Cuyahoga Land Bank often touts its unique and available resources at hand to help the process of returning non-productive land or structures to productive use. Oftentimes, these tools require collaboration with government agencies for land assembly purposes. Other times, we work to clear titles. Serving as a pass-through entity is a third. In this regular series – Land Banking Tools 101, we will be offering a look at the different implements the Land Bank has at its disposal and offer examples of how we use them to further our mission. 

Let’s start with highlighting our vital role as a pass-through entity to facilitate economic development and community revitalization. We spoke with Kim Steigerwald, Director of Acquisition and Disposition for the Land Bank, to explore this process and learn how Cuyahoga Land Bank and a local development firm are working together to revitalize an important commercial district in Cleveland Heights, specifically the historic Taylor Road Synagogue (Oheb Zedek). 

For more than a decade, the large structure has been sitting in Cleveland Heights in tax delinquency. In fact, with a staggering $7.2 million owed, this property is the most tax-delinquent in Cuyahoga County.

When WXZ Development realized how this space could be used to benefit both the entire city and immediate community in various ways, it asked for the Land Bank’s help, which we were happy to offer. Here is a look at how serving as a pass-through works, leveraging an example of a great property that will benefit the whole city!

Can you explain the Land Bank’s role as a pass-through?

Steigerwald: Absolutely. In this case, and in many others, the Land Bank acts as a temporary custodian. We acquire properties, particularly those with significant tax delinquency, environmental contamination, or blight, to clear the path for responsible redevelopment. We’re not necessarily the end-user. Instead, we streamline the process for developers and/or and community organizations that have viable revitalization plans consistent with our mission and values.

How has this tool been used in Cleveland Heights?

Steigerwald: Cain Park Village is a Cleveland Heights project that has been years in the making. It includes the development and revitalization of various sites to transform the commercial district along South Taylor Road next to Cain Park. By working with the City, we have served as a pass-through entity by acquiring through foreclosure a trio of historic Tudor Revival buildings known as Taylor Road Plaza. We then transferred the properties to Cleveland Heights in 2021, by which point they had created a National Register of Historic Places district around the buildings and several other historic structures to prepare for the issuing of an RFP for the redevelopment of Taylor Tudor Plaza.

WXZ  Development, Inc., a local development firm, responded to the RFP with a proposal that outlined a holistic revitalization plan not just for Taylor Tudor Plaza, but the broader commercial district. The City selected WXZ’s proposal in the spring of 2022. Since then, WXZ has acquired the Taylor Tudor Plaza buildings, worked with the Land Bank to secure a Brownfield Remediation Grant award from the Ohio Department of Development, and commenced  environmental remediation and construction activities.

WXZ’s vision for Cain Park Village included the preservation and adaptive reuse of the former Taylor Road Synagogue building, a property neighboring Cain Park. For well over a decade, the large structure’s physical condition has been deteriorating while the property’s tax delinquency grew to a staggering $7.2 million, the largest in Cuyahoga County. Additionally, this property’s immense size and architectural significance presented a unique challenge. To overcome this challenge, WXZ sought the Land Bank’s expertise. We acquired the property through foreclosure, effectively clearing the tax lien. This crucial step allows for the building’s redevelopment, preserving the structure and thereby safeguarding its future.

This project illustrates how the Land Bank’s ability to serve as a pass-through entity can result in turning significant liabilities into major assets that contribute to a neighborhood’s revitalization. Furthermore, by working with WXZ to secure the Brownfield Remediation Grant award, we are addressing a significant health concern posed by asbestos, lead paint, and mold. In this respect, the magnitude of the Land Bank’s role is amplified as the project is located in a disadvantaged census tract where the share of people who have been diagnosed with asthma is in the 96th percentile and the share of homes that are likely to have lead paint is in the 99th percentile.

How does this pass-through role contribute to economic development?

Steigerwald: By removing the burden of back taxes and addressing blight, we reposition these properties that are liabilities and work with developers and community organizations to turn them into assets for communities throughout the County. This stimulates investment, creates jobs and generates tax revenue. In the case of the Cain Park Village project, this has already resulted in more than $25 million of investment in the Taylor Tudor Plaza buildings, including nearly $3 million in environmental remediation. Once complete, the three Tudor buildings will house more than 11,000 square feet of commercial space, 44 apartments, and eight live-work units that will accommodate local artists and artisans. The former synagogue is next to Cain Park, a magnificent 22-acre park that draws tens of thousands of visitors each year. WXZ’s plans will create a center for performing arts to serve as an indoor complement to the Evans Amphitheater, allowing Cain Park’s programming to extend year-round. Additional uses include an art gallery, ticket box office, administrative office, conference/event space and 24 residential units. To the building’s rear, seven townhomes will be constructed, offering sweeping views into the park below. Between Taylor Tudor Plaza and the former synagogue property, the Land Bank has helped to usher in a tidal wave of economic development in a portion of Cleveland Heights that has experienced prolonged disinvestment over the course of decades. The project will completely transform the commercial district. Without the Land Bank’s intervention, these properties would likely remain vacant, deteriorating and a drain on the community.

How has the Land Bank used this tool to create economic activity?

Steigerwald: We’ve used this strategy successfully in numerous projects across Cuyahoga County. For instance, we’ve acquired and transferred large commercial buildings to developers who have transformed them into mixed-use spaces, attracting businesses and residents. We’ve also worked with community development corporations and groups like Habitat for Humanity to acquire and transfer vacant land and abandoned homes to renovate or construct affordable housing, stimulating economic activity and addressing critical housing needs. We often do this with former industrial sites as well. A great example is the recent restoration of the former American Gas Association (AGA) building in Cleveland’s St. Clair-Superior neighborhood. The building, which stood vacant for decades, was reborn thanks to acquisition and pass-through by the Land Bank as the vibrant new headquarters for YaYa & Co.

What is the ultimate goal for the Taylor Road Synagogue site?

Steigerwald: The Land Bank, WXZ, and Cleveland Heights came together in a public-private partnership to revitalize an important commercial district for the furtherance of historic preservation, sustainability and the arts.

The goal for this site is to preserve this historic structure through an adaptive reuse that expands arts programming and increases accessibility to the arts for the entire community. To facilitate the building’s preservation, WXZ will nominate the property to the National Register of Historic Places, ensuring that all necessary rehabilitation work is carefully planned and meticulously executed per the requirements of the National Park Service and the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office.

This phase is a critical component of the Cain Park Village project. Not only does it return the building to its rightful position of prominence and serve as the anchor of this commercial district, it will foster connection by linking Cain Park and the commercial district. Equally important, these plans expand Cain Park’s performing arts venues, allowing for additional live production events and programming. This increases the diversity and frequency of arts programming available to the community while broadening Cain Park’s ability to generate revenue, thereby providing for its long-term viability and growth over the next 100 years.

The project’s arts and cultural uses will meld with residential uses to create a dynamic and unprecedented community arts hub, bringing new life to the district and benefiting the surrounding neighborhood. It’s about preserving a piece of history while creating new opportunities for the future.

The Cain Park Village project exemplifies Cuyahoga Land Bank’s commitment to strategic intervention and its ability to catalyze positive change. By facilitating responsible redevelopment, we transform liabilities into assets and build a stronger, more vibrant Cuyahoga County.