UPDATE: Social Media Shows Support for 'Flower House,' City Helps Bring into Compliance

The "Flower House" on the Cleveland/Lakewood border has received a lot of attention recently. Newsnet5 Cleveland interviewed neighbors and spoke to Cleveland Ward 16 Councilman Brian Kazy last Friday and a number of other media outlets picked up the story including Cleveland Patch.

Councilman Kazy and a building inspector met with the owners of the 'Flower House' at Lakewood Hts. and 139th on Friday. Kazy told Patch that he felt the meeting was "positive" and that the homeowners welcomed the visit and stressed that they wanted to be in compliance.

Just like last year when Councilman Kazy submitted a complaint to Cleveland's Building and Housing Department, no violations were found with regard to the flowers or decorations as there are no ordinances on the books prohibiting an "overabundance of decorations." Kazy told Patch that there were a couple minor items which needed correction, one being the height of a section of the decorations which caused an obstruction of view from the street and house street number visibility. The city is also checking to see if a permit is required for lighting the decorations at night.

Councilman Kazy told Patch that no citations were issued and he gave the homeowners a week to make the corrections but stressed that he was flexible with the deadline given the unpredictable weather Cleveland has had lately. (see photo of the home covered with Saturday's snow.) He also said that the response he received from this story was enormous and that he received hundreds of texts, emails, social media posts and phone calls, many of them supporting the Flower House. Kazy says the couple that lives in the house told him their story and that he supports them.

The homeowner is a Vietnam refugee and he explains on a Facebook page dedicated to their home that the flowers and decorations are a dedication to those who "have died trying to make it to this country and never could."

The councilman also wanted to point out that he has not taken sides on this issue, he fully supports the homeowner's right to decorate their home, saying that he works for them as well as the other citizens in Cleveland's Ward 16. He hopes to coordinate a neighborhood meeting and would like to see the neighborhood embrace the unique decorations and come together.