A place to call home: The modular housing boom in North Shore Collinwood

North Shore Collinwood has been the place I’ve called home for over two decades. In that time, I’ve seen the excitement of the Collinwood Recreation Center being built, the energy of the Waterloo Arts District, families enjoying time at Euclid Beach Park and the local library, and the steady foot traffic along East 185th Street as residents and visitors frequent local businesses and restaurants. I’ve also seen the losses, like the closing of community staples such as Sandy’s, Dave’s Supermarket, and Walgreens. Like any neighborhood, Collinwood has had its ups and downs.

But through it all, North Shore Collinwood has remained home for me, and now, even more families will get to call it home. There’s a housing buzz in our neighborhood.

That housing buzz is being guided by Councilman Mike Polensek, a longtime advocate for revitalization in Ward 8. The momentum is already visible, thanks to the setting of modular homes by Rebuild Cleveland and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cleveland, with each organization contributing to a vision rooted in affordability, homeownership, and long-term neighborhood transformation.

“I’m looking forward to a good year for North Shore Collinwood with the new housing and other redevelopment projects,” Polensek shared. “North Shore Collinwood will become a destination neighborhood where people are going to want to live due to the proximity to the lake and the expansion of the Metroparks.”

Rebuild Cleveland Making Its Mark with Modular Housing

One modular home has already been placed at 14509 Westropp Avenue, just west of the Waterloo Arts District. The home is a 1,494-square-foot, three-bedroom ranch with a full basement. Next to it a second home, a 907-square-foot, two-bedroom ranch, also with a full basement featuring an egress window, is expected to be set soon. Task of Rebuild Cleveland described modular homes as factory-built structures that arrive 80 to 90 percent complete, making them energy-efficient, high-quality, and compliant with Cleveland Green Building Standards. With land prep in place, homes can typically be set within 8 to 12 weeks.

“I’m expecting a bunch more to go up in the neighborhood over the course of this year and going into next year as the economy holds, which we’re all hoping the case will be,” said Polensek.

These homes are part of a project led by Rebuild Cleveland, a development partnership between Seth Task, currently with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Professional Realty; Chris Grimaldi, president of Grimaldi Property Management, and Ilya Palatnik, who owns NUIQ Med Spa and Soul Space. All three are real estate developers and property owners.

Their partnership was started, according to Task, “Because people are not building builders. We lost half of the builders in the industry 15 years ago when the mortgage meltdown occurred. They went out of business and they never came back . I was not a builder then, none of us were, but they’re doing this. There’s going to be a lot more builders coming to the marketplace that did not build before, but we need them because we stopped building houses for a long time relative to the needs of the market .” He added that the National Association of Realtors estimates the nation is short 5.5 million housing units, with tens of thousands needed in Cleveland, particularly in the $300,000-and-under price range where Rebuild Cleveland is focused. Task said their projects reflect the company’s mission to provide housing at a variety of price points, especially in low- to moderate-income areas.

In addition to the three homes planned for Westropp, Rebuild Cleveland is preparing to begin development on Arcade Place, a cluster of six modular townhomes located at East 156th Street and Arcade Avenue, on the former site of the once-popular Fanny’s Diner.

“I wanted to do something relatively small for our first project, and a six-unit townhome is what I designed. What’s interesting is it’s actually three duplexes attached to each other,” said Task. “So I can replicate two of these elsewhere on lots where they’ll fit as standalone duplexes. As long as we get the financing approved from the city, which is the money noted in last year’s Cleveland legislation, I expect we’ll be able to sell these for somewhere in the $275,000 range, with buyers receiving a 100% 15-year tax abatement.”

Rebuild Cleveland’s goal is to place a total of 64 homes around Cleveland, with 50 of them throughout North Shore Collinwood, all as owner-occupied properties for sale. 

Task explained the decision to begin in North Shore Collinwood: “Neighborhoods like North Collinwood were left out of the Cleveland development boom that built up Detroit Shoreway. As a lifelong Eastsider, it’s sad to see neighborhoods I’ve lived in and sold homes in for 20 years left to deteriorate. These are historic areas with beautiful architecture and deep roots, places like St. Clair-Superior, Cleveland Heights, East Cleveland. It became a mission of mine to help bring them back.” He added, “North Shore Collinwood felt like the right place to start. It’s a fantastic neighborhood, sandwiched between Bratenahl and Euclid, with lake access, freeway connections, and assets like the Waterloo Arts District and Beachland Ballroom already in place.” 

Habitat For Humanity Making Homeownership an Option in North Shore Collinwood

While Rebuild Cleveland continues expanding its impact, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cleveland is also building a path to homeownership, just a few blocks away. On April 30, East 164th and Grovewood came alive as community leaders, residents, and onlookers gathered to witness the placement of three modular homes across from Grovewood Park, marking the first phase of a ten-home development.

“I have the best job in Cleveland,” said John Litten, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cleveland, “We get to do impactful work that changes the lives of families who never thought they could become homeowners.”

Planning for this project began about 15 months ago, when modular construction was still relatively rare in Cleveland. Litten explained that only a few homes had been built using that method within city limits. “We saw an opportunity to bring homes to market faster, with equal or better quality, and at a price point we were already working with. The turnaround for us is generally about a year with traditional housing, so to do this many more houses that much faster is amazing,” said Litten

“We set our first modular home in September of last year on West 83rd St, and families started moving in by Christmas,” Litten said. “To go from planning to families moving in within a year was nothing short of amazing.”

The first group of homes placed on Grovewood is expected to be ready by midsummer 2025, with three more to be placed in the coming weeks. Habitat plans to have all 10 homes completed and move-in ready by the end of the year. Each home will feature three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a basement, and a garage. So far, six homes have been matched with future homebuyers, according to Litten.

During his speech at the house setting, Councilman Polensek emphasized that he wanted families moving into these modular homes to have the same comfort and space as those in traditionally-built homes. He advocated strongly for each house to include a basement and garage to meet families’ storage and lifestyle needs. Litten agreed, adding, “We see the need for three bedrooms quite often with the families we serve. We also see the need for storage, so the basement and garage were very important to us. Modular housing requires at least a crawl space, so we decided to dig a little deeper and double the square footage by adding a full basement, giving families more space for storage, recreation, or whatever they need.”

Litten emphasized that the location for these homes was chosen intentionally. “We love that it was a place we could fit ten homes, but the fact that it’s adjacent to a park area and is in an area that’s going to see a lot of growth in the coming months and years that made it an even stronger fit,” he said. “You’re essentially going to have an eastern version of Edgewater Park. It’s by the lake, the Metroparks, Western Reserve Land Conservancy, close to bus transit. There are so many community amenities here that will make living in Collinwood a good thing for these families.”

Litten also credited Polensek for playing a key role in making the development possible. “We’ve been blessed to receive vital funding through the City of Cleveland and City Council, which supports housing efforts in five wards,” he shared. “Councilman Mike Polensek has been a huge proponent of bringing modular housing to Cleveland, so we were really excited to do this 10-home development in his ward using a housing model he’s supported for many years.”

Habitat has also worked closely with the City of Cleveland’s Department of Community Development. “Many of our projects, including this one specifically, have city support,” Litten noted. “At the house setting, we were joined by Director Alyssa Hernandez, Housing Director Sally Martin, and Chief Jeffrey Epstein. We’re grateful for their support in making more housing happen in Cleveland.”

A Future Homeowner’s Experience

At the house setting, I had the chance to speak with Ms. Mathis, who currently resides in Cleveland Heights and will be moving into one of the modular homes on East 164th and Grovewood. Mathis, who has two school-age children, said she chose the location because it felt like the nicest neighborhood among the options and because she was already familiar with Grovewood, especially the nearby park, recreation center, and other amenities.

“It was stressful, but exciting. It’s scary. It’s new. You know, it’s cool,” she said. While she hasn’t received an official move-in date, she was hopeful the homes would be done by late spring. Her advice to others considering homeownership? “Go for it if you feel like you can do it. They’ve got programs and nice things you can get into to help you get your dream home if you don’t want to rent and you want to be a homeowner.”

Community Input and Helping Families

One thing both developments share is a focus on ranch-style homes, designed with aging in place in mind. “It’s very important that we listen and understand prospective homeowner’s wants and needs,” Task said. “They want a place where they can buy and stay, that’s why we’re building ranches.”

Litten echoed that priority: “We strictly adhered to an aging-in-place design, first-floor bedrooms, bathrooms, washer and dryer access, and even grab bars for accessibility. We wanted homes people could grow older in without needing to leave.”

Habitat also offers support to help families prepare for homeownership, including financial education and hands-on workshops. “We offer a zero-percent interest mortgage,” Litten said. “It’s affordable lending paired with affordable housing.”

Instead of a traditional down payment, homeowners contribute about 300 hours of service volunteering in Habitat ReStores, participating in workshops, and helping build their future homes. Litten said homes are expected to appraise around $180,000 and will be sold at that value, regardless of construction cost. “That way we meet the market where it is,” he said. Habitat serves families earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income (AMI). For a family of four, that typically ranges between $25,000 and $75,000 annually.

Enthusiasm for the Future

With the increase of housing opportunities through modular housing throughout the North Shore Collinwood neighborhood, I see signs of a community comeback. Not only are we going to be welcoming new families, it is my hope that businesses will see North Shore Collinwood as a place to plant and grow.

Both Task and Litten expressed their enthusiasm for what’s happening in North Shore Collinwood. Task shared, “We’re excited to be one of the first builders to come back and build in North Collinwood. We have a great relationship with the Greater Collinwood Development Corporation. Councilman Polensek has been extremely supportive.”

He added, “It is important to us to have a great relationship with the community and to be a great community partner.” 

Litten echoed this appreciation,  “We’re excited to see this growth in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Cleveland and be a part of it. That we were able to facilitate the vision of ourselves and also that of Councilman Polensek in terms of modular housing coming to his neighborhood, where he has served for over 30 years. We really have great partners in the city and the Cuyahoga Land Bank helping make this all happen.” 

Additional Revitalization Projects Coming to the Neighborhood

Beyond the housing efforts, Polensek also highlighted several other developments that are already underway or in the works. These include the city’s purchase of Dave’s Supermarket and work with the Cuyahoga Land Bank on the former Ponderosa site. There are upcoming development agreements, efforts to repurpose the closed Walgreens with Hannah Commercial, and the expansion of the Metroparks into the former Euclid Beach mobile home park. Plans are underway to move the historic Euclid Beach Arch to the former McDonald’s site and create a dedicated Euclid Beach Arch Park.

The city also aims to rebuild East 159th Street and rename it Euclid Beach Boulevard. Additional developments include the Euclid Beach Lakefront Connector in collaboration with the county, the Euclid Creek Connector Trail extending from Euclid Avenue, and the reconstruction of several streets, including East 140th, East 162nd, East 200th, and Villaview Road.

“We can’t force people or businesses to come in, but we’re doing everything we can to entice them,” said Polensek. “I feel confident that we’ve done all that we can do. I’m looking forward to a very productive year. I just hope that the economy holds. If mortgages become tougher and harder, and people lose their jobs, what’s going on in Washington and in Columbus will have a domino effect. Only time will tell.”

For more information:

To learn more about the revitalization efforts or share feedback with Councilman Mike Polensek, call 216-664-4236 or email mpolensek@clevelandcitycouncil.org. To inquire about available modular homes or upcoming projects with Rebuild Cleveland, visit https://rebuild-cle.com. For details on the Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cleveland homeownership program or to apply, visit www.clevelandhabitat.org.