Cleveland Heights to clear site in summer
Another step toward remaking Cleveland Heights’ “Mayfield Triangle” was taken last night. Where it goes from there will be decided in the coming months through a public-involvement process led by the city.
The reason why the city is leading it is because the Mayfield Triangle, a roughly 6.3-acre swath of land bound by Mayfield, Noble and Warrensville Center roads, is owned principally by the city. And, in Ohio, municipal governments determine how land is used in their jurisdictions.
The biggest piece of land in the triangle is the 3.25-acre former site of the Hillside Dairy acquired by the city in 2000, one year after the dairy was closed. Most of the dairy, which opened in 1932, has been demolished except for a row of vacant buildings along Warrensville Center.
This summer, Cleveland Heights plans to take down the remaining Hillside Dairy buildings, situated within the busy Mayfield business district. As a first step toward hiring a a demolition contractor, Mayor Jim Petras got unanimous permission yesterday from City Council to bid this project.
The Hillside Dairy buildings at 1418 Warrensville Center served as a Police Annex until 2021 when asbestos and structural deficiencies were identified. The buildings have been vacant since. The city continues to use the rest of the site for its Department of Public Works. In 2014, the city built a salt dome on the former dairy site.
How the Mayfield Triangle looked from above in September 2001, one year after the city acquired the former Hillside Dairy that closed in 1999. The city since has acquired other significant properties in the area as shaded in orange (NEOtrans/Google).
“The demolition of the Hillside Dairy is necessary to clear the way for what comes next,” Petras said in a written statement. “I’m excited to see where this leads and anticipate that it will add to the momentum growing in the city’s Center Mayfield area. I am grateful for the partnership with City Council in prioritizing this demolition.”
In 2024, the city won a $274,500 Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program grant from the Ohio Department of Development to clean up and take down the remaining Hillside Dairy structures. It was one of more than 1,000 demolitions in Cuyahoga County funded by the state, as part of an overall funding award.
“Razing the Hillside Dairy building has been on my list for years, and is also very important to fellow council members,” said City Council Vice President Gail Larson. “As a resident of the Noble area, I’m interested in ensuring the Noble Corridor is positioned for redevelopment.”
However, a new location for the city’s Public Works activities conducted at the Noble Road site hasn’t been settled. So that question must be answered soon, said Councilwoman Jessica Cohen, who chairs council’s Planning and Development Committee.
“The Mayfield Triangle is an area that has active city uses within it, so it is important to be planful while recognizing critical purposes city property serves there,” she said.
Looking generally south at to-be-demolished buildings along the Warrensville Center Road side of the Hillside Dairy in this historic postcard (Michael LaRue collection).
“The demolition of the dairy building has the potential to open up space for a planning effort that provides insight into how we continue critical city functions while advancing redevelopment,” Cohen explained.
In 2022, the city started planning for the site’s transformation. Its Community Development Department and Citizens Advisory (oversight) Committee allocated $300,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to rehabilitate the site.
The city used $65,000 for an environmental survey and set aside $75,000 as the local funding match for the building’s demolition. The remaining funds will help defray the cost of demolition, abatement, and securing the site.
The Noble Road Corridor Comprehensive and Neighborhood Planning initiative began in January 2024. Also in Summer 2024, the city completed a significant portion of the planning effort’s public engagement process, which included five public meetings to gather ideas on redeveloping Noble Road.
Hillside Dairy opened in 1932 and operated at the site until 1999 when it was purchased and closed by the Dean Foods Company. The City of Cleveland Heights acquired the property the following year. Portions of the building were demolished in 2004 and 2013.
In July 2021, the former Hillside Dairy buildings along Warrensville Center Road were still occupied by the Cleveland Heights Police Department an annex facility as evidenced by the lights being on inside. But the discovery of asbestos and structural issues forced the city to vacate the structures later that year (Google).
Recent investments in the Center Mayfield District include $2.1 million in the city’s American Rescue Plan Act fund allocation were expended in the Noble area on housing repair, parks, non-profits and planning studies.
An additional $300,000 was spent from the city’s general fund for Down Payment Assistance and Exterior Repair programs. So far, 31 percent of Down Payment Assistance grants were obligated in the Noble Corridor. And 53 percent of Exterior Repair program funds were obligated in the Noble Corridor.
Other recent investments nearby include the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Libraries completing a major renovation and expansion of its Noble Road Library, including introducing a new community space.
The commercial district on Mayfield Road, at the southern end of the Triangle, received a $35,000 Community Development Block Grant to design potential streetscape improvements.
And, storefront renovations of the Franklin Myles State Farm, Kulture Lounge and six contiguous businesses on the south side of Mayfield near Warrensville Center were completed with city Storefront Renovation Program funds.
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