CLEVELAND — Cleveland is basking in the national spotlight after a recent Washington Post opinion piece called the city the “best example of turning around a dying downtown.”
Cleveland leads the nation in conversions of old office buildings into multi-use and residential spaces according to CBRE, a real estate services and investment company.
That development, which began before the pandemic, is what many say has gotten Cleveland to this point.
Michael Deemer is the CEO of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance and said he's proud to see his city receiving praise for transforming it's downtown districts.
“You can’t have a strong city or region without a strong, vibrant core,” Deemer said. “This is where jobs are most equitably accessible. People from around the city and region can access jobs in downtown, regardless of whether they have a car.”
In Cleveland, downtown revitalization started with Public Square as city leaders rushed to finalize development ahead of the Republican National Convention in 2016 held at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
“All of the work that was going on reimagining and redeveloping public square was really accelerated to make sure we could get it done, as a community, in time for the RNC,” Deemer said. “And, that’s exactly what happened. Public Square was completed literally right in time for the RNC.”
He said development hasn’t slowed down much since.
“What’s happened since then is really an explosion of growth around the square that’s transformed from what was really a work environment, to a real live, work, play environment,” he said.
According to data from DCA, 10 million square feet of office space have been converted to housing and hotel rooms in Cleveland, 80% of it in the just last five years.
Deemer said historic federal and state tax credits are sparking Cleveland’s success and so are conservation easements.
“It all began with having a set of tools that makes it economically attractive and viable to preserve and convert our historic buildings,” he said.
While the development of luxury apartments and retail stores is exciting to see, Cleveland remains one of the poorest big cities in America.
Deemer said it’s important to keep all residents in mind while planning development.
“This is the place where you can access jobs without owning an automobile, which is the second highest expensive for most households,” he said. “You can bike to work, you can walk to work, you can take the bus or train.”
He said that Public Square is reaching a point where not much more development can be done, but he plans to continue working with city leaders to expand to other parts of downtown.