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 Ohio State Buckeyes had many players forego the 2024 NFL Draft and return for one more season with the Buckeyes. What that entails is an all-in push for a championship and a mass exodus of talent in 2025.

Of course Ohio State has loads of young talent to replace the experienced upper classmen, but prior to even thinking that far ahead, it is time for the current group to shine.

With numerous Buckeyes projected to be day one or day two picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, it comes as no surprise that four players were predicted to be selected in the first round by The 33rd Team. In their recent mock draft, Quinshon Judkins, Denzel Burke, Jordan Hancock and Emeka Egubka were all picked in the second half of the first round.

Judkins was the first running back to come off the board at pick No. 20. With the Chicago Bears snagging the new Buckeyes running back, he would find himself taking handoffs from a quarterback who replaced former Buckeye Justin Fields. Caleb Williams and Judkins would likely have some high expectations as a young duo for the Bears.

Just two picks later, the Miami Dolphins were mocked with a Denzel Burke selection. Perhaps to the surprise of some, Burke was not the only Ohio State defensive back chosen. The Houston Texans showed some more love to the Buckeyes by taking Jordan Hancock at No. 24.

Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka was the final of the four Ohio State players to be picked at No. 26 by the Dallas Cowboys. Regardless of whether CeeDee Lamb is on Dallas next year or not, Egbuka would seem to be a wise selection.

It may come as a surprise that players like Donovan Jackson, Jack Sawyer, Tyleik Williams and J.T. Tuimoloau did not appear in this first round mock draft. That being said, they likely have to be fairly close to the conversation at this point.

Even though the 2024 season has not even kicked off yet, eyes of NFL scouts will be heavily locked in on the Buckeyes all year.

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