A rendering of Union at Cleveland Harbor from the northeast (Annex Group). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Union at Cleveland Harbor to add 209 homes next to Lake Erie
On Friday, City Planning Commission unanimously approved a planned 209-unit lakefront apartment development at the north end of Cleveland’s Goodrich-Kirtland Park neighborhood. The project, Union at Cleveland Harbor, is being developed by the Annex Group of Indiana and designed by RDL Architects of Beachwood.
Despite its seemingly isolated location at 5475 N. Marginal Road, on the north side of Interstate 90, the development lies directly east of a 167-unit residential complex called The Shoreline Apartments.
The Shoreline’s owners, the locally based Landmark Companies, had originally planned to develop the site. But since it couldn’t make the numbers work for a market-rate project, the Annex Group is pursuing it instead — with Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).
Façade designs for Union at Cleveland Harbor, depicting the building’s logo (Annex Group).
East of the property, the city will allow Annex Group to build additional parking on a section of vacated right-of-way for East 55th Street. In exchange, the developer has agreed to build a public park spanning the right-of-way and an adjacent city-owned parcel.
Union at Cleveland Harbor received final approval for architecture and parking only. Its developers will need to return to review the public park component and building signage.
When it was given schematic approval on Oct. 17, planners asked the developers to expand on-site amenities, including its playground and seating areas, to match its unit count. The building’s 209 units will have 370 beds, with more than 100 kids expected to live there.
The site plan for Union at Cleveland Harbor. At top right, the city allowed the developer to build additional parking on a former East 55th Street right-of-way in exchange for a small public park overlooking Lake Erie (Annex Group).
The five-story building will have 88 one-bedroom, 81 two-bedroom, and 40 three-bedroom units available to households making 50 to 70 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), with 209 parking spaces available for residents. Union’s first floor will include a community room, office, pet wash, fitness center, and a bike storage room.
In addition to 36 indoor bike parking spaces, another 12 spaces will be available outside. The development is located along the under-construction Mandel Community Trail — a 12-minute bike ride from Downtown Cleveland.
The project will be a short ride from East 55th Marina, the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, and the planned $300 million Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Strategy (CHEERS) development which has yet to progress.
A rendering of Union at Cleveland Harbor from the southeast (Annex Group).
Union at Cleveland Harbor is served by GCRTA’s No. 16 bus route, which currently stops a 5-minute walk away at South Marginal Road. The Annex Group has agreed to purchase a bus shelter for the stop; discussions with RTA to add an on-site bus stop or turnaround are ongoing.
At Friday’s Planning Commission meeting, the Annex Group highlighted the project’s new on-site amenities, including an expanded patio, increased seating, and new playground equipment.
At the north end of the parking lot, a fire access lane will be built in the form of a reinforced lawn with grass pavers. Most of the time, the space will serve as a multi-use lawn area available for yard games.
Compared to a previous proposal (top), Union at Cleveland Harbor’s new design (bottom) adds expanded amenities including a multi-use painted court that doubles as a fire lane. Images have been cropped and adjoined from CPC presentation slides (Annex Group).
One change from its previous design is the addition of pavement on the fire lane’s T-shaped turn-around, in order to allow temporary court striping for games like pickleball, hopscotch, and four square.
Planning Commission members commended the expanded amenities, but commented on the need for additional play equipment for older kids as well as additional seating at “pause points” along walkways.
The Annex Group has not yet announced a construction timeline for the development.
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