CLEVELAND — Free street parking will soon be a thing of the past in Ohio City.

The City of Cleveland announced on Wednesday that it will be rolling out a pay-to-park mobile service in three phases over the next several weeks.

The on-street parking update will proceed in the coming weeks according to the following phases:

• Phase 1:  Main Commercial
  The first phase, set to occur over the next four weeks, will consist of the W. 25^th Street-Lorain Avenue commercial corridors where parking meters currently exist. In these areas, the coin-operated meters will be supplemented with the new ParkMobile technology to provide individuals with easier, more convenient options to pay for street parking. There is no change to enforcement, and it will continue as-is in these areas – i.e., those who commit parking violations will be subject to citations and fines.
• Phase 2:  Select Commercial
  Once the first phase is complete, the City will move on to the next phase, which will include extending paid street parking zones along portions of Lorain Avenue, W. 25^th Street, and nearby offshoots where time-limited parking sessions currently exist. In these areas, time-limited signage is posted, but there are currently no coin-operated meters. The new ParkMobile technology will be installed to provide individuals with a modernized parking option that will also help improve parking operations and management in a consistent manner. This phase is anticipated to take two to three weeks. Enforcement in these areas will be temporarily paused to allow time for individuals to get acclimated to the change. Those who commit parking violations during the grace period will receive warnings in lieu of citations and fines.
• Phase 3:  Select Mixed-Use
  Once Phase 2 is completed, the City will move on to the last phase, which involves mixed-use areas, including Detroit Avenue, Fulton Road, Church Avenue, Bridge Avenue and W. 28^th Street, where meters do not currently exist. This phase is also expected to take approximately two to three weeks, and enforcement will be temporarily paused to give people time to adapt to the new system. During this grace period, warnings will be issued for parking violations in these areas in lieu of citations and fines.

The goal, according to the City, is to create more turnover in front of businesses to increase street parking availability.
“[Parking] is difficult enough already. I usually come 15-20 minutes early just to try to find a spot and fight with other people to try to steal their spot,” City Goods employee Sydney Maddox said.

Maddox said tacking on a parking fee will only keep people from shopping on West 28^th Street,

“It’s a schlep to come down here and try to park which deters people already and then having to pay even more money on top of what they’re deciding to do down here – it just sucks,” Maddox added. “I think a lot about somewhere like the West Side Market which is just down the street. They always have the free hour-long parking and that’s such a great option for people because they’re able to explore the area and get a taste of what Cleveland is about. Unfortunately, parking around here is really difficult. I think adding the paid parking options will deter people from coming to this area.”

On the other hand, the Owner of Saucy Brew Works, Brent Zimmerman, applauded the City of Cleveland for making this move to add pay-to-park on Detroit Avenue.

“We want people to be in our businesses across 29^th, Detroit, 25^th, wherever you’re talking about in Ohio City spending dollars, but we don’t [want] people parking here all day long that do not spend dollars in some of these bars, restaurants, boutiques, salons, whatever it is. It’s not good for anybody. Free parking is a tax to society. People don’t look at it like that. I do,” Zimmerman added.

He said that while the parking options in Ohio City are reasonable, he suggests looking for public transportation or even riding a bike.

“Everyone, including myself, needs more exercise. If you live a long way away, then you figure it out. It’s a part of life. It’s part of how you decide whether you want to work at certain places or not,” Zimmerman added. “My goal isn’t to tax people to have to park, but we need to increase commerce in some of these places.”

Zimmerman explained that the pay-to-park service would help fill vacant retail spaces and keep vehicles from being parked in spaces for more than a few hours or even days.

News 5 asked both Zimmerman and Maddox if they’d be open to the idea of a residential/employee permit granting free parking.

Zimmerman said he would need more details but that capping the number of permits wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“If it’s a situation where there’s enough passes given out that we haven’t rectified the situation, then I don’t agree at all,” Zimmerman said.

Maddox said while she would appreciate the continued free parking, she’s still worried about how it’ll impact mom-and-pop shops.

“It would still pose the issue for potential customers,” she said.

The City of Cleveland said the ParkMobile system will afford the City an opportunity to study utilization patterns and enforcement trends, as well as analyze other metrics to make data-driven decisions for future street parking management adjustments.

“The system will allow the city to more effectively manage on-street parking by providing the ability to adjust paid parking hours to better align with business hours in the evenings and on weekends, and to adjust parking rates based on demand – to achieve the program goal of providing convenient and available on-street parking,” the City said in a press release Wednesday.

The City of Cleveland is seeking feedback on planned Phase Three locations. CLICK HERE for that form.

Detroit Shoreway and University Circle are next on the City’s list of installing pay-to-park spots.

ParkMobile signs were mistakenly installed at the wrong time in some areas of Ohio City last week. The City apologizes for the confusion.

The 2024 Ohio high school football season is upon us, and it is time to take a look at some of highest rated recruits in the state. In this series, we will focus on the top recruits at a handful of positions for a specific graduating class.

We started by introducing you to the top senior recruits at 10 different positions – quarterbacks, running backs, linebackers, edge rushers, wide receivers, defensive backs, tight ends, offensive linemen and defensive linemen.

Then we moved to the top junior recruits, where we started with the quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers. Now we take a look at the top junior tight end recruits in Ohio for the 2024 season.

The top tight end in the 2026 class is Brayden Fogle of Lexington, who is the No. 4 overall recruit in Ohio’s junior class.

All rankings are based off 247Sports.com.

1. Brayden Fogle, Lexington; 6-foot-3, 225 pounds (No. 4 overall in Ohio 2026 class)
Uncommitted

Hauled in 33 catches for 529 yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore. Fogle, who also plays basketball for the Minutemen, has offers from schools such as Georgia, Michigan, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

2. Landen Miree, Princeton; 6-foot-4, 215 pounds (No. 21 overall)
Uncommitted

Made 24 catches for 371 yards and holds more than 20 offers, including Florida, Oregon, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

3. PJ MacFarlane, Lakota East; 6-foot-5, 205 pounds (No. 23 overall)
Uncommitted

Had 12 catches for 126 yards for the Thunderhawks last season. His offers include Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan State.

4. Cooper McCutcheon, Archbishop Moeller; 6-foot-4, 220 pounds (No. 28 overall)
Uncommitted

Already holds nearly 20 offers, including Kentucky, Louisville, Indiana and Pittsburgh.

5. Preston Fryzel, Toledo Central Catholic; 6-foot-4, 210 pounds (No. 37 overall)
Uncommitted

Had 300 yards receiving last season with a pair of touchdowns as Toledo Central Catholic took home the Division III state title. Has more than 10 offers, including Cincinnati, Kentucky, Minnesota and Pittsburgh.

Stay tuned to SBLive Ohio all season long for all of your high school football coverage. You can check out our Ohio high school football scoreboards all season long.

— Ryan Isley | ryan@scorebooklive.com | @sbliveoh

The Brennan Center for Justice and the Ohio Organizing Collaborative have been pushing Ohio’s Secretary of State since July to confirm voters aren’t being improperly removed from the rolls after updating their address. Now, they’re preparing to file suit against Sec. Frank LaRose if his office doesn’t respond by the end of the day today, Wednesday.

They argue Ohio’s procedures seem as though they violate federal law, and new state provisions seem to confirm those concerns.

Where statutes disagree

The watchdogs’ concerns center on provisions in the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, known colloquially as the Motor Voter law. In addition to requiring state motor vehicle agencies to provide voter registration forms, it sets out guidelines for what happens when a resident updates their address.

Section 5 requires that whenever someone updates their address with the BMV, that change must also serve as notification to update their voter registration. This change is supposed to happen automatically unless the person affirmatively opts out of the process.

“In other words,” the organizations wrote to the Secretary in July, “the NVRA puts the onus on state officials to update the voter’s registration record.”

In the same letter they cite correspondence between the Secretary’s office and state Rep. Elliot Forhan, D-South Euclid, in which LaRose indicated at least some of the individuals getting flagged had moved and updated their driver’s license but failed to update their registration.

The Brennan Center and Ohio Organizing Collaborative argue that’s a fundamental misreading of state agency responsibilities under the Motor Voter law.

“Ohio cannot require registered voters who report a change of address at the BMV to take any additional steps to update their registration, such as filling out additional forms or cancelling the registration at their old address,” their letter insists.

One notable problem, Brennan Center attorney Patrick Berry argued, is Ohio’s DATA Act. The measure was a priority for LaRose early in the current legislative term and it was included as a budget rider last summer. Its primary purpose was to get Ohio’s 88 boards of elections on the same page when it comes to maintaining their voter rolls, but it also carries a provision that could hamper updates under the NVRA.

The statute states registration updates can only happen if a voter files a name or address change, but it also prohibits information obtained from state agencies in the normal course of business from being used to update a voter’s registration address.

Berry worries that presents a conundrum. Is a change of address form getting shared between agencies to keep records up to date as the Motor Voter law requires? Or is it treated as the information collected in the normal course of business that can’t be used to update registrations?

With state law potentially at cross purposes, the organizations warned the Secretary that “removal on the ground that (voters) failed to cancel their registration at their old address would violate the NVRA.”

Additionally, Berry expressed concerns about the BMV change of address form. While it notifies applicants that the information they share will be used for “voter registration purposes,” it’s presented more like a warning than a service. “By signing this form,” it states, “you are consenting to the release of the information provided.”

“We think that that language could be confusing and subject to different interpretations,” Berry argued.

Following that notification, the form includes a box for applicants to opt out of sharing their information, but it also includes a second signature box. In a follow up letter to the Secretary on Monday, the organizations criticized that framing as “facially deceptive” because it seemingly presents the information sharing as something to which a voter must “opt in.”

Are the right people getting flagged?

After an initial review of the voters included in the removal process, Berry noted they found “a handful” who received letters to verify their address well before state officials can actually remove them. That’s not necessarily a problem, but he explained the Motor Voter law established the procedures for removing a voter after they’ve moved.

“Specifically,” he said, “an election official can’t remove a voter based on a change of address unless the voter confirms themselves in writing that they’ve moved, or the voter fails to respond to the notice that’s sent to them and then fails to vote in the next two federal general elections.”

Berry described finding voters in Cuyahoga County scheduled for removal who received confirmation letters in 2021, 2022 or 2024 — too recent to remove them unless the voter responds confirming their move.

After the removals went forward at the end of July, Berry explained one of the voters they identified was removed but the remainder were still on the rolls. The voter who was removed may have returned a confirmation notice, but it’s not clear.

“And we just want to make sure that you know that one voter who was removed was removed properly and in accordance with the National Voter Registration Act,” Berry said.

He noted they also want to know if similarly situated voters are being protected as well.

“As the chief election official,” Berry explained, “Secretary LaRose is required to ensure that the relevant state agencies and election officials, including the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and county boards of elections, are complying with the National Voter Registration Act.”

“And we hope that he responds to our letter by tomorrow, with assurances that they are,” he added. “But if we don’t hear from the Secretary, we won’t hesitate to seek court intervention to protect the rights of Ohio voters.”

Follow OCJ Reporter Nick Evans on Twitter.