Not only has the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections moved to the former Plain Dealer Plaza, but so will some Health & Human Services offices. While costing money up front, the moves are expected to save money in the long run (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Consolidation expected to save $2M per year
While Cuyahoga County officials contemplate how to address a $20+ million budget shortfall in each of the next two years, the county and its real estate contractors are planning to spend $865,000 to renovate office space at the former Plain Dealer (PD) Plaza, 1801 Superior Ave. in Downtown Cleveland.
The office space is for Health and Human Services (HHS) workers relocated from other buildings and will be next to the Board of Elections’ new offices in the same building. But a county spokesperson said the expenditure is being done to save money in the long run.
“Cuyahoga County’s investment in Health and Human Services offices will provide an annual savings of $2 million by consolidating operations and making better use of county-owned facilities,” said Kelly Woodard, director of the Cuyahoga County Department of Communications.
“Currently, many HHS staff are spread across multiple leased buildings, which increases costs and impedes coordination,” Woodard added. “Centralizing teams will help lower rental expenses, simplify operations, and foster stronger collaboration among programs serving the same families.”
Planned is an “interior office remodel” of 64,517 square feet of space in the 235,312-square-foot, 2000-built building, according to city and county public records. Renovations of space on three levels are in plans submitted Nov. 4 to the City of Cleveland by HSB Architects + Engineers of Cleveland.
Remodeling is proposed to include “carpentry, finishes, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, fire sprinkler and fire alarm work” with most of the work concentrated on the third floor, HSB’s plans show.
Although Cuyahoga County offices will fill more than 178,000 square feet on the first, second and third floors of the old PD Plaza, only the unshaded areas will see renovations that involve more than just updated lighting (HSB).
“Equally important, this move will provide a safe and modern workplace for employees, while improving accessibility and access for the public,” Woodard said.
The project’s general contractor is Industrial Commercial Construction, an affiliate of the building’s owner Industrial Commercial Properties (ICP) LLC of Mayfield Heights. The only other tenant in the building is Step Forward, formerly the Council for Economic Opportunities in Greater Cleveland. It occupies the fourth floor.
In June 2024, Cuyahoga County Council approved a $91 million, 17-year lease of the former PD Plaza. ICP affiliate Cleveland Superior LLC acquired in 2022 the building, plus a 1969-built 800-space parking garage to the north and the 8-acre property on which they set for $12.35 million, according to county records.
NEOtrans broke the story in March 2024 that the county Board of Elections would be vacating the 64,149-square-foot Robert Hughes Building, 2925 Euclid Ave. for the PD Plaza. The elections board had been in the Hughes building since it was built in 1957.
The board of elections moved to and opened in the PD Plaza on May 19. Because it is located on the first two floors in the east half of the building, the elections board has a unique address of 1803 Superior. This stretch of Superior has seen a lot of redevelopment lately.
The former Plain Dealer Plaza, seen at right in the next block of Superior Avenue, is just east of Downtown Cleveland in a redeveloping part of the Campus District. In addition to Cuyahoga County and the Cleveland Police Department moving their offices into this area, CrossCountry Mortgage moved its headquarters here from Brecksville (Google).
The board of elections and its records were also spread around in two other buildings before consolidation. Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne and his staff sought to unite them into a single location. So they issued a request for proposals for alternative, consolidated locations in 2023.
Similarly, the county’s HHS offices were scattered at multiple locations, too. In an interoffice memo published by NEOtrans last year, Ronayne told staff he intended to consolidate those offices, some at rented office spaces, into fewer locations.
“We will renovate the Virgil E. Brown building at 1641 Payne Ave., sell the Jane Edna Hunter building at 3955 Euclid Ave., and evaluate county leases for other properties,” he said. “We will be relocating some HHS offices to Virgil E. Brown and others to 1801 Superior.”
Officials are seeking to cut $20 million from the county’s 2026 budget that funds HHS services. Another $22.5 million could be cut from the 2027 budget. Two major factors are at play.
Despite Cuyahoga County voters renewing a 4.8-mill HHS property tax levy in March 2024, many property owners are behind on paying their taxes. Also, state and federal funding for health and human services is not keeping up with rising health care costs.
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