Northwest Neighborhoods, in partnership with developers Flaherty and Collins, are working on a new project that will bring more affordable housing to Cleveland: the Depot On Detroit.
Josh Jones Forbes, the marketing director for Northwest Neighborhoods, a nonprofit organization providing affordable housing and community development services to the Cudell, Detroit Shoreway and Edgewater neighborhoods, said a transit-forward affordable housing project is just what Cleveland needs.
“There’s a huge unmet need for affordable housing, the demand has far outstretched the supply,” Jones Forbes said. “More housing is good. More housing on a vacant site, next to transit, with affordable apartments, that’s about as good as it gets.”
The building will add 60 units of income-based rental housing, available to individuals earning between 30–60% of the area median income, to the Cudell neighborhood. Its location, on property owned by Greater Cleveland RTA, is near the Red Line rapid station and Detroit Avenue bus line.
“It’s really important to us that folks can use transit and the neighborhoods grow so that people can walk, bike, and socially interact with their surroundings,” Jones Forbes said.
Affordable housing is becoming harder to come by. According to the Coalition of Homelessness and Housing in Ohio, there are only 40 affordable units of housing for every 100 households with extremely low income — 6% fewer than in 2022. Housing costs have risen for a variety of reasons, including less new construction and a lingering economic hit from the pandemic for many people.
Community involvement is key to the project
Jones Forbes said another goal is to involve the community as much as they can in the process of this project.
“We want community members to feel that they were truly involved in this project, and that they are excited to have new neighbors, and that they see benefit to the Cudell neighborhood,” Jones Forbes said.
On July 12, Northwest Neighborhoods conducted a community launch event to show community members their ideas and receive feedback. Around 15 attendees saw early renderings of the building and spoke with Flaherty and Collins staff to see what the project will potentially look like.
According to Jones Forbes, the community was supportive of the Depot On Detroit.
“The overwhelming feedback from residents was that affordable housing is great and is needed here on the west side,” Jones Forbes said.
While the community was in support of the project, they gave their feedback on the aesthetics of the building, helping the developers tweak the look of the building. One of the concerns from community members was the noise from the Red Line. Northwest Neighborhoods confirmed that the windows will be built with noise reducing glass.
Where things stand today
Flaherty and Collins, one of the Midwest’s largest developing companies, is the lead developer on the project and will be the sole owners once the building is built. (A representative from the company was unavailable for an interview at press time.)
The bulk of the funding for the project is from low-income housing tax credits from the state of Ohio, which Flaherty and Collins applied for. After receiving the funds, they reached out to Northwest Neighborhoods to be their nonprofit partner.
According to Jones Forbes, the plan is that Flaherty and Collins will sort through applications to choose which residents will be eligible to live in the apartments, mostly based on income. He said, typically some units are set aside for those with permanent disabilities, seniors and people with extremely low income.
A few weeks ago, the project website launched, complete with a timeline with updates, photos of the site where the building will be built and a form to leave feedback. This will leave room for more community involvement as the project progresses towards its planned construction kick off in 2024.
“We’re really excited to have more neighbors, neighbors who have a secure place to live, that aren’t facing displacement or homelessness,” Jones Forbes said.
For more information, to subscribe for updates on the project, or to leave feedback, visit the Depot on Detroit website.
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