CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio – Cleveland Heights officials will announce the winners next week of a competition to design a series of pre-approved building plans for homeowners who want to build an accessory dwelling unit on their property.
The city's Planning, Neighborhoods and Development Department will present cash prizes to the winners at a showcase ceremony on Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. at Cleveland Heights City Hall.
A press release from the city said 28 submissions were received.
The AARP awarded the city a $15,000 grant in June to fund the competition for the so-called “granny flats.” This is part of the organization's efforts to support projects across the country that make communities more livable.
Planning Director Eric Zamft said the goal of the competition is to produce a series of design plans that can all be approved in advance by the city's architectural review board, zoning and planning committees, allowing residents who want to build a unit to avoid the bureaucracy of submission can avoid submitting applications and submitting their plans to the individual committees for approval.
The competition included two categories: one for design professionals and a separate “People's Choice” category open to all Cleveland Heights residents.
The specialist category was evaluated by a jury and the winners receive a scholarship to help them develop their designs into construction-ready plans. The People's Choice winner will receive a cash prize and be paired with a licensed architect to create construction-ready plans based on the winning concept.