The first modular home that a new Cleveland company intends to build will rise quickly in July on a vacant lot on Colgate Avenue in Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway neighborhood (Rebuild Cleveland). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
First homes to be in Detroit Shoreway
A new company comprised of local real estate veterans intends to break ground next week on its first new home to address a shortage of quality, affordable workforce housing and to continue neighborhood stabilization efforts. But construction of that home, a modular, manufactured structure, is due to be completed in less than one month. The company that will build this infill housing on vacant lots is called Rebuild Cleveland LLC and the neighborhood where they will start assembling them is the southern part of Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway.
Rebuild Cleveland was formed in 2021 by Chris Grimaldi, president of Grimaldi Property Management, Ilya Palatnik, executive vice president of Cross Country Mortgage, and Seth Task, leader of The Task Team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. They said their mission is to contribute to the revitalization of Cleveland and surrounding communities through high quality, innovative, and sustainable real estate development.
“Rebuild Cleveland envisions a Greater Cleveland with reduced vacancy, stabilized property values and mixed-income communities,” company officials said in a written statement. “The company is crafting a portfolio that reflects Cleveland’s beautiful diversity, with a range of single and multi-family properties spanning income levels and neighborhoods. The inaugural project in Detroit Shoreway exemplifies this mission by providing modular, age-in-place workforce housing.”
This is how three vacant lots on Colgate Avenue look now. Rebuild Cleveland acquired one of them and, by this time next month, the developer intends to complete assembly of a modular home on this site (Rebuild Cleveland).
“The United States is facing an unprecedented housing shortage,” Task said. “We need an influx of millions of new units nationwide, and having mixed income homeownership opportunities is a critical component to that strategy. A healthy community needs housing that meets the needs of the entire spectrum of income levels.”
A groundbreaking for the first home is scheduled to take place on July 5. The house, a bungalow-style, single-family home at 7416 Colgate Ave., will feature first-floor primary living. The parcel was acquired last year by the developer as a vacant lot from the Cleveland Land Bank. The 1,678-square-foot structure is built by modular construction company Champion Homes based in Auburn Hills, MI, a suburb of Detroit.
“This is just the beginning for us,” Task said. “We want to be part of something great.”
Rebuild Cleveland has plans for additional units to follow in the coming months and years on both the west and east sides of town. Site designs for the Colgate Avenue house were approved by the City of Cleveland’s Planning Commission Housing Design Review Committee and the project has received support from Ward 15 Councilmember Jenny Spencer and Northwest Neighborhoods Community Development Corp., Rebuild Cleveland officials said in their written media statement.
Modular housing manufactured by Champion Homes and developed by Rebuild Cleveland comes in multiple styles including this traditional design featuring a full-width front porch and a large second floor (Rebuild Cleveland).
Critical design elements include several energy efficiency features expected to meet Cleveland’s Green Building Standards. The home has single-floor living along with a full unfinished basement to support aging in place. The home will have three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, open-floor plan, covered front porch, and a two-car detached garage. The developer is applying for a 15-year, 100 percent tax abatement.
“With our launch home, we’re looking to contribute to a growing neighborhood in a strategic and responsible way,” Task added. “We paid attention to what neighborhood stakeholders and residents were talking about. We’re bringing affordability for middle class families, we’re bringing sustainability, we’re bringing the ability to age in place. In a city with both an aging housing stock and population, it’s so important to build for the future.”
Once site work is complete, the home will be delivered the week of July 27th with an estimated finish construction time of two weeks. The property is currently listed for sale by Seth Task at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Professional Realty. More designs are already in the pipeline including ranches, colonials, and even townhomes. The development team is also exploring affordable housing financing opportunities and has applied for funding through the City of Cleveland.
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