Mayor Koomar outlines big changes coming to Bay

Bay Village Mayor Paul Koomar delivers his State of the City address on Feb. 26 at the Dwyer Center. Photo by Denny Wendell

Years from now, this moment in Bay Village history may look like the calm before the storm. Just over the horizon, winds are blowing in a front heavy with significant changes to the city’s landscape. In a few short years, not to mention the decades to come, Bay Village will undergo a series of transformations that some consider long overdue.

In the near term will be a new library, an attached housing complex and an accessible network of park trails and lake access. Down the road, if all goes as planned, will come revamped shopping areas, more housing and dining options, and enhanced pedestrian/bicycle routes in an energized city center, to name a few.

To anyone who thinks all is quiet now, Mayor Paul Koomar, members of his administration and City Council would beg to differ. For the past several years, particularly in 2019, several projects have been gaining steam, which Koomar highlighted in his annual State of the City address on Feb. 26.

The most publicized, of course, is the new library building. After a lengthy design and approval process, the $7.5 million project is scheduled to break ground around mid-March. Targeted to be completed next summer, the building will offer up-to-date technology, community gathering spaces, a dedicated teen/children’s area, and plenty of books.

City leaders envision a “village green” between the library and city hall. The result should be a visual improvement over Bayway Cabin and the city employee parking lot.

Shortly after the library construction starts, work will begin in the vacant lot across Wolf Road. Called Bay Creek Commons, townhomes will soon rise from the former Shell gas station property. Mayor Koomar reported that the majority of the 11 units already have deposits from future homeowners.

It’s not surprising that both of those major construction projects have taken years to come to fruition, but one doesn’t necessarily think of a park as being burdened by red tape. However, when the park is an undeveloped lakefront gem, planning is a must.

For Bay Point, the spit of land jutting out between Cahoon Park and the Bay Boat Club, the conversation began in 2016 when ODOT announced the Lake Road bridge replacement. As the bridge was being designed, the city requested a span wide enough to allow for a trail underneath, along Cahoon Creek to the lake. With the path in place, and grant funding to study and implement a trail system, Bay Point is getting closer to becoming a reality.

"I think it’s a real opportunity to provide a Bay-centric location," similar to Lakewood’s Solstice Steps and Rocky River’s Bradstreet’s Landing, Koomar said.

The newest “big” story in Bay is the work being done to update the city’s zoning ordinances. Following the road map set by the 2017 Master Plan to encourage more development, housing, community spaces and a vibrant village center, Koomar and City Council are creating a mixed-use overlay to allow for more commercial diversity. The “Stay in Bay” project will bring the city’s code into the 21st century and attract investment, while harmonizing with the look and feel that make Bay unique.

"Our commercial code is probably 70 years old. It doesn’t address a lot of the issues of today’s development,” Koomar explained. “What we’d like to do is propose some new regulations that make clear that development can be a vision for Bay Village but under the terms of the design guidelines and the character that we desire to keep Bay the way it is."

Of all of the projects in the works, the zoning overlay may produce the most significant changes and will likely be felt for many years to come. The next public meeting about the overlay is April 7, 7 p.m. at the Dwyer Center.

To view slides from Mayor Koomar’s 2020 State of the City presentation, visit cityofbayvillage.com.

Read More on Local News
Volume 12, Issue 5, Posted 10:08 AM, 03.03.2020