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CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO—Cleveland Heights kicked off March by moving to install a cornerstone of its plan to build a new neighborhood along South Taylor Road—Cain Park Village.
At Cleveland Heights City Council’s Monday, March 4, 2024 meeting, Mayor Kahlil Seren introduced legislation to authorize the creation of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) for the $25 million redevelopment of the Taylor Tudors—three City-owned 1928 Tudor-style buildings along South Taylor Road near Cain Park. The Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District’s Board of Education approved the Taylor Tudors TIF three days later on March 7.
If Cleveland Heights City Council approves the TIF legislation at its meeting tonight, Monday, March 18, 2024, the City’s development partner for the project, Fairview Park-based WXZ Development, plans to break ground this spring.
In 2022, his first year as the City’s first elected mayor, Seren introduced an ambitious plan to create a new Cleveland Heights neighborhood with Cain Park at its center, calling for new investments in the City’s arts park and remaking South Taylor Road into a more vibrant, walkable district. The plan will infuse South Taylor Road with new rental units and more retail options and amenities to serve the growing population.
The Taylor Tudors project is the first phase of Cain Park Village. It is a gut rehab of the unoccupied, three-story, brown-brick-and-stucco buildings into 44 market-rate apartments, including eight live-work units, with 11,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor.
“South Taylor was designed as a classic walkable neighborhood,” Seren said. “Cain Park Village will build on that legacy with a modern vision for housing and retail that draws on the influence of Cain Park as a major arts and cultural destination.”
In the two years since announcing the Cain Park Village vision, the City has moved rapidly to make it a reality.
- In 2022, the City selected WXZ as its development partner on the project, and in 2023, the City and WXZ held public meetings to gather input on the future of Cain Park and South Taylor Road.
- Also in 2023, the Ohio Department of Development awarded the Taylor Tudors project $5.9 million in Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits to restore the Taylor Tudors' exteriors to standards established by the state and the City.
- Earlier this year, Cleveland Heights adopted a new ‘form-based’ designation in its zoning code in 2024, the C-2X district, and City Council approved its use for South Taylor Road.
- To help calm vehicular traffic throughout the district, the City produced a plan for more bike and pedestrian infrastructure on South Taylor Road. Last week, the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency (NOACA) informed the City it would receive a $385,000 Transportation for Livable Communities (TLCI) Implementation grant to fund the plan.
- This summer, the City will break ground on a “stramp”—a hybrid stair-ramp that will provide a new, ADA-accessible entrance to Cain Park from South Taylor Road. The stramp is funded with $1.5 million from the $38 million ARPA funds Cleveland Heights received from the federal government.
- The City has also budgeted $1 million for renovations to Cain Park’s 1,500-seat Evans Amphitheater.
Matthew Wymer, a principal of WXZ Development, Inc., said the Administration’s leadership and investment in planning, community engagement, and infrastructure demonstrate a real commitment to collaboratively moving the project forward.
“With Mayor Seren’s leadership, the City has accomplished a lot in a short period of time—the recently completed Historic Preservation Design Guidelines, the new form-based C-2X District, and working towards ensuring All are Welcome to Cain Park.”
The Taylor Tudors TIF is based on a projected $6 million valuation for the properties once construction is completed and will generate $265,000 annually. This revenue will be split three ways: 24% will go to the CH-UH school district, 6% will go to the City, and 70% will service the project’s debt.
By comparison, TIF revenue from The Marquee project in the Cedar Lee District will be split between debt financing for the project (76%) and funding for the CH-UH schools (24%).
Cleveland Heights Assistant Director of Economic Development Brian Anderson explained, “The City is responsible for specific costs associated with the Taylor Tudors project for which it didn’t have funding sources.” These include investments in sidewalks, landscaping, pedestrian-scale lighting, seating, and signage. “The six percent of TIF revenue directed to the city will cover those costs,” Anderson added.
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