The latest development in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood looks like it will be Chester 82, seen here at the northwest corner of its namesake streets of Chester Avenue and East 82nd Street (Sullivan Bruck). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Port OKs $50M for Cleveland, Cleveland Hts projects
The Port of Cleveland Board of Directors today approved $50 million in bond financing to support two significant development projects — the redevelopment of the historic Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights and a new apartment community along Chester Avenue in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood.
“We’re proud to help advance these projects — one of which will breathe new life into an iconic architectural landmark,” Rhonda Winslow, vice president of development finance for the Port of Cleveland, said in a written statement.
While the Park Synagogue has been in the news lately, the reemergence of the Chester 82 development after a long period of silence is a bit of a surprise. But there were recent indications earlier this year that it could see construction start as early as the end of this year.
In March, the project’s developer Marous Development Group of Willoughby had requested a six-month extension to Dec. 17 to submit payment for its building permit that was going to expire in June.
But since the city offers extensions of no less than one year, that one-year extension was granted. That was according to an e-mail exchange between Cleveland’s Chief Building Official Tom Vanover and Marous’ Assistant Development Manager Emily Herendeen, available on the Building Department’s Web portal.
Most of the site for Chester 82 will be covered with parking on its ground level. But inside of the J-shaped block bounded by a bold line, the parking spaces will be underneath the apartment building (Sullivan Bruck).
After a permit is paid for, which costs $10 to $12 per $1,000 of estimated construction cost, work must get underway within six months and be completed in a year. Larger projects are broken up into multiple permits. If these time limits aren’t met, the permit becomes void and any fees paid are forfeited if no renewals are granted.
Located at 1898 E. 82nd St., the five-story, 131-unit Chester 82 Apartments will feature 29 studio, 80 one-bedroom, and 22 two-bedroom units, along with 71 indoor and 65 outdoor parking spaces. Amenities will include an elevator, fitness center, package room, dog wash station, and outdoor amenity deck.
Projected construction cost of Chester 82 is $31.7 million, with the Port authorizing up to $30 million in lease revenue bonds for financing. A Marous affiliate, Chester 82 LLC, got design approval for the project in 2023. But Marous has wanted to develop the site for a lot longer than that.
Marous acquired most of the 1.6-acre site in 2006 from the city’s land bank. On the land was a closed Madonna Hall, built in 1926 as a Catholic-sponsored boarding house for working girls and women.
Chester 82 will “step down” on its north ends that approach a neighborhood of single-family homes so that the scale of the new building won’t overwhelm its neighbors (Sullivan Bruck).
In 1946, it was converted into a nursing home for 105 elderly women, operated by the Franciscan Sisters of the Blessed Kunegunda. Scidem, Inc. acquired the property in 1970 and continued to operate it as a nursing home for another three decades, according to the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
Marous, under the name Madonna Hall Development LLC, acquired the property and considered various housing development options. Marous changed its site-specific corporate identity in 2007 to Chester 82 LLC, razed Madonna Hall soon thereafter, and proposed to build townhomes.
The homes would have been similar to those at its dense, walkable Battery Park development that was just getting underway near Edgewater Park on the city’s West Side at that time. But the Great Recession of 2008 put a halt to Marous’ Hough plans. In the years since, Marous increasingly favored apartments for Hough.
“The Port is an eager partner for developments that strengthen our neighborhoods and preserve community assets,” Winslow said.
Redeveloping the Park Synagogue’s main building into arts spaces and classrooms for Oberlin College carries a $42 million price. Adjacent residential development is envision in future phases (City of Cleveland Heights).
Farther east along U.S. Route 322 (Chester/Mayfield roads), is the Park Synagogue redevelopment in Cleveland Heights. The Park Synagogue campus, much of which was vacated nearly 20 years ago, will be transformed into a vibrant education and community arts center.
The $42.2 million first phase will feature approximately 40,000 square feet dedicated to community arts and activities and 25,000 square feet leased to Oberlin College for its five-year BA/BFA program. The 28-acre site is located at 3300 Mayfield Rd.
Planned amenities include indoor and outdoor classrooms, performance and rehearsal spaces, lecture halls, and breakout rooms designed to foster collaboration and creativity. The city of Cleveland Heights approved financial help earlier this week that will assist development of walking and biking trails and public access.
To support the project, the Port of Cleveland will issue up to $20 million in lease revenue bonds. In 2023, Park Synagogue’s developer Sustainable Community Associates (SCA) of Cleveland won the maximum allowable Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit, $10 million, from the Ohio Department of Development.
The Park Synagogue and its signature dome, identified here as “B1”, will be retained and repurposed as will the Charlotte Goldberg Community Mikvah. But other features including Kangesser Hall will be demolished for residential development (SCA-studio BCC).
Originally constructed in 1953, Park Synagogue was designed by renowned modernist architect Erich Mendelsohn. Its hemispheric dome, expansive sanctuary and fan-shaped classroom wing remain defining architectural features.
Over time, as the congregation shifted activities to its Pepper Pike campus that was completed in 2006, the Cleveland Heights property became underutilized. Park Synagogue has previously moved from East 105th Street in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood.
SCA has hired Panzica Construction as its general contractor and will work in partnership with Friends of Mendelsohn, a nonprofit formed to preserve and repurpose the site’s historic campus.
The project is expected to create 115 construction jobs and 39 permanent positions, while ensuring the preservation of one of Northeast Ohio’s most architecturally significant landmarks. At full buildout among all phases, investment in the site could reach $144 million, according to SCA’s filing with the state for historic tax credits.
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