Cleveland Heights brings building inspection back in-house, adds facade regulations

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — After nearly a decade of primarily outsourcing its building inspection duties, the city has brought those services back in-house.

City officials announced Aug. 22 that the Building Department had completed the transition, with the hiring of two more inspectors over the summer.

This brought the total to four inspectors, supported by three permit technicians.

This has eliminated the need for additional contracting with private vendor SAFEbuilt, which had been hired full-time in 2016.

Last year, Mayor Kahlil Seren appointed Chief Building Official Eric Elmi as the city’s fully certified commissioner.

Elmi began revising the SAFEbuilt contract and restoring the municipal service.

From there, the administration worked with City Council on staffing and updates to the fee and permit structure to improve accountability and service.

“With this move, we’re ensuring contractors are more informed,” Elmi said in a city news release.

“The culture will change as word gets around: If you work in Cleveland Heights, you have to get a permit.”

One department goal will be increasing awareness among contractors that permits protect them and their customers — city residents and building owners.

“On top of the fee structure being updated, penalty fees are significant enough to weed out the bad apples,” Elmi said.

“We hope this behavior of working without permits will be decreased by inspectors in the field.”

The new hires, both plumbing and building specialists, will strengthen responsiveness, oversight and coordination with planning, housing and code enforcement.

“While third-party services provided a bridge, operating with city staff supports consistent standards, better communication and proactive field work,” city officials said.

Facade safety

At its Aug. 18 meeting, council also approved new building and garage facade inspection requirements — prompted by two partial collapses last summer within a month of each other.

Those occurred in the Cedar-Fairmount district at the Heights Medical Building and then in the 3900 block of Mayfield Road, at Kulture Ultra Lounge and Authentix Barber Shop & Salon.

Extremely thankful that no one was hurt or killed, Elmi called the passage of new requirements “vital,” resembling those in place in the cities of Cleveland and Lakewood.

“Last summer’s façade failures were a serious warning that something needs to be done,” Elmi said, adding that over time, “Mother Nature reacts in strange ways on buildings.”

The new ordinance calls for inspections every five years by structural engineers on “historic commercial buildings” and “substantial structures” consisting of at least two stories or 20 feet tall and 30 years or older.

Elmi noted that the Mayfield building was not even two stories high.

As for the Heights Medical Building, Elmi told council that the old stone cornices and parapets that toppled to the sidewalk below have now been replaced with fiberglass.

“It looks real, but it’s much lighter and if it falls down, much less dangerous,” Elmi said.

For any citations issued, building owners will have six to 12 months to come into compliance, City Planning and Development Director Eric Zamft added.

Prentiss Place

Also on Aug. 18 — but several months in the making — council passed a resolution of support — along with a $100,000 city contribution — for the Prentiss Place transitional living facility.

Located in the former St. Louis Church convent on North Taylor Road, the shelter provides sanctuary for homeless women with children, “particularly those within the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District.”

The resolution cited the urgent need for safe, supportive and transitional housing in the CH-UH district, where as many as 167 students have been identified as experiencing homelessness, impacting over 90 families.

Providing wrap-around services and holistic continuum of care, the 24-hour, dormitory-style accommodations can house up to six families or 30 individuals at a time.

Organizers plan to serve 120 to 150 clients a year.

A collaborative effort involving Imani Temple Ministries, Students of Promise and the Murtis Taylor Human Services System, the program also leverages American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.

Students of Promise Executive Director Bob Ivory attended numerous meetings after Council Vice President Davida Russell introduced the legislation in mid-June.

Councilman Anthony Mattox Jr. noted that Cuyahoga County Council contributed to the facility — named for the late state senator C. J. Prentiss — urging his colleagues to follow suit as the host city.

Approved on third reading, Russell and Mattox thanked Ivory for his patience in waiting for the final vote.

Ivory returned for the Sept. 2 regular council meeting to express his appreciation to the city for supporting the initiative.

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