Old Brooklyn CDC Announces Community Event to Advance Transformative Memphis & Pearl Redevelopment
The Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation (OBCDC) is pleased to share significant updates on the transformative commercial real estate project at the corner of Memphis and Pearl, an initiative that has been evolving since OBCDC became the stewards of the buildings in 2020. After acquiring the property, the feedback from community input sessions in 2021 and 2022 envisioned this project as a vibrant cornerstone of the neighborhood’s commercial corridor.
Since 2021, OBCDC has engaged extensively with the Old Brooklyn neighborhood to gather input on revitalizing the Memphis and Pearl site, and this collective vision laid the foundation for OBCDC’s 2022 request for proposals (RFP) aimed at attracting private investment to realize the community’s aspirations.
After a robust in-person and digital community engagement campaign, the proposal submitted by Desmone was selected by community consensus and by OBCDC’s Board of Directors in December 2022. This marked a key milestone in setting the stage for a project that would prioritize restoring the original footprint of St. Luke’s church, while introducing new high quality apartment units, marking the first investment of its kind into the community in over 50 years. OBCDC also partnered with Pearl Road United Methodist Church, which is one of Cleveland’s oldest congregations, to repurpose their space into a dynamic amenity that will support the congregation’s current and future needs to serve the community.
Further catalyzing the site’s potential, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s (GCRTA) announcement of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor along Pearl Road from West 25th Street to Old Brooklyn added significant opportunity for the neighborhood’s momentum. With stops anticipated on both the north and south sides of the Memphis and Pearl site, OBCDC and project development team forged strategic collaborations with the City of Cleveland, GCRTA and Cuyahoga County. The site is positioned to serve as a premier case study for transit-oriented development standards.
“The level of engagement and alignment between community members, public officials, and the project team is unprecedented. The feedback we have received from stakeholders across Old Brooklyn helps ensure that development decisions are made around the priorities of the people who live and work in our neighborhood,” said Lucas Reeve,” Executive Director of the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation.
Throughout 2023 and 2024, the strong advocacy of Councilman Kris Harsh, County Council Representative Marty Sweeney, as well as other state and local representatives, have helped secure $8.4 million in public funding to ensure the development includes high-quality community focused spaces, and is still capable of securing investment through private capital. Most notably, OBCDC recently entered into a contract with the City of Cleveland to advance all aspects of the architecture, engineering and other predevelopment work required to realize the transformative goals of the project. OBCDC has contracted with Tipping Point to lead all predevelopment efforts to incorporate as many of the standards, goals, and aspirations of the community into the development plan as possible.
“Our mission is to unlock a neighborhood’s highest potential through transformative commercial real estate development, and our team is ecstatic to incorporate the priorities of the Old Brooklyn community, Pearl Road United Methodist Church, City of Cleveland, GCRTA and Cuyahoga County into this project site, while overcoming all of the technical challenges that come with it” said Jim Ambrose, President of Tipping Point.
During predevelopment, environmental assessments revealed the presence of an underground storage tank that must be removed, necessitating the demolition of the existing Greenline building, which currently houses several small businesses. To ensure that these businesses have an opportunity to relocate and receive relocation benefits, OBCDC has engaged a professional relocation consultant in OR Colan to serve as the tenants’ advocates, and strictly follow the federal guidelines of the Uniform Relocation Act. To realize the collective ambitions and desires of the redevelopment project, the education wing addition to St. Luke’s will also be removed. This will help create more accessible outdoor space and make feasible the restoration of the original St. Luke’s church building.
Concurrently, OBCDC is initiating a redesign phase to ensure it remains aligned with community insights, while ensuring it meets broader strategic goals set by the city, county, and regional transit authorities.
This redesign effort reflects the commitment to make the Memphis and Pearl site a beacon of innovation for transit-oriented development that serves both the immediate neighborhood and the broader Cleveland region. Through the restoration of the original St. Luke’s footprint and redevelopment of the remaining site, the project team is energized by the impactful and catalytic nature of this project for the neighborhood.
To ensure the community remains at the heart of this project, OBCDC will host an open house on November 14 th, 2024 at 787 Market & Café, 6105 Memphis Ave from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM.
Community members are encouraged to attend this event to speak with Memphis & Pearl project team members, including OBCDC, Desmone, Tipping Point and OR Colan.
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About Old Brooklyn CDC
Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation (Old Brooklyn CDC or OBCDC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization serving the Old Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland. Established in the 1970s, their mission is to serve the Old Brooklyn community through empowered partnerships, leadership, programming, and advocacy. Their dedicated staff is constantly working toward improving the quality of life within the neighborhood for residents, businesses, and other community partners. OBCDC engages in various projects throughout the community, including supporting small businesses, managing the Old Brooklyn Farmers Market, helping to restore the tree canopy, home repair programs, and creating new placemaking strategies in the neighborhood. In addition, there are many other programs OBCDC leads that are designed to support residents and the greater community. Their work is rooted in the belief that Old Brooklyn is a great place to grow; a diverse area of Cleveland that is home to people of all ages and backgrounds. Learn more about OBCDC at www.oldbrooklyn.com