"'Community' is a powerful word, says Jeremy Taylor, executive director of St. Clair Superior Development Corporation (SCSDC). Taylor learned this home truth growing up on Harcourt Road in Cleveland Heights, then later on upon moving with his family to Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood.
Fond memories of July 4th parades, swapping toys with friends, and trick-or-treating are intermingled with overall impressions of safety and camaraderie.
St. Clair Superior has more than 600 businesses in an area surrounded by the Midtown, Hough and Glenville neighborhoods.
'(Harcourt Road) is where I first saw a community,' says Taylor, who was named executive director of SCSDC in October 2021. 'I knew every single house where kids lived and what their backyards looked like. We had so much understanding of everyone who lived there.'
Taylor, 35, aims to integrate those good vibes into the St. Clair Superior neighborhood, where he bought his first home in 2020. He also brings a wealth of community-building experience after six years as safety and engagement coordinator with the Detroit Shoreway CDC.
SCSDC represents the area from East 30th Street to Martin Luther King Boulevard, along with all land north of Payne Avenue up to East 55th Street and Superior Avenue.
When discussing St. Clair Superior, Taylor proudly points to a diverse population buoyed by AsiaTown and a deeply integrated Slovenian and Croatian residential base. Alongside a majority Black population, the neighborhood boasts a cultural melting pot that speaks upwards of two dozen languages and dialects."
