On November 20, 2006 Cleveland City Council gave unanamous approval for a Design Review District to be instituted in University Circle, reports Lee Batdorff in his blog ClevelandCircle.org.

Design Review Districts establish design guidelines for buildings — such as the maximum distance buildings should be set back from the street — and offer a process for local review of exteriors, signage, landscaping and changes to existing structures. The design review committee — often consisting of local residents and business owners — must review, offer feedback and sign off on the proposal before it can advance through city's design review process and receive any building permits it needs.

University Circle, Inc. — which oversees planning and development activities in the area — is enthusiastic about a design review district for the entire area of University Circle, Batdorff adds. UCI states:

“With significant development growth occurring in the Circle, the need for a participative design review process that adheres to the context and culture of the University Circle neighborhood is of utmost importance. In the next five years we will shape this neighborhood for the next 50. We can either make it infinitely better or tragically worse. A University Circle Design Review District has the power to help ensure our success in developing the Circle as a premier urban district of beauty, vitality, and quality urban design.”  

The legislation grew from a call from local residents for input as Case Western Reserve University proposes billions of dollars of new development in proximity to neighborhoods such as the historic Hessler Road. 

Read the article in its entirety here.  

Resources
City of Cleveland Design Review