A sweeping redevelopment effort will transform more than 350 acres of neglected industrial land into housing, jobs, and green space.
Last summer, Cleveland’s Mayor Justin Bibb announced The Cleveland ERA, or Economic Resurgence in Action, an effort that seeks to revitalize nearly every aspect of the city’s economic life—from job creation to housing development and from supporting small businesses to connecting to the rest of the world.
Long-neglected industrial buildings and brownfield sites illustrate the scale of the challenge facing Cleveland’s Midline area, where decades of industrial use left properties in need of extensive remediation and redevelopment. Credit: Patrick Fenner
The effort aims to raise $100 million to remove development barriers, reform construction permitting, and ensure residents have a voice as neighborhoods change. Much of the project is about reimagining more than 350 acres of blighted and long-neglected industrial area within the city to bring in new industry, income, and economic support for Cleveland’s sustainable development.
Green Builder Media’s Jennifer Castenson speaks with (L to R) Cleveland City Council Member Richard Starr and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb about the revitalization of the city’s older building stock. Credit: Violet PR
Rebuilding an Industrial Engine
Long-vacant buildings are being developed into new manufacturing facilities. For example, one historically significant former steel manufacturing facility is being renovated for MMY, a UK-based modular housing manufacturer. Once renovated, it is expected to create more than 150 jobs and support more affordable housing built to the LEED Platinum standard in Cleveland.
The selection of MMY to take over this facility marks a major step forward in Cleveland’s effort to reduce the time and cost of building new homes by using innovative construction methods.
The planned Midline Greenway will help reconnect surrounding neighborhoods with more than two miles of trails, approximately 10 acres of public green space, and four parks designed to make walking, recreation, and alternative commuting safer and more accessible. Credit: Merritt Chase
MMY was selected via The Cleveland ERA’s “Off-Site Construction Manufacturing in Cleveland” request for proposals. MMY’s investment, and its affordable green housing products, will support further development of the city’s Housing Innovation District. In this area, which spans multiple neighborhoods, housing production will be accelerated through modern zoning, incentivized permitting, innovative construction techniques, and new infrastructure investments.
"This is far more than the rehabilitation of a historic building—it represents the opportunity to reconnect Cleveland's industrial legacy with its economic future by creating a site that will attract investment, support housing production, and generate jobs for decades to come," says Brad Whitehead, managing director of Cleveland’s Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund.
“From Ground to Growth” is a comic coloring book that the City of Cleveland produced to explain the Site Readiness Fund and how it is contributing to bringing good jobs back to Cleveland. This simple graphic explains how industry moved away from the city—and what it will take to bring it back, including more city involvement in assembling parcels, cleaning up brownfields, and generally reducing development hurdles. Credit: Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund
“Mayor Bibb has built the Midline as the largest industrial development in Cleveland's history,” says Catherine Kliorys, a senior portfolio manager at environmental science firm Verdantas, which was contracted to do the project’s remediation. “The partnerships and the organization that they have initiated [make for] the most exciting brownfield redevelopment synergy that we've ever had in Cleveland. It's a national example for Rust Belt real estate, where the market doesn't bear this development, the timing, and the cost to amass these kinds of resources.”
Cleaning Up a Century of Industry
However, the environmental remediation of the site presents big challenges, including asbestos abatement, and buildings that aren’t ready for modern-day functions. Verdantas is taking these challenges head-on and even examining crushed cement piled in the area to determine if it can be reused for new development.
“These old buildings have high ceiling heights, wide column widths,” Kliorys says. “Think of all of the goods that are being transferred, like through Amazon. They're not using a five-story industrial brick building. We're figuring out what the market can bear in unique spaces, what needs to be done to demolish these structures in proximity to the rail, and to get them ready for business to come in.”
Verdantas is identifying and substantiating remediation efforts to address environmental impacts dating back to 1912, when the area was first used for industrial purposes and environmental regulations were virtually nonexistent. “I think the environmental justice equation here is that the residents that have borne the burden of this for so long will get to experience the benefits of this project as things start to come online and jobs and investment are created along with green space, recreational opportunities, and really improving the quality of life for these residents,” Kliorys says.
A rendering of the envisioned Midline Business District shows how former industrial land can be transformed into a more vibrant, connected district that combines economic development with green space, mobility, and a more people-centered public realm. Credit: Vocon and The Cleveland Foundation
Stitching Neighborhoods Back Together
Another aspect of social revitalization and increasing quality of life for Cleveland residents is the site’s location. Situated in a historic area, it’s in a walkable location and close to public transportation.
LAND Studio is a consulting group helping the project navigate the transformation with residents in mind. “Our role in projects like this is to help ensure that major investment translates into a better everyday experience for the people who live around it—connecting neighborhoods to public space, jobs, mobility, culture, and one another,” says Keisha Gonzales, executive director and CEO at LAND Studio. “We believe the public realm isn't something that comes after economic development; it's part of the infrastructure that makes equitable, community-centered development possible.”
An aerial view shows the scale of Cleveland’s former industrial landscape, part of more than 350 acres of long-neglected land targeted for new investment, jobs, housing, infrastructure, and public space. Credit: Thomas Wasinksi, Aerial Agents
A greenway will be another contribution of the project to community wellbeing, with more than two miles of trails, about 10 acres of public green space, and four parks. “There are physical gaps in the neighborhood and community,” Gonzales added. “There’s an opportunity to reconnect people to one another and places and spaces that contribute positively to mental and physical wellbeing. Specifically for the Greenway, [there are opportunities for Cleveland residents] to safely walk and to commute to work in alternative ways. It’s a way to physically stitch back neighborhoods and tie people back to one another in a vibrant, sustainable way of living.”
As a smart city, Cleveland is strategically approaching the opportunity presented by The Cleveland ERA project to boost manufacturing, workforce development, and urban reinvestment—understanding that there is value in rebuilding the relationships between employment and neighborhoods.
Jennifer Castenson currently serves as the vice president of COGNITION Smart Data and market analytics at Green Builder Media. She also serves as contributing writer to Forbes, reporting on innovation in the built environment.
Cleveland Turns Industrial Legacy Into Community Comeback
A sweeping redevelopment effort will transform more than 350 acres of neglected industrial land into housing, jobs, and green space.
Last summer, Cleveland’s Mayor Justin Bibb announced The Cleveland ERA, or Economic Resurgence in Action, an effort that seeks to revitalize nearly every aspect of the city’s economic life—from job creation to housing development and from supporting small businesses to connecting to the rest of the world.
Long-neglected industrial buildings and brownfield sites illustrate the scale of the challenge facing Cleveland’s Midline area, where decades of industrial use left properties in need of extensive remediation and redevelopment. Credit: Patrick Fenner
The effort aims to raise $100 million to remove development barriers, reform construction permitting, and ensure residents have a voice as neighborhoods change. Much of the project is about reimagining more than 350 acres of blighted and long-neglected industrial area within the city to bring in new industry, income, and economic support for Cleveland’s sustainable development.
Green Builder Media’s Jennifer Castenson speaks with (L to R) Cleveland City Council Member Richard Starr and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb about the revitalization of the city’s older building stock. Credit: Violet PR
Rebuilding an Industrial Engine
Long-vacant buildings are being developed into new manufacturing facilities. For example, one historically significant former steel manufacturing facility is being renovated for MMY, a UK-based modular housing manufacturer. Once renovated, it is expected to create more than 150 jobs and support more affordable housing built to the LEED Platinum standard in Cleveland.
The selection of MMY to take over this facility marks a major step forward in Cleveland’s effort to reduce the time and cost of building new homes by using innovative construction methods.
The planned Midline Greenway will help reconnect surrounding neighborhoods with more than two miles of trails, approximately 10 acres of public green space, and four parks designed to make walking, recreation, and alternative commuting safer and more accessible. Credit: Merritt Chase
MMY was selected via The Cleveland ERA’s “Off-Site Construction Manufacturing in Cleveland” request for proposals. MMY’s investment, and its affordable green housing products, will support further development of the city’s Housing Innovation District. In this area, which spans multiple neighborhoods, housing production will be accelerated through modern zoning, incentivized permitting, innovative construction techniques, and new infrastructure investments.
"This is far more than the rehabilitation of a historic building—it represents the opportunity to reconnect Cleveland's industrial legacy with its economic future by creating a site that will attract investment, support housing production, and generate jobs for decades to come," says Brad Whitehead, managing director of Cleveland’s Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund.
“From Ground to Growth” is a comic coloring book that the City of Cleveland produced to explain the Site Readiness Fund and how it is contributing to bringing good jobs back to Cleveland. This simple graphic explains how industry moved away from the city—and what it will take to bring it back, including more city involvement in assembling parcels, cleaning up brownfields, and generally reducing development hurdles. Credit: Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund
“Mayor Bibb has built the Midline as the largest industrial development in Cleveland's history,” says Catherine Kliorys, a senior portfolio manager at environmental science firm Verdantas, which was contracted to do the project’s remediation. “The partnerships and the organization that they have initiated [make for] the most exciting brownfield redevelopment synergy that we've ever had in Cleveland. It's a national example for Rust Belt real estate, where the market doesn't bear this development, the timing, and the cost to amass these kinds of resources.”
Cleaning Up a Century of Industry
However, the environmental remediation of the site presents big challenges, including asbestos abatement, and buildings that aren’t ready for modern-day functions. Verdantas is taking these challenges head-on and even examining crushed cement piled in the area to determine if it can be reused for new development.
“These old buildings have high ceiling heights, wide column widths,” Kliorys says. “Think of all of the goods that are being transferred, like through Amazon. They're not using a five-story industrial brick building. We're figuring out what the market can bear in unique spaces, what needs to be done to demolish these structures in proximity to the rail, and to get them ready for business to come in.”
Verdantas is identifying and substantiating remediation efforts to address environmental impacts dating back to 1912, when the area was first used for industrial purposes and environmental regulations were virtually nonexistent. “I think the environmental justice equation here is that the residents that have borne the burden of this for so long will get to experience the benefits of this project as things start to come online and jobs and investment are created along with green space, recreational opportunities, and really improving the quality of life for these residents,” Kliorys says.
A rendering of the envisioned Midline Business District shows how former industrial land can be transformed into a more vibrant, connected district that combines economic development with green space, mobility, and a more people-centered public realm. Credit: Vocon and The Cleveland Foundation
Stitching Neighborhoods Back Together
Another aspect of social revitalization and increasing quality of life for Cleveland residents is the site’s location. Situated in a historic area, it’s in a walkable location and close to public transportation.
LAND Studio is a consulting group helping the project navigate the transformation with residents in mind. “Our role in projects like this is to help ensure that major investment translates into a better everyday experience for the people who live around it—connecting neighborhoods to public space, jobs, mobility, culture, and one another,” says Keisha Gonzales, executive director and CEO at LAND Studio. “We believe the public realm isn't something that comes after economic development; it's part of the infrastructure that makes equitable, community-centered development possible.”
An aerial view shows the scale of Cleveland’s former industrial landscape, part of more than 350 acres of long-neglected land targeted for new investment, jobs, housing, infrastructure, and public space. Credit: Thomas Wasinksi, Aerial Agents
A greenway will be another contribution of the project to community wellbeing, with more than two miles of trails, about 10 acres of public green space, and four parks. “There are physical gaps in the neighborhood and community,” Gonzales added. “There’s an opportunity to reconnect people to one another and places and spaces that contribute positively to mental and physical wellbeing. Specifically for the Greenway, [there are opportunities for Cleveland residents] to safely walk and to commute to work in alternative ways. It’s a way to physically stitch back neighborhoods and tie people back to one another in a vibrant, sustainable way of living.”
As a smart city, Cleveland is strategically approaching the opportunity presented by The Cleveland ERA project to boost manufacturing, workforce development, and urban reinvestment—understanding that there is value in rebuilding the relationships between employment and neighborhoods.
By Jennifer Castenson
Jennifer Castenson currently serves as the vice president of COGNITION Smart Data and market analytics at Green Builder Media. She also serves as contributing writer to Forbes, reporting on innovation in the built environment.Also Read