The department’s planning and zoning functions are related to the use of land in the city. The planning function is oriented to the development of policies that will result in development and redevelopment patterns that will be the most beneficial to the current and future residents of Cleveland Heights. The zoning function is oriented to the standards and regulations that are put in place to support those policies.
The Zoning Ordinance is enacted to promote the health, safety, convenience, comfort, morals, prosperity and general welfare, including the promotion of home ownership, the protection of residential sections of the city, the protection of property values, the assurance of adequate light and air, and the limitation, control and regulation of buildings in the City in the accordance with a "well-established" plan of use, height, size and area for all property and its development in the City and implementation of the principles of sustainability and protection of the physical environment and natural resources for all citizens.