CLEVELAND — Many neighbors are throwing their support behind a proposal to bring more affordable and easily accessible housing to Cleveland’s west side.
Wednesday, several dozen people packed into a small cafe on Detroit Ave. to hear about the possible future of a vacant property down the street.
“Anything’s better than an empty lot,” William Erazo said.
He was attending the public input meeting to hear development plans for the grass and gravel space just west of the West Blvd.-Cudell RTA Rapid station. RTA, which owns the land, suggested turning it into affordable housing when approached by developers.
“I think all along the RTA’s realized that multi-family development is really appropriate for some of these sites, given their proximity to the transit stations,” said Dani Miller, a developer on the affordable housing team for Flaherty & Collins.
The Indianapolis-based company is teaming up with local community development corporation Northwest Neighborhoods to create a 60-unit apartment building called the Depot on Detroit.
READ MORE: ‘The Depot on Detroit’ affordable housing begins collecting community input
“To be quite honest, a lot of the residents in Cleveland in general, not just the west side, cannot afford the market rate units. Our commitment is to make sure people, all people, can afford a place to live,” said Ed Peppers, the Director of Real Estate at Northwest Neighborhoods.
The project would provide a mix of one, two and three-bedroom options for low to moderate-income families, with the most expensive unit topping out around a $1,300 monthly rent. Additionally, tenants would also receive free RTA passes from the transit authority.
“Affordable housing really ensures that working-class families are able to stay in the city core, where the amenities are, where the jobs are, where the schools are,” Miller said.
The proposal is similar to another Northwest Neighborhoods initiative called Aspen Place, which is located near W 65th Street and Lorain Avenue Rapid Station and has attracted enough residents to be at or near capacity since it opened in 2019.
“It’s been very positive results in terms of occupancy. People like the space. It’s a newer space; it’s very nice,” Peppers said.
Wednesday, the developers were gathering feedback from neighbors about the Depot on Detroit. It received a largely positive reaction from neighbors who look forward to revitalizing the empty lot.
“We strive to build with the community, not for a community,” Miller said. “And the only way you can ensure you’re doing that is by meeting the neighbors.”
Some said they appreciate the investment in affordable housing as a way to preserve long-term growth for more people in the neighborhood.
“It tells the low-income and middle-class communities, [when] we have properties and have housing that we’re able to afford, that we’re a part of the community,” Erazo said.
The $18.5 million project still needs approval from the city but has already received a low-income housing tax credit. Developers hope to break ground in spring 2024.
Watch live and local news any time:
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
