CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Barrio Tacos this week presented the city with plans to move into the Mad Greek restaurant, a mainstay in the city since 1976.

"As soon as the city gives us the green light, we're going to get in there and get the new place open," said owner Sean Fairbairn. "We like to turn our properties within 30 to 60 days."

Mad Greek owner Chris Chopra was unavailable for comment Tuesday, but restaurant, started by his parents and featuring an eclectic and popular mix of Greek and Indian cuisine, had been subject to closure rumors in recent years.

City officials were reluctant to provide details about the transition at Monday's council meeting, citing the possibility that Mad Greek employees had yet to be officially notified.

"We've been looking on the east side for a couple of years now," Fairbairn said Tuesday. "We had our eyes on property at both Cedar-Lee and Coventry. But we saw a good home when this property opened up for us."

Fairbairn pointed out that "barrio" means "neighborhood" in Spanish, and he realized the possibilities right away at the "Top of the Hill."

"Cedar-Fairmount is a great neighborhood and Barrio is going to be a great neighbor," Fairbairn said.

The flagship restaurant opened in Tremont in 2012, followed by another cantina in Lakewood the following year, then the Gateway location in 2015. Barrio also opened a stand at Progressive Field last year.

Fairbairn, who did not have any job projections yet, said the Mad Greek will remain open while Barrio awaits permits from the city.

An employee answering the phone Tuesday (July 19) said anything further on their future operation would have to come from Chopra later in the week.

In other business at Monday's City Council meeting:

-- The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections has requested several amendments to the City's Charter concerning election deadlines.

County officials also want the city to remove a sentence that states "candidates for office shall be nominated only by petition," since it conflicts with other charter language that governs write-in candidates.

"There are a handful of charter deadlines that make it difficult, if not impossible, for the county board of elections to satisfy federal regulations," City Law

Director Jim Juliano told council during its Committee-of-the-Whole meeting.

Some of the changes are needed to better handle military and absentee ballots.

Council is reviewing the legal memo and plans call for further discussion next week in time to get the changes on the ballot in November.

-- City Planning Director Richard Wong noted in his report to council that he has received a request for more information about "shipping container homes," such as large railroad transport boxes that can be converted to infill housing.

"A woman familiar with the artistic reuse of shipping containers would like to know the approval process for constructing something like this on the vacant lot on the south side of Fairmount Boulevard across from Shaker Road," Wong said.

While she feels the city's zoning code is "pretty conservative," Mayor Cheryl Stephens said that the idea might work in areas like North Coventry, where these styles might match the neighborhood's "quirkiness."

Shipping container homes might not be prohibited outright, but the city code in its current form may be stringent enough to make it difficult to proceed, officials said.

-- Council appointed Mike Gaynier, a member of the City Planning Commission since April, to the Master Plan Steering Committee. In both instances, Gaynier replaces former Planning Commission Chairman Michael Ungar, who moved over to the council seat vacated by Jeff Coryell.

Keba Sylla was appointed by council to the newly-installed Fair Practices Board, which reviews civil rights and accommodation complaints. Both Sylla and Gaynier applied for Coryell's council seat.

Meanwhile, Ungar and Vice Mayor Jason Stein traded committee chairs, with Ungar now chairing council's Finance Committee, and Stein switching to the Community Relations and Recreation Committee.

-- After meeting recently with merchants in the Cedar-Lee Special Improvement District, Stephens announced Monday that, in addition to expanded valet services, there will now be free parking on the last weekend of every month in the surrounding lots.

"We want to make sure that no one's business goes out of business," Stephens said of the "character-building" Lee Road streetscape project currently under way.