigger ticket items down the road.”

CRA Program

Authorized by the state of Ohio, the Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) program allows communities to abate property tax in order to encourage community and economic development.

The program covers both commercial and residential improvements.

“If you make large investments to your house that increase your taxable value, you’re able to get a certain percentage abated through the program,” Rowan says. “The program provides an incentive for residents to invest in their home.”

To qualify for the program, residents only need to complete the project and attain the proper permits. From there, the building department pulls the permit data from its database and reaches out to the residents who completed those projects to ask if they would like to take advantage of the program.

If residents agree, the city advances them through the application process.

“It’s really simple, but surprisingly, not everyone will respond,” Rowan says. “It’s even easier than applying for the maintenance grant. The city has really gone out of its way to make sure there are incentives in place for residents that want to invest in their homes.”

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Street Projects

This year also proved to be a big one for street improvement projects.

“It’s valuable for residents to see that the city is using its financial resources to make the community a better place to live,” Henry says.

One such project was the $1.5 million pavement replacement program, to be completed by the end of 2023, that includes point repairs on the streets of Archmere Avenue, Elizabeth Lane, Brookwood Drive, West 66th St., Traymore Avenue and Forest Edge Drive.

“The city invested several years ago in a pavement evaluation scoring process that provides a system to evaluate the pavement condition of roadways throughout the city,” Henry says.

Other projects planned within the city include:

• Lane widening at the intersection of Tiedeman and Memphis, which will be completed in 2024. This project will allow trucks to easily go into a new turning lane, improving access to I-480 and enhancing traffic flow at this important intersection.

• Landscape improvements at the I-480 and Tiedeman Road interchange. The second phase of trees and shrub installations is planned for 2024.

• Aesthetic improvements to the Tiedeman Road bridge over I-480 will take place in 2024.

• A water line replacement on Southwood Drive.

Additionally, the city is planning to make streetscape improvements on Brookpark Road following the completion of the state’s resurfacing project

“We will be adding grass, trees and other improvements to make the area more aesthetically pleasing,” Henry says.

BY RUTH CORRADI BEACH

Recent building projects and upgrades are aimed at making Brooklyn an even safer place to live. These include the construction of a new police station and improving the fire station and its technology. “We have some of the best response times in the county for police, fire and EMS,” says Mayor Ron Van Kirk. “But the old police department facilities were dated. Now our officers are able to do their job even more efficiently. The largest investment is the brand-new police station. The city center is 57,000 square feet and 70% of the building is for the police station and mayor’s court. There’s also an

animal shelter that’s part of the police station.

“We have hired three police officers in 2023 and four more will be hired early next year,” Van Kirk continues. “On the fire department side, we hired three firefighters this year, to add one additional firefighter working each shift. The city has purchased three new police cars every year for the past three [all nine are arriving at once, since during the pandemic the supply chain was disrupted], a new fire engine, and is always upgrading equipment and looking for ways to enhance services.”

Police Chief Scott Mielke echoes the mayor’s enthusiasm for the new police station, including the opportunities the building offers. “The new facility has made the department more efficient, allowing our officers more time to develop new programs and partnerships,” he says. “We have a lot of retail businesses, so working with loss prevention in our big box stores and other retailers is really important. Every three months, our detectives meet to share trends, photos, attempting to ID people. For example, Walmart might know a suspect from its store, but Menards may not realize that same suspect is causing issues at its location. These meetings help make that connection.”

Additionally, Mielke notes, there’s an increased police presence around the community. “We have a bicycle unit, and we’ve added officers to that unit. Being on the bike gets an officer out of the car and into the parks and shops and talking to people. The bicycle unit can also go into areas that would not be accessible by car.”

Fire Chief Kevin Paul is similarly optimistic about the Fire Department’s future.

Specifically, the department has added staffing and is acquiring new vehicles and increasing its ability to help residents in an emergency.

“We’re getting a new firetruck in late 2025 or early 2026, and are in the process of going through some ambulance maintenance. A new ambulance will be ordered in the near future.

“The department has been investing on the medical side of things as well,” Paul continues. This includes monitors for patients in

the firetrucks who have shortness of breath and two mechanical CPR machines. “We’re looking really good,” he says. All the city buildings, including the recreation center, city center and the senior center have one or more AEDs. “That’s something we’re really proud of,” says Paul.

“The administration and city council have been very helpful towards us,” he adds. “They make sure we have what we need.”

A Place for Reflection

THE NEWLY DESIGNED VETERANS MEMORIAL PLAZA HONORS HISTORY

Visitors to Brooklyn will now have a new place where they can honor veterans of the city and the people who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country at the Veterans Memorial Plaza on Memphis Avenue.

The new park was conceptualized when the veteran monuments near the former city hall building had to be relocated to allow for the construction of the new Brooklyn Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library. The idea was to relocate the veteran monuments near the existing military jet plane located on Memphis Avenue. As planning got underway, an adjacent residential property went up for sale. The city bought it, and Veterans Memorial Plaza was born.

“It’s a place for reflection,” says Mayor Ron Van Kirk. “The space allows visitors to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. It’s often easy to forget, so this is meant to be a place of remembrance.”

“There will be flags for all branches of service, with beautiful lighting and landscaping,” Van Kirk says. “The park was born out of necessity, but it has turned into a tremendous feature in the city.”

Van Kirk adds that the new Veterans Memorial Plaza somewhat resembles an existing park on Ridge Road called Cpl. Timothy Knight Commons — a space designed to honor Marine Cpl. Knight who was killed died in Iraq.

“This new Veterans Memorial Plaza will be a space that people can visit and remember their loved ones or reflect on all those who died protecting our freedom,” Van Kirk says.

BY SARAH WEBB