The veto was a rare move for Mayor Frank Jackson.
He closed the lid on a proposal to charge more for sales, hotel rooms and parking in the new development on the east bank of the Cuyahoga River downtown. That money would have paid for roads, parks, security and other amenities within the district.
“I do not support raising taxes that will not help deliver services throughout the City of Cleveland or pay for city debt," Jackson said in a written statement.
The sponsor of the measure, Councilman Joe Cimperman, said he wants to bring the mayor and developer together to work out a solution.
“I’m hoping that what this does is create a moment of pause," Cimperman said, "where we can all get together, dust off whatever disagreements there were and figure out a way in which to make this project—and its successful conclusion—a reality.”
This development’s been publicly in the works for nearly 10 years. The recession put it on ice, but construction has heated up again, with an office tower and hotel now rising from the Flats.
Next, apartments and restaurants are planned, as wrangling over the project’s funding continues.
