Cuyahoga Land Bank together with elected officials from the city of East Cleveland Cleveland City Council, Cuyahoga County, and Ohio’s Congressional District 11, celebrated the opening of Circle East District’s newly upgraded Woodlawn Avenue Friday, July 24, 2026.

Crystal Bryant, Circle East District's first new homeowner speaks at the Friday ribbon cutting event.
Crystal Bryant, Circle East District’s first new homeowner speaks at the Friday ribbon cutting event.

The event included short remarks from key project stake holders including: Cuyahoga Land Bank CEO and President Ricard Leon, Mayor of East Cleveland Sandra Morgan, Ohio Congresswoman Shontel Brown, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne, Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin, Circle East District homeowner Crystal Bryant and Cuyahoga Land Bank Chief Strategy Officer Dennis Roberts.

In addition to speakers, the program included a formal ribbon cutting, a tour of the inside of the newly constructed Brownstone-style home on Woodlawn Avenue and one of the homes built by Cleveland-based Greenlight Building Company.

Guests will be invited to walk down both the upgraded streetscape and the recently completed $1.2 million Circle East Greenway which bisects four streets in the Phase I target neighborhood.

There has been more than $35 million in public, private and philanthropic funds raised and invested toward the cost of construction, infrastructure and other improvement work as part of the first phase of Circle East District’s comprehensive neighborhood revitalization.

Cuyahoga Land Bank President and CEO Ricardo Leon said in his remarks, “Today, we stand in Circle East District, here in this 10-year overnight success story. It is a catalytic neighborhood, a revitalization strategy right in East Cleveland, being spearheaded by the Land Bank in partnership with the City of East Cleveland. But none of this could be done without public, private, and philanthropic partners. This truly has been a village to make this project successful.”

Leveraging the neighborhood’s history, and proximity to some of Northeast Ohio’s leading employment hubs and educational, health care, cultural institutions, a comprehensive group of partners led by the Cuyahoga Land Bank is undertaking a multi-year, plan to transform the area. The $122 million project involves constructing new homes, upgrading the city’s infrastructure, renovating and repairing existing properties, creating public green space, connecting the neighborhood to adjacent amenities and providing affordable resilient and solar energy.

County Executive Chris Ronayne explained that the idea of Circle East came from the want to bridge the gap between University Circle and East Cleveland.

“It is true, and it takes all of us together to do this,” Ronayne said. “To merge these two neighborhoods where there was this feeling metaphorically of a wall between University Circle and East Cleveland. This project, Circle East, makes that merger a reality. This is about the flow of continuous neighborhoods into one great place,” he added.

The Woodlawn Avenue improvements represent – both literally and figuratively – how the area is moving forward. In just a few short years, Cleveland’s East Side – including the city of East Cleveland – has gone from one of the most disinvested areas of Cuyahoga County to the center of massive financial investment and potential development.

“For generations, East Cleveland has been a community of resilience with a rich, rich history and remarkable potential,” Mayor Sandra Morgan said at the Friday event. “Today, we’re turning that potential into progress through the Circle East District, a bold vision that is transforming the way that people see our city and that they perceive us,” she added.

New East Cleveland Mayor Sandra Morgan has overseen an increase in city infrastructure spending from zero in 2018, to approximately $1 million in 2019 to nearly $30 million of road, sewer, water and other infrastructure improvements in 2025 with more spending projected.

Circle East District ribbon cutting Friday, July, 24, 2026Dennis Roberts, Cuyahoga Land Bank Chief Strategy Officer told attendees at the event that the celebration was a milestone of real achievement that required the work of many partners.

“I’m going to tell you what this project is not. It’s not a plan, and it’s certainly not a promise. It’s actual progress-the kind of progress that you can literally stand on,” Roberts said. 

Roberts also congratulated Mayor Morgan pointing out that since January, East Cleveland council has passed more than 50 pieces of legislation. “That is unheard of in many cities, and in particularly East Cleveland. This city, in my opinion, has moved from a state of fragmentation and fracture to one that is focused.”

About Circle East District

Circle East is a 32-acre area comprising of parts of East Cleveland, Cleveland, and Cleveland Heights with more than 200 residential and 18 vacant commercial parcels available for development.

Leveraging the neighborhood’s history, and proximity to some of Northeast Ohio’s leading employment hubs and educational, health care, cultural institutions, a comprehensive group of partners led by the Cuyahoga Land Bank is undertaking a multi-year, plan to transform the area. The $122 million project involves constructing new homes, upgrading the city’s infrastructure, renovating and repairing existing properties, creating public green space, connecting the neighborhood to adjacent amenities and providing affordable resilient and solar energy.

About Cuyahoga Land Bank

Cuyahoga Land Bank is a nationally recognized improvement corporation dedicated to returning vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties to productive use. Since 2009, the organization has generated more than $3.6 billion in economic impact, renovated more than 2,600 homes and partnered with municipalities, non-profit organizations, developers, funders and residents to strengthen neighborhood throughout Cuyahoga County.