Cleveland officials are betting big on a new project they’re calling one of the largest redevelopment efforts in city history.
On Wednesday, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, along with other city leaders, gathered under a tent at the end of Longfellow Road off East 55th Street to announce Cleveland’s new mega-development project, The Midline.
According to a news release, the goal is to attract large-scale employers across manufacturing. The project calls for approximately 1.5 million square feet of new industrial and commercial space, which would support over 2,500 direct jobs in the reach of public transit. To bring that feeling of community back, homes, along with scattered green spaces, will help connect neighbors.
What was once a thriving community with industry leaders like tool manufacturer Warner & Swasey, which employed thousands of workers, many from the Central community, has, over the years, become a desolate, long-neglected space that resembles a ghost town on a Hollywood backlot.
The Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund, created by Cleveland in 2023, is a nonprofit organization that transforms long-vacant industrial land into job hubs. This organization is among others spearheading this venture.
Midline will be developed within a 350-acre industrial space that already includes Pierre’s Ice Cream, Orlando Baking, Nor-Am Cold Storage, and Miceli Dairy Products. Those sites already take up approximately 150 acres. Midline will occupy 200 acres of underutilized vacant land.
Orlando Grant, community engagement manager for Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund, said the timeline for completion is not nailed down yet.
“We’re going through leveraging resources to tear down buildings like what you see behind us,” he said. “The project itself is a continuous process. We could finish the first phase in two months, or it could take two years. Minority and female contractors will also bid for the project. We’re looking at a variety of companies and businesses to come into this area that’s going to help elevate this initiative. We are not stopping here. Under Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund, the city has 1,000 acres to develop that could generate around 25,000 jobs in total.”
Expanding Cleveland’s Reach
During the press conference, there was a lot of talk about Cleveland becoming a global destination for companies wanting to move stateside. According to Richard Barga, director of site development for the Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund, Cleveland is in a unique moment because manufacturing companies are choosing to come back to the United States, and there’s an opportunity to provide good-paying, quality jobs for Northeast Ohioans, he said.
“As far as funding for the project goes, we have the initial $50 million Mayor Bibb gave the site fund,” Barga said. “We’ve been working with a lot of different pieces of funding, like the state of Ohio Brownfield Grants.”
LaRhon Wheeler is a resident of the Central neighborhood, and she has a deep love and respect for the place she’s resided for over 50 years.
“I’ve had an opportunity to witness this community through its strengths and struggles,” she said. “This neighborhood was alive with beautiful homes, tree-lined streets where families sat on the porch on summer days and nights. Everyone knew each other and felt safe. The Midline is more than just a development. It represents restoration. I want my grandchildren to grow up in this neighborhood and witness what I did 50 years ago.”
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