The council's finance committee wanted details on how negotiations between the city, Cuyahoga County, and Chicago developer MMPI are proceeding.
What members heard was a time line of October 2010 for property acquisition and groundbreaking, and a confirmation of a 36 month construction calendar.
However: several properties in question along St. Clair Avenue still haven't been purchased, and details on how near to resolution those deals are; were NOT revealed. (Those include the Sportsmans Bar, a parking deck at Ontario Avenue, and the building at 113 St. Clair.)
Council also discussed how many jobs in this project will go to local workers.
The county/developer negotiations guarantee that 20% of the construction jobs go to Cleveland residents, and another 20% to residents within the county, but council member Mamie Mitchell says; that's not enough.
MAMIE MITCHELL:
"If we the people who are funding this project can only expect to receive a 40% hiring rate... that's not really good for our population."
City Chief of Staff Ken Silliman said the city too wanted a higher percentage, but failed to achieve it in negotiations with MMPI.
