CLEVELAND HEIGHTS — A crumbling parking garage and deck owned by the City of Cleveland Heights in the popular Cedar Fairmount business district is salvageable, according to the city.
The city’s fire inspection service closed the Lennox/Surrey garage on Feb. 2 after a complaint about falling concrete. The structure was built in the early 1980s. It has 98 spaces, of which half is permitted parking. The rest is free parking open to the public.
News 5 reported on the closure on Feb. 15. Nearby business owners said the city had neglected to maintain the structure over the years properly and its closure would impact business.
Watch News 5's original story, where business owners explained previous issues with the garage and the struggle to help customers find convenient parking.
“People are very frustrated,” said Lynn Quintrell, owner of Appletree Books on Cedar Road. “They're very frustrated that they've had no direction as to where to park."
The Lennox/Surrey garage sits behind the bookstore and other businesses along Cedar Road.
Quintrell said the city has yet to offer a parking alternative for the public. She said the situation is starting to impact store traffic and sales.
“Independent little bookstores are rare, and I like patronizing them,” said Mary Mihaly, who traveled to Cleveland Heights from the west side. “But with that garage closed it makes it more difficult."
It’s the exact thing Quintrell continues to worry about.
“Are you worried this is going to be a prolonged closure?” News 5 asked Quintrell for its original story.
"Let me just say this. I'm not worried. I'm a realist. It’s going to be a long process,” Quintrell said.
City administrator Danny Williams updated council members on March 18. He said the city’s initial thought of demolishing the garage and replacing it with a surface lot has changed.
"It requires some significant repairs, but it can be repaired and preserved and is the most viable option at this point,” Williams said.
He said a new surface lot would be more costly, requiring a new storm sewer, retaining wall, asphalt, and grading.
“I’m concerned that it’s a band aid repair,” Quintrell said. “I hope that it’s a nice fix and it looks good and its structurally okay.”
Quintrell said it’s time for the city to negotiate with the owner of a private parking lot on Grandview Avenue so the public has a place to park.
“That should have been freed up for public parking by now," Quintrell said.
The city has already made a deal that allows those who had permits for the closed garage to park in the private lot.
The city said it’s working to secure a deal.
"We're not there yet, but we're in serious discussions about that,” Williams said during the council meeting. “And we're looking at a few other options as well to try to ease the inconvenience."
The city said $500,000 is a reasonable estimate for the cost of repairs. That amount is already set aside in American Rescue Plan Act funds for parking lot improvements at that site.
The city said it would like to have the project approved by council members and out for bid within the next several weeks.
Mihaly said time is ticking.
“You don’t want to damage businesses while you’re making improvements and maybe dragging your feet,” she said.
