The historic West Side Market is slated for a nearly $50 million transformation, with construction expected to begin in summer 2025.
In March, the Port of Cleveland approved support for the $49.5 million raised by the Cleveland Public Market Corporation (CPMC), the nonprofit that manages the market. The Port’s involvement allows for exemptions from state and local sales taxes on construction materials, helping the project stay within budget.
“What they’ve essentially done is provided us with a sales tax exemption so that all the construction materials we can get are sales tax free,” said Patrick Evans, director of Marketing at CPMC. “That allows that project to stay within that budget of $50 million because otherwise if sales tax is included… it would exceed that budget.”
West Side Market’s Master Plan
In recent years, the century-old market has experienced significant operational updates. Since its opening in 1912, the market has been owned and operated by the City of Cleveland. However, in 2023, CPMC was established and took over day to day management and operations in 2024,while the City of Cleveland retained ownership of the market’s real estate and facilities.
“Nonprofits are able to fundraise from a variety of sources, unlike a city government…we just have more flexibility in terms of operations and problem-solving,” said Evans. “That’s part of the reason why nonprofit is the best practice, it has been considered an emerging best practice for public markets nationwide.”
CPMC is also overseeing the implementation of the market’s master plan, which includes renovations and upgrades to both the infrastructure and programming outlined in two-phase reports. The Phase 1 Report, released in 2023, outlines research and analysis on market operations, facilities, consumer demand, national trends, and opportunities for redevelopment.
The Phase 2 Report focuses on strategy, design concepts and infrastructure improvements, including significant upgrades beginning this summer. These include renovations to the east arcade, installation of a new HVAC system, and a complete overhaul of the 29,500-square-foot basement.
“Part of stage one includes digging out the entire basement of the West Side Market and completely overhauling all of the infrastructure systems,” explained Evans. “As well as the addition of a commercial kitchen on site — there actually is no kitchen currently here at the West Side Market. So for example, anyone who’s a bakery vendor, they have additional overhead of having to do all their bakery off-site and then transport it here for sales. This would provide opportunities for more vendors to have production right here on-site at West Side Market and make their business more sustainable.”
The renovation of the east arcade will transform the mostly vacant produce hall located between the parking lot and the main market building. It will feature 24 stalls for produce vendors, complete with air conditioning, heating and electrical and water connections. With the improved infrastructure, vendors will be able to use refrigerated cases, which will enhance the quality of the produce and improve the customer experience, as noted by the City of Cleveland.
“That space [east arcade] will be closed and renovated and reopened, in fall of 2025, as the KeyBank East arcade and that will house all of our produce vendors,” explained Evans. “Everyone will be moving over there in a new arcade that has HVAC systems, improved access to our food storage areas in the basement for the produce vendors, so they can keep food fresher and for longer and just operate more efficiently.”
CPMC secured $49.5 million for the first phase through a combination of federal and state tax credits, as well as several key grants and donations. The City of Cleveland allocated $20 million toward master plan improvements, KeyBank Foundation donated $1.5 million and the Connor Foundation donated $3 million. Additionally, CPMC was awarded $1.2 million through the Ohio Department of Development’s Brownfield Remediation Program, which funds the cleanup of brownfield sites — properties potentially impacted by hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants as defined by the EPA.
CPMC estimates the total cost of the master plan will be between $50 million and $60 million. “Fundraising-wise, we are at that amount [$49.5 million] currently,” explained Evans. “That’s covering the first stage of the project, and the later stages will be covered by the remaining $18 million that we need to fundraise.”
The Perspective from Behind the Stall
Home to more than 70 vendors and attracting 1.4 million visitors annually, the market will remain open to the public throughout construction.
“You’ll definitely see construction fencing and things around the arcade areas, it may look a little daunting from the parking lot, but we will still be open,” said Evans. “We certainly plan to be open throughout the entirety of our construction period. We’ve maintained a lot of space flexibility so that we can swing vendors and or food storage areas around from one part of the facility to another while we’re working on a different part.”
Still, some longtime vendors are approaching the changes with a mix of excitement and caution.
“I’m excited for it. I mean, it definitely has needed a lot of help for a long time, but I am scared for how they’re gonna do it, I’ve already heard some rumors here and there, but I’m excited,” explained Alex Malex, a team member at Wiencek’s Meats, a poultry, pork and beef vendor that’s been in the market for more than 20 years.
“I just hope that this future management, that they really work with the people that have been here and try to keep the stands that are down here, down here, and keep the essence of it being like a grocery store,” continued Malex.
Keeping the history and culture of the market remains a top priority of CPMC. “It was done very carefully and very intentionally, with doing everything we could to preserve what everyone currently loves about the West Side Market,” said Evans. “We know how much Cleveland loves the West Side Market, and we all here [CPMC] love it that much too. So we were very passionate about preserving all of that, but then also building on that to set it up for success.”
Alaina Corti, a manager at the Cheese and Charcuterie Shop also expressed their concern and excitement for the market’s updates, “The basement, I think we’re excited about. The process is going to be a little sticky, just because… we have a lot of coolers down there. But all in all, it’s good changes, good efforts made, things that this building has needed done for a very long time.”
CPMC outlines that the basement renovation will introduce Individual walk-in coolers for merchants as well as elevators directly connecting the Arcades to the basement. The Phase 2 report also outlines that the basement renovation would provide more than 21,000 square feet of storage and production space.
The Market Moves Forward
The planned renovations at the West Side Market also aim to significantly enhance the customer experience. In the second phase, the plans include adding prepared food vendors, two full-service bars to the north arcade, and expanded public seating. A new courtyard will feature retractable glass walls to protect customers from the elements as they move between buildings. Additionally, a teaching kitchen will be introduced, providing opportunities for the public to learn about healthy food preparation. This space will also support events in the adjacent mezzanine, which will reopen previously closed areas for use as an event space.
“To me, success really comes down to what this market has been for the last 113 years, as one of the places for the communities of Cleveland to come together and celebrate and have access to fresh, healthy food” said Evans. “Just being able to see a market that looks like Cleveland, tastes like Cleveland and is accessible to all of Cleveland and all of our merchants, old and new, thriving and feeling like the community can come here together and celebrate food, that’s what we want to be.
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