University Hospitals’ former customer services center off Northfield and Harvard roads in Highland Hills will be repurposed as a pathology lab in a $68.4 million project (Google). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
UH lab, small biz hub projects advance
The Port of Cleveland Board of Directors today approved two projects designed to strengthen Northeast Ohio’s economy, create jobs, and revitalize strategic properties in the region.
One project, with a total investment of $68.4 million, will transform a vacant office building at 20800 Harvard Rd. in Highland Hills into a pathology laboratory for University Hospitals (UH).
It is accessible from Northfield Road and Millcreek Boulevard. The latter is host to another emerging, major development, a $40 million project to build a 400,000-square-foot facility for light manufacturing tenants.
The other will convert an industrial building at 5450 S. Marginal Rd. on Cleveland’s lakefront into a commercial community hub for small businesses on the city’s near-east side, just off Interstate 90 and East 55th St.
“From healthcare innovation in Highland Hills to a mixed-use community hub in St. Clair-Superior, these developments will have a lasting positive impact on Northeast Ohio,” said Port of Cleveland President and CEO Jeff Epstein in a written statement.
Shown here are all of the properties owned by University Hospitals at Northfield and Harvard roads in Highland Hills. The health system acquired these properties in 2014 (Port of Cleveland).
“These projects demonstrate the Port of Cleveland’s commitment to fostering economic growth, creating high-quality jobs, and investing in our communities,” he added.
The Highland Hills Office Redevelopment, will reconstruct a 127,680-square-foot vacant office building into a state-of-the-art pathology lab for UH. The regional health system had previously used this building as a customer services center for the past decade.
To support this project, the Port will issue up to $60 million in Taxable Lease Revenue Bonds through a Capital Lease financing structure. Construction is expected to take 18 months, from April 2026 through September 2027.
In addition to bringing back high-quality health care employment in Highland Hills, the project restores a large, previously vacant office building, aligning with the village’s goal of attracting new tenants and enhancing its gateway corridors.
The second project, called The Marginal, is an adaptive reuse of the former Woodhill Supply building in Cleveland’s St. Clair-Superior neighborhood. Woodhill Supply was acquired in 2024 by the Macomb Group of Michigan after Woodhill concentrated its Northeast Ohio operations into its Willoughby location.
As seen from East 55th Street, the former Woodhill Supply was already vacated in 2022 when this streetview was captured (Google).
The Port will provide a $310,000 flexible bridge loan from its Community Investment Fund to support the initial phase of this redevelopment, including working capital and down payment costs.
The project will convert the 82,470-square-foot industrial building into a mixed-use community hub, featuring retail and showroom space for two female-owned businesses — RBX and Borrow Curated.
Plus it will also have warehouse space, co-working areas, and a social club. The loan symbolizes the Port leveraging its planned investment in the neighborhood through the Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Strategy, dubbed CHEERS, with additional community investment, Epstein said.
The Marginal is a building constructed in 1955 and last renovated in 1993, county records show. It was acquired by Macomb Group affiliate MG-Cleveland Acquisitions in 2024 for $1.5 million and also has an address of 1100 E. 55th St.
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