Planning and Development Department

Welcome to Maple Heights!

The City of Maple Heights is ideally situated just 9 miles from both Downtown Cleveland, Ohio and University Circle employment hubs, with optimal access to Interstate Highways I-480, I-271, I-77 each in very close proximity. Maple Heights is also home to our region’s Norfolk Southern Intermodal rail yard, which serves as a direct pipeline for freight traffic to and from the Port of Cleveland – connecting both commercial trucking and interstate rail commodities with the Great Lakes Seaway and further international markets.

Nearly 25,000 residents call Maple Heights home and frequent the City’s commercial districts – which host a diverse range of locally owned shops, eateries and national chains. The Cleveland-Akron-Canton Combined Statistical Area is home to over 3.6 million people, over 1.2 million of which reside in Cuyahoga County.

The Department of Planning and Development works to guide both public and private projects by nurturing existing community businesses, assisting in facility expansion, and attracting new companies through ongoing coordination with regional agencies. We do this while streamlining internal processes and planning for future investments across the City. Ultimately the Department seeks to serve City residents’ wellbeing, through improved access to a myriad of individually customized opportunities. We are happy to serve as a connector to other regional resources beyond City Hall.

Maple Heights was incorporated in 1915 from the Northwestern-most portion of Bedford township, making it one of Cleveland’s original, definitive suburbs. The City’s more-rapid growth pattern was primarily established in the 1940s – 1960s as ranch and bungalow style homes, though areas of city housing and commercial stock date back further to the 1900s.

In 2022 and 2023, the City of Maple Heights received the Ohio Auditor of State Clean Audit Award commending the City on its financial stewardship. This designation reflects a major shift from the City’s former designation, having been assigned fiscal emergency status in February 2015. Through stabilization of the City’s finances, the City has seen continued investment by way of significant commercial projects in the past five years.

Maple Heights’ full 5.17 square miles of land area is a designated Community Reinvestment Area, allowing for unique financial incentives to aid in offsetting new construction and rehabilitation costs.

Whether you are a new business joining our community or an established one seeking resources and support, please complete our Business Contact Form.

Business Contact Form

If you have questions relating to building permits, rental registration, housing programs or code enforcement – please contact the Building and Housing Department Divisions.

Contact the Building and Housing Department