Westlake's city charter lets voters approve or reject any rezoning that would allow multifamily homes. On paper, voters have not blocked much. Every multifamily or added-density rezoning in the city's official zoning-map record since 2017 notes that voters approved it. Over the last two years, though, almost every residential rezoning in Westlake has avoided the vote. Those projects used single-family districts, and the homes now in the pipeline reflect that.
The difference matters to anyone comparing west-side suburbs for a new, lower-maintenance home. Westlake's land-use system mostly works on timing, not outright rejection. Builders have adjusted to it, and the new supply is leaning toward detached homes, some priced well above the city's typical sale.
One Sentence in the Charter
The rule sits in Article IV, Section IV-13(a) of the Westlake City Charter, under the heading "Rights Retained by People." It covers changes that would:
"(1) the zoning classification or district of any property or area in the City of Westlake to allow multi-family dwellings thereon; (2) or grant any zoning classification or variation which would increase the density permitted on any property in any residential district..."
The section also covers retail shopping developments of 30 acres or more. Any change that meets one of these triggers takes effect only if voters approve it "at a regularly scheduled general election" by a majority vote. The rule applies to council, the mayor, and city boards and commissions alike. The current wording of subsection (a) is marked as amended November 7, 2000.
What the rule leaves out matters just as much. Rezoning land to a single-family district that does not increase density does not trigger a vote. Council can approve it on its own.
What Voters Have Actually Approved
Westlake's table of zoning map changes shows how the ballot requirement has worked in practice. Each entry with a voter-approval note shows the council adoption date first and the election date second.
| Ordinance | Location | Change | Council adoption | Voter approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-66 | Crossings Parkway | Office Building to R-MF-24 | 7-6-17 | 11-7-17 |
| 2017-65 | Center Ridge Rd at Hillsborough Point | General Business to R-MF-40 | 7-20-17 | 11-7-17 |
| 2021-17 | 28083 Detroit Rd | R-1F-80 to R-MF-40 | 6-3-21 | 11-2-21 |
| 2022-5 | 28189 and 28239 Detroit Rd | R-1F-80 to R-MF-40 | 4-7-22 | 11-8-22 |
| 2023-53 | North side of Center Ridge Rd at east corporate limits | R-1F-80 and R-MF-24 to Small Scale Residential PUD | 7-20-23 | 11-7-23 |
Every one of these was approved, though the table only records changes that took effect, so it cannot show whether any measure failed. And every approval is dated in early November. The 2022 Detroit Road rezoning passed council in April and still had to wait seven months for Election Day. A project adopted after the summer deadline for a November ballot would face an even longer wait.
That wait is the real cost of the rule. A developer seeking multifamily zoning in Westlake carries land costs, design fees, and financing through a gap of several months, and the outcome depends on a citywide vote, not just the council members who reviewed the plan.
The Route Around the Ballot
Then look at the residential rezonings Westlake approved in 2025 and 2026. None of them needed a vote.
- Porter Road, Ordinance 2024-93, adopted 2-6-25. Land on the east side of Porter Road, south of Center Ridge Road, went from R-1F-80 to R-1F-Cluster. The ordinance says the purpose was to build five single-family cluster homes. Crain's Cleveland Business reported in September 2025 that the site would become Westlake's first gated community.
- Rowan Gate, 30395 Center Ridge Road, Ordinance 2026-18, adopted 3-19-26. This site went from R-1F-80 and R-MF-40 to R-1F-Cluster. Part of the land was already zoned for multifamily, and it was rezoned into a single-family cluster district.
- Ascend at Center Ridge, 29707 Center Ridge Road, Ordinance 2026-32, adopted 5-7-26. Office Building to R-1F-80, for an 11-lot single-family subdivision.
- Creekside Estates, 26814 Center Ridge Road, Ordinance 2026-31, adopted 6-4-26. General Business and Office Building to R-1F-80, for a proposed 19-lot single-family development on about 12.61 acres at the former Cuyahoga Hardwoods site, with EFG Custom Homes and Development.
The same table shows another multifamily parcel leaving the housing pool. In June 2026, 2116 and 2154 Dover Center Road were rezoned from R-MF-24 to the Health Campus District.
Each of these projects reached council approval without a November election. Ascend shows how quickly that can happen. The rezoning passed in May, and Westlake City Council adopted the preliminary subdivision plan on September 17, 2026. Under Ordinance 2026-87, that approval locks in the general layout for one year and lets the developer submit improvement drawings and a final plat during that time.
Where the Detached Pipeline Is Priced
The Rowan Gate record shows what this route tends to produce. At the May 11, 2026 Planning Commission meeting, the applicant described six two-story cluster homes on about 4.2 acres. Prices would generally start around $2 million, and the home on Lot 5, an approximately one-acre lot, was expected to top $3 million. The proposed finishes include Hardie siding, black Pella windows, and white stone, with design described as a modern take on Northwestern and French country styles. Despite the name, the refined plan removed the entry gate.
For comparison, cleveland.com's analysis of county sales records put Westlake's median sale price at $365,000 across 214 sales for January through June 2026. That figure combines single-family homes and condos. Rowan Gate's starting price is more than five times that median.
Not every vote-free project will be priced like Rowan Gate. Ascend and Creekside have not published prices. Still, the zoning sets the format. R-1F-80 and R-1F-Cluster produce detached houses on their own lots. Townhomes and low-rise condo buildings require the multifamily districts that go to a vote.
Denser plans can also stall before any ballot. According to West Life, City Council unanimously rejected a revised preliminary plan for Crocker Woods Reserve, 27 units on nearly five acres along Crocker Road, even though the Planning Commission had approved it. West Life reported that the petitions cited stormwater runoff, tree loss, and traffic.
Issue 106 Is the One Project Taking the Vote
On November 3, 2026, Westlake voters will decide Issue 106. It would rezone four parcels at 27398, 27408, 27438, and 27450 Center Ridge Road, about 4.3 acres, to R-MF-24. The site is split-zoned now. About 1.65 acres are already R-MF-24, 0.98 acres are Office Building, and 1.62 acres are R-1F-80.
The city says the owner proposes up to 12 cluster homes but has not submitted design plans. If the rezoning passes, R-MF-24 would also allow townhomes or low-rise multi-unit buildings. At the June 1 Planning Commission meeting, city staff said setbacks, drainage, easements, and tree preservation, about 86 trees or 430 caliper inches to be preserved or replaced, would likely hold the site to about seven units or fewer. The applicants said they expected five to seven.
The timeline shows how much the ballot adds. Council referred the ordinance on May 21, 2026, and the Planning Commission took it up June 1. The vote comes November 3, more than five months after referral, and still before any site plan exists. If it passes, a design, a development plan, and construction all come after that.
The Planning Commission record also included this point. Commissioners noted that the rear of the site is zoned single-family and could get a house without the 30-foot buffer a multifamily cluster plan would require. By that reading, the rezoning could protect neighboring properties more than the current zoning does.
Reading Westlake's Pipeline as a Buyer
For buyers who want new construction in Westlake, the zoning record tells you more than a listing search does.
- New detached homes can come quickly. Single-family rezonings like Ascend and Creekside go from rezoning to plan approval within the same year, with no election in between.
- New attached homes run on a yearly cycle. Any project that needs multifamily zoning has to wait for a November general election, so the date it reaches voters affects how soon homes could exist.
- The cluster district is the middle option. R-1F-Cluster lets builders group detached homes more closely without a vote. In the two Westlake cases with public details, that has meant five-home and six-home enclaves, one of them planned in the $2 million-plus range.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does every Westlake rezoning go to the ballot? No. Under Charter Section IV-13(a), a vote is required for rezonings that allow multifamily dwellings, increase residential density, or permit retail shopping developments of 30 acres or more.
What would Issue 106 build? No design has been submitted yet. The owner has proposed up to 12 cluster homes, and city staff estimated about seven or fewer once site constraints are applied.
Are prices public for Ascend at Center Ridge or Creekside Estates? Not in the city records reviewed. Neither project's planning documents list prices or a construction schedule.
If you're weighing a Westlake resale against a new-build lot that may still be a year or more away, Iconic Partners Group can lay out the active projects along Center Ridge Road next to current comps, so you can see what each timeline means for your move. Get Your Instant Home Valuation to see what your current home could put toward it.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
