Cleveland, Maple Hts projects add hundreds of jobs

By Ken Prendergast / November 1, 2023

Tennessee-based laboratory services company LabConnect and local fermented foods producer Cleveland Kitchen Co. were approved this week for a combined $1.1 million in state job creation tax credits for up to 250 new jobs at facilities in Cleveland. Meanwhile, a growing Vendors Exchange International, LLC plans to move its offices and manufacturing facilities from a western suburb to Maple Heights where it will expand to more than 70 jobs, thanks to financial support from Maple Heights.

Local projects may benefit from federal incentives

By Ken Prendergast / October 29, 2023

Having too much office space, not enough housing inventory and tight private financing to address those conditions isn’t just a Greater Cleveland phenomenon. It’s a nationwide problem. So the federal government on Friday announced incentives to encourage the conversion of high-vacancy commercial buildings to residential use and develop surplus land owned by transit agencies.

NE Ohio wins $26M in historic tax credits

By Ken Prendergast / June 29, 2023

An ambitious plan to redevelop the mostly vacated Park Synagogue, 3300 Mayfield Rd., and its 28 acres of land in Cleveland Heights was the big winner in today’s awarding of $50.56 million in Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits to 38 projects statewide. But Northeast Ohio overall did pretty in this latest round of historic tax credit awards, winning more than $26 million for 11 projects.

Six local housing projects win tax credits

By Ken Prendergast / May 18, 2023

Six housing developments in Cuyahoga County won federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs) yesterday from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA), improving their chances of seeing construction in the near future. Those projects and 23 others elsewhere around the state received conditional LIHTC commitments. Developers will use those awards to leverage additional financing in the creation or rehabilitation of rental housing for low- to moderate-income Ohioans.

Seeds & Sprouts XXVIII – Big retailer to Steelyard, AJ Rocco’s progresses, Hemingway bets on offices, Leather shop reno, Bakery to Euclid Ave

By Ken Prendergast / March 22, 2023

A big retailer is opening at Steelyard Commons, renovations work for AJ Rocco’s new restaurant are about to progress, Hemingway Development bets on Midtown offices, and the inside of a West Side leather shop is about to be renovated.

What we may see in 2023

By Ken Prendergast / January 2, 2023

When it comes to business, real estate and community investment, there’s a lot to look forward to in Greater Cleveland in 2023. Look no further than the new Canon Healthcare headquarters, Bedrock real estate’s riverfront plans, Midtown Cleveland developments, booming University Circle and its spillover into long-neglected neighborhoods, the next artist district in Cleveland, ballpark villages around our city’s sport venues, lakefront plans and projects, transit-oriented developments, plus the skyscrapers under construction downtown.

Boost in historic tax credits benefits Ohio projects

By Ken Prendergast / December 21, 2022

Ohio announced state support for 54 rehabilitation projects that will restore 57 historic buildings across the state including eight redevelopment projects in Cleveland. According to state officials, the projects statewide are expected to leverage approximately $1.01 billion in private investment. The projects were awarded funding as part of the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit Program (OHPTC), administered by the Ohio Department of Development. In total, 21 communities across the state are receiving awards, which total $64,132,847 in tax credits with $14.5 million of that going to Cleveland projects.

Brownfield grants reveal progress on many projects

By Ken Prendergast / December 17, 2022

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine today announced $88 million in state support for 123 brownfield remediation projects that will help clean up hazardous and underutilized sites throughout the state. The Ohio Department of Development is funding the awards through the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program, which is designed to clean up and prepare hazardous brownfield sites for redevelopment. The projects announced today will impact communities in 35 counties across the state.

Phase 2 sought for Midtown apartment complex

By Ken Prendergast / December 14, 2022

With the paint still drying on the first phase of a mixed-use development called The Foundry Lofts, 7240 Euclid Ave., Signet Real Estate Group is asking the city for approvals to begin construction on an apartments-only phase two. The reason for moving forward so quickly on expanding the Midtown Cleveland development is because both residential and commercial leasing activity for the first phase have been strong.

Kalina House eyes construction in 2023

By Ken Prendergast / November 27, 2022

Although a proposed building in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood to support individuals with traumatic injuries and their families is physically small, the need for the facility is large. To that end, the nonprofit Mark Kalina Jr. Foundation will host a Buy-A-Brick Fundraiser over the coming weeks in support of the proposed housing facility – The Kalina House. This opportunity for charity will run from Giving Tuesday on Nov. 29 until New Year’s Eve.