EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — The plan to transform East Cleveland got an infusion of funding Tuesday. The Cuyahoga Land Bank announced its Circle East District redevelopment project was awarded $2.3 million from a federal bill that passed in March.
The Circle East District is targeted in a 30-acre neighborhood of East Cleveland that sits directly adjacent to University Circle. The Land Bank’s Director of Real Estate Development, Dennis Roberts, called this new funding “tremendous.” The Land Bank has a plan in place to put that money to good use, including new infrastructure.
"We felt from the very beginning that the installation of new roads, new lights, new water, new sewer, and things that support new housing would all be critical," Roberts said.
Of that $2.3 million, $1 million is going to homeowners who already live in the neighborhood to help them with needed repairs. Roberts said the Land Bank wanted to make sure existing residents felt “taken care of and supported.”
He pointed out that in many cases like this, people are forced out of their homes because taxes go up or because they can’t afford the maintenance on their homes.
"That's a significant reason why seniors on fixed incomes are unable to pay their taxes because they're using that money to deal with much-needed maintenance costs," he said.
The Circle East Development project calls for 200 new homes, but longtime homeowners are worried it could trigger a property tax hike.
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The land bank already had people going door-to-door in the neighborhood to meet homeowners, provide them with applications for home improvement grants, and survey their housing needs. So far, it’s been able to build 10 new roofs and a couple of brand-new porches. Roberts said with this funding, these maintenance grants will cover the entire targeted area.
"We can't overemphasize how important this funding is,” he said. The redevelopment also includes plans for a new greenway that will bisect the neighborhood from Woodlawn Avenue to Wadena Street, and the land bank is renovating a 25,000-square-foot building at Woodlawn and Euclid avenues to bring business into the city.
“Our primary goal is to create jobs,” Roberts said.
The land bank is looking for tenants for that commercial building now to both bring jobs to the neighborhood and additional income tax.
Circle East District is ready to welcome new residents as well. Roberts said the land bank is planning to start construction this fall on 22 new single-family homes. They’ll all be built with solar panels and EV chargers. When potential buyers come looking, the plan makes sure there is a place for them to learn what they might be buying into. It includes funding for the city’s first café.
"One of the things we want to do is welcome folks who are moving into Circle East District, so they get an opportunity to meet the good people that live there,” Roberts said. “We figured by having this dedicated community space, a place where you can meet, build camaraderie, learn about the city, have a cup of coffee, it would be an ideal way for the people who currently live in this city to become good positive ambassadors."
You can learn more about the plan to redevelop Circle East District here.
