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CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — The City of Cleveland Heights has reached an agreement with Cleveland-based developer Sustainable Communities Associates to finance the redevelopment of the former Park Synagogue and its green space as an arts campus and residential village, including new, multi-family housing units and a new Bachelor’s of Arts/Fine Arts degree program offered by Oberlin College. The City will provide a $1.75 million incentive package consisting of a $750,000 grant, a $750,000 loan, and a $250,000 permit fee waiver.
“I’m thankful to City Council and city staff for guiding this project through to this point,” said Interim Mayor Tony Cuda, who was instrumental in leading negotiations with SCA. “We’re all excited for SCA to move forward with the redevelopment of Park Synagogue and surrounding campus into a multi-generational arts and residential campus. The City’s support ensures that everyone will be able to enjoy it thanks to the development of walking and biking trails and public access.”
At its regularly scheduled meeting, Monday, October 6, City Council agreed to finance the project for which SCA has assembled an impressive capital stack, including $10 million in Ohio historic tax credits. The city’s financial support marks a significant milestone in the project whose first phase will include redeveloping the National Landmark synagogue designed by renowned German Jewish architect, Erich Mendelsohn. Mendelsohn, who fled the Nazis and worked in Britain and the United States, was considered the main proponent of Expressionism. Park Synagogue was one of four synagogues he designed in the U.S. Its giant, bronze-clad dome emerges into a mature tree canopy on 27.8 acres of wooded grounds between Euclid Heights Boulevard and Mayfield Road. The 75,000 square foot building will become a center for visual and performance arts, community events, and education.
The City’s financial package for the Park Arts project was developed in consultation between staff in the City’s Economic Development, Law and Planning Departments, SCA, and City Council.
“We relied on Planning to get us to this point and Legal to help negotiate it,” said Council President Gail Larson. “I want to thank my [Council] colleagues for asking questions, seeking information and for protecting the City’s interests, including balancing our financial commitments to this and other projects of importance that the City is looking forward to seeing come to fruition.”
Part of the terms of the City’s financial support is for SCA to the develop a series of walking/biking trails and improve infrastructure such as lighting and public access to the property. Both the building and the grounds on the southern portion of the site must meet the design standards set forth by the National Park Service which oversees its National Landmark status.
Larson and Cuda thanked the City’s Planning Department for taking the lead on the pre-development of Phase 1 of the project. From May to September, 2025, the Planning Department worked with SCA to guide it through review by the City’s Landmarks Commission, with its Development Plan, rezoning, and Architectural Board of Review.
Mayor Cuda led the negotiations, along with the City’s Law Director, Bill Hanna.
“I really have Bill to thank and our legal counsel, Jason Dodson, in helping reach an agreement,” Mayor Cuda said. “There may have been a transition of leadership at City Hall in the middle of the negotiations, but we never took our eye off the ball.”
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