Signet Real Estate Group’s proposed Midtown development was rapidly advanced from a conceptual design application to final approval today by the Cleveland Planning Commission’s Design Review Committee. It is just one of projects moving forward on the city’s East Side (Vocon). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Five big housing projects appear ready to advance
In recent weeks, five major residential developments on Cleveland’s East Side are seeing substantial progress that could propel them to construction by the end of the year. And, 12-18 months thereafter, 537 new apartments, many of them with below-market rents, could be ready for residents to move in.
Of the five, the largest housing development is also the latest to be proposed — a 159-unit complex of three apartment buildings planned by Akron-based Signet Real Estate Group’s. With the temporary working title of Midtown Site, it is proposed to be built on a large parking lot at 4209 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland’s Midtown neighborhood.
At today’s meeting of the City Planning Commission’s Design Review Committee, the project was fast-tracked from a conceptual application to final approval. The development is located in the Midtown Mixed-Use District, a zoning area along Euclid. The project will serve the East Side’s growing workforce and student housing market.
Commission members urged project architect Vocon Partners to work with the city on follow-on design details like landscaping and wayfinding signage. Some commission members also said they expected the project could be catalytic in instigating further development in the area.
Phase one of the Warner & Swasey redevelopment will repurpose the Carnegie Building into 112 senior and family apartments. This is a view of that building from the north side where a parking lot will replace “The Shed.” The Wedge Building at far-left will be repaired and secured for a later phase (Moody Nolan).
One such project in the Midtown area is the $56.7 million renovation and redevelopment of the Warner & Swasey Co.’s machine tool factory, 5701 Carnegie Ave., into 112 affordable senior and family apartments in its first phase. Final designs for the project were also approved by the Planning Commission today.
“We are working under a tight timeline to close financing by the end of this year,” said Michael Golden, associate developer at Philadelphia-based Pennrose, LLC, at today’s meeting. “We’re very appreciative of the commissioners support to date.”
He said that the final design approval granted by the commission today will allow general contractor John G. Johnson Construction Co. of Cleveland to submit for building permits in early August. Demolition of “the shed” machine shop could happen anytime. The project’s architect is Moody Nolan Inc. of Columbus.
Yesterday, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) Board approved financing from various programs to support housing developments statewide to create or preserve affordable housing units. All of the Northeast Ohio developments awarded financing are on Cleveland’s East Side.
Looking north along East 66th Street in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood, 80 apartments of Gateway 66 on the other side of Linwood Avenue are due to rise soon after getting awarded a $14.8 million loan by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (PCI).
Warner & Swasey was among them, securing two construction loans totaling $3 million. However that does not address a $2 million project funding gap. If that gap is not filled by Dec. 15 when the project’s finances are due to close, it could risk some time-limited funding pieces, said Pennrose’s Director of Development Geoff Milz.
Two other east-side developments that won OHFA financial assistance yesterday are located in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood — Gateway 66, 1521 E. 66th St., and Hough Senior Independent Living, 8910 Hough Ave.
Gateway 66’s co-developers Woda Cooper Development, Inc. and Frontline Development Group, LLC got approval to authorize up to $14.8 million in Multifamily Housing Bonds. The development previously received approval of a Housing Development Loan. It will create 76 new affordable units and four market-rate units.
CHN Housing Partners plans to build Hough Senior Independent Living at the southeast corner of Hough Avenue, left, and East 89th Street. This project was awarded $2.75 million in financial assistance yesterday by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (HD+S).
University Hospitals invested $3 million into Gateway 66. The development is at the northwest corner of Historic League Park, once home to major league baseball teams — Cleveland Spiders, Cleveland Naps/Indians and Cleveland Buckeyes from 1891-1950. It also hosted the National Football League Cleveland Rams and college football games.
Hough Senior Independent Living’s developer CHN Partners was awarded by OHFA a $1.75 million Housing Development Loan and $1 million in Housing Development Assistance Program funding.
The $17.5 million development previously received a 9 percent Low Income Housing Tax Credit reservation. It will create 55 new apartments for persons 55 years and older.
On Chester Avenue, between East 81st and East 82nd streets, the latter shown here, the long-planned Chester 82 development could see construction by the end of this year after its developer Marous Brothers got an extension from the city to pick up the building permit (Sullivan Bruck).
Planning Commission approved final designs for the project last month. It was the first project design to be approved by the city under its new Form-Based Zoning Code.
Lastly, a project that’s been kicking around for a while may see construction start by year’s end. Chester 82, 1898 E. 82nd St., is a 131-unit, market-rate development that was eligible for a building permit in June 2024 after its plans were approved by the Planning Commission in 2023.
But developer Marous Brothers of Willoughby didn’t pick up the permit and it was due to expire last month. So Marous got a one-year extension on June 3 even though it said it needed only a six-month extension, according to e-mail records posted at the Building Department’s online portal.
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