HUD awards Cleveland and CMHA $35-Million grant to transform east side neighborhoods

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Cuyahoga County Metropolitan Housing Authority and the city were awarded a $35 million federal grant to transform and update east side neighborhoods.

The Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant is needed to rebuild the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhoods, and that includes the Woodhill Homes. Housing projects were built as one of the earliest in the country, and buildings currently 80 years old.

A resident of the Woodhill Homes named Lawrence who did not want to provide a last name tells 19 News it’s about time, “It’s like we’ve been left here and forgotten about sometimes.”

While planning for the redevelopment project has been in the works between the City of Cleveland, CMHA, community partners, and others for years, the ground will be broken this Fall for 800 new mixed-income apartments and townhomes.

Debbie Wilber with Case Western Reserve is with the National Initiative on Mixed-Income, “This funding really is a catalyst to help us move this project forward faster. It will bring about the transformation of the Buckeye Woodhill Community at a quicker pace and really respond to the needs that residents have expressed.”

Wilber says the redevelopment plan responded to the needs of the residents by design, “Every new unit will have a washer and dryer facilities and services in the building, the multi-family buildings to support families. The community center is going to be revamped, and there’s going to be eventually a child-care program.”

The redevelopment of the east side neighborhoods is also a long-term vision to strengthen the community with security, modern apartments, and even economic development, “So, economic development is an important part of the plan. There will be opportunities both to work construction but also support for small businesses. There will be spaces in some of these new buildings so small businesses can open and meet the needs of the residents,” Wilber said.

The units will be open to a variety of income ranges according to Wilber, “This will be a mixed-income community, residents of CMHA subsidized and market-rate units mixture in each one of the buildings.

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