Cleveland Heights brings new life to old streets

At Superior Park Drive and Taylor Road, Taylor Tudors converts a set of historic buildings into new apartments and retail (Harrison Whittaker). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.

Progress Pics: Taylor Tudors, Marquee at Cedar Lee, Nobility Court, more

In Cleveland Heights, new residential construction is helping to accommodate job growth in nearby University Circle. Along with it, a wave of infrastructure improvements, park upgrades, and preservation efforts are underway.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Cleveland Heights began discussing how to utilize more than $38 million in relief funds it received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

The funds, required to be allocated by the end of 2026, have been spent on numerous projects across the city — from brand new sewer infrastructure to home improvement projects.

A mural by Brazilian artist Arlin Graff is being installed a blank wall on the north side of the Cedar Lee Theatre (Harrison Whittaker).

The community nonprofit Heights Arts was awarded $250,000 in ARPA funds, with most going to a public art project to transform eight blank walls into new murals. Working with LAND Studio and the city, the nonprofit will install six murals in the Cedar Lee district and two in Coventry Village.

Another nonprofit, FutureHeights, received $510,000 in ARPA funds. The community development corporation is currently restoring homes at 3520 Bainbridge Rd. and 3392 Altamont Rd. as part of its FutureHomes revitalization program.

After the renovation of 3520 Bainbridge wrapped up last month, work is starting at 3392 Altamont. FutureHomes’ residences feature modern amenities while retaining their historic character, and will be sold to owner-occupants.

A single-family home at 3392 Altamont Rd. is the next to be renovated as part of the FutureHomes revitalization program (Harrison Whittaker).

Nearby at South Taylor Road and Superior Park Drive, a set of historic buildings constructed in the Tudor Revival style are being renovated into 44 apartments and 11,000 square feet of ground-level retail.

The $25.6 million mixed-use project, called Taylor Tudors, is being led by WXZ Development of Fairview Park and was designed by RDL Architects of Beachwood.

The renovations mark the first phase of the Cain Park Village Revitalization project, which could potentially expand with a proposed mixed-use development across the street.

The first phase of the Cain Park Village revitalization project will restore a set of historic Tudor-style buildings along South Taylor Road (Harrison Whittaker).

The historic rehabilitation won $15 million in financing from the Port of Cleveland in 2024, in addition to Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits (OHPTC) was awarded in 2023.

Just south of the development, the city installed a number of improvements at Cain Park including an ADA-accessible ramp and a tiered seating area.

The improvements, which used $1.5 million of the city’s ARPA funds, are intended to create a more prominent entrance to the park from South Taylor.

An ADA-accessible ramp and tiered seating were installed at the east end of Cain Park using $1.5 million in ARPA funds (Harrison Whittaker).

On the north side of Cleveland Heights, Indianapolis-based TWG Development is nearing completion on Nobility Court, a $15 million affordable housing project.

Consisting of a 52-unit apartment building with indoor and outdoor amenity areas, the project will serve households earning 30 to 60 percent of Area Median Income (AMI).

First proposed as Noble Station in 2023, the project’s design underwent a major overhaul after it was rejected by City Council. Now the transit-oriented development, located at 2228 Noble Road, features a pedestrian-oriented design and additional amenities such as a playground.

Nobility Court nears completion on the southwest side of Noble Road (Harrison Whittaker).

Nobility Court was awarded a highly competitive 9 percent Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) in 2023.

Project partners include Start Right Community Development Corporation of Cleveland Heights, as well as Volpe Design and Bialosky Archicture of Cleveland.

The city’s largest apartment project is wrapping up in the Cedar Lee district, albeit for the second time.

On the south side of Cedar Road near Lee Road, a 139-unit residential building at the Marquee is nearly rebuilt after a 2025 fire (Harrison Whittaker).

Dubbed the Marquee at Cedar Lee, the mixed-use development’s northern, 139-unit building at 13230 Cedar Rd. was heavily damaged in a 2025 fire before it could be completed.

In the wake of the fire, the city and the project’s developer, Flaherty & Collins, vowed to rebuild the structure. In total, the $66 million mixed-use development will deliver 206 market-rate apartments and 8,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space across its two buildings.

Marquee’s other 67-unit building, 2223 Lee Road, was completed in early 2025, along with a small “pocket park” next door.

Looking east, a 139-unit apartment building at the Marquee extends much further south than is apparent from its front façade on Cedar Road (Harrison Whittaker).

Meanwhile the rebuilt Cedar Road building has already begun leasing, with units becoming available in September. Its studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom apartments feature luxury finishes and in-unit washers and dryers.

The Marquee was designed by City Architecture of Cleveland. Snavely Group of suburban Bainbridge in Geauga County is the project’s general contractor.

Clockwise from top left, four mini-roundabouts were recently installed on Compton Road at its intersections with Beechwood, Altamont, Desota, and Berkeley avenues (Harrison Whittaker).

North of Cain Park, the Compton Road Greenway project involved the installation four mini-roundabouts at Beechwood, Altamont, Desota, and Berkeley avenues and a pocket park connecting Compton Road with South Compton Road.

The greenway project was allocated $195,000 in city ARPA funds. While the roundabouts are complete, landscaping at the pocket park does not yet appear to be finished.