Meeting to Discuss Proposed Sloane Avenue Development Set for Tonight

City officials are hosting a meeting tonight at to discuss a developer's along the Rocky River.

The multi-million-dollar project's plans — which are still in the early stages — include demolishing three homes in the 1300 block of Sloane Avenue to make way for upscale, cluster townhomes.

Mayor Michael Summers told Lakewood Patch recently that he hopes to get input from the public about the proposed plans.

On Tuesday, discussed a plan that would make 13 parcels of land along the Rocky River a Community Reinvestment Area, which would be used as an economic development tool to lure developers with tax abatements.

Most recently, the city designated both the Rockport Square and Rosewood developments as CRAs.

"Property along our natural resources — like the lake and the river — are valuable and attractive to developers," said Dru Siley, the city's assistant director of planning and development. "We don't have very much opportunity along the lake — but (we do) along the river in its current condition."

Siley said that with tax abatements, there are opportunities for the city to have more of a say in the quality of developments.

The proposal on Sloane Avenue calls for 19 townhomes to be built, extending to the Rocky River, but Summers said that too many homes could make the neighborhood feel “congested.”

“But that's what the meeting is for,” he added. “We want to make sure that folks who might be affected know what we're doing."

The public meeting is slated to take place at St. Peters Episcopal Church at 7 p.m. July 6.