Looking west down Cedar Road from the front yard of Cleveland Heights High School, firefighters from 17 different communities joined forces Jan. 25 to quickly contain a rapidly spreading fire at the Marquee at Cedar Lee apartments. But it took 20 hours before the fire was completely extinguished (City of Cleveland Heights). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Marquee at Cedar Lee a total loss, Meadowbrook OK
The developer of the Marquee development has informed Cleveland Heights city officials that it will rebuild the structure that was destroyed by an overnight fire that began Jan. 25. The 139-unit Marquee at Cedar-Lee building fronting Cedar Road in the 13200 block, was still under construction and unoccupied at the time of the fire, which started about 7 p.m.
The second structure in the development, the 67-unit Meadowbrook apartment building fronting Lee Road, was completed earlier this month and has begun leasing with occupancy underway. It was not affected by the fire. Leasing there continues.
However, Cedar Road remains closed to traffic between Lee Road and Goodnor Road. Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority bus service on Route 11 is detouring via Goodnor, Washington Boulevard and Cottage Grove Avenue. Cedar will be reopened when the fire-damaged building is no longer considered at risk of collapse, said Mayor Kahlil Seren in a written statement.
Similarly, the Cedar Lee Parking Garage immediately south of the Marquee at Cedar-Lee building will be temporarily closed. While no damage was sustained to the garage, it is within the collapse zone of the fire-damaged structure. An assessment by an engineer is required to determine any collapse risk and assure that fire investigators can safely enter the structure.
This site plan of The Marquee development in Cleveland Heights identifies the fire-wrecked building, outlined in red, that was still under construction. The newly completed 67-unit building at right was not affected by the fire and continues leasing. North is at the left in this graphic (City Architecture).
“We realize these temporary changes have a significant impact on the businesses in the Cedar Lee District, and the city is working as quickly as possible to allow both Cedar Road and the Cedar Lee Garage to reopen in a safe manner,” said Brian Anderson, the city’s assistant director of economic development.
Despite all of the bad news, there is good news to share. First, city officials note that no one was hurt in the fire. No business suffered fire damage because the blaze was quickly contained by firefighters from 17 responding communities. It took about 20 hours before the last smoldering embers were extinguished.
An investigation is underway by the Cleveland Heights Fire Department with assistance from state and federal fire investigation agencies. Once that investigation is complete, the existing fire-damaged building will be demolished, the statement added.
“The city and its development partner, Flaherty & Collins, are dedicated to rebuilding and completing The Marquee at Cedar Lee,” Anderson added. “The city is also committed to providing timely updates related to the recovery from this devastating event and the rebuilding process, including a discussion of what role the city can play in assisting the businesses in the district moving forward.”
A rendering of the Cedar Road frontage of The Marquee at Cedar Lee building that was destroyed by fire. The same plans will be used again for its rebuilding (City Architecture).
The Marquee, a $66 million mixed-use project consisting of 206 residential units plus 8,500-square-foot of ground-floor retail/restaurant space, was the culmination of nearly two decades of work by the city with support from the Cedar Lee merchants to redevelop the Cedar Lee Meadowbrook site.
Financing for the development was secured in May 2023 after a small but vocal opposition was defeated at the polls. In May 2022, opponents of the development got an initiative petition on the ballot that would have required a 1.07-acre park to be built in the Cedar-Lee-Meadowbrook area, squeezing out the proposed mixed-use development that was already approved by the city. The park vote failed with 73 percent of the votes cast.
Rising interest rates and inflation in the post-pandemic era slowed progress as well. The Cedar Lee Meadowbrook project was originally estimated to cost $52 million to build but its final price tag came in 27 percent higher. The strength of Cleveland Heights’ housing market, due to its proximity to booming University Circle, kept the project alive.
Evidence of that housing demand was bolstered by the rapid lease-up of Flaherty & Collins’ previous development in Cleveland Heights — Ascent at the Top of the Hill. That $83 million mixed-use project in the Cedar Fairmount District was completed in mid-2023.
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