FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CMHA, Cuyahoga Land Bank, the City of Cleveland, and Cuyahoga County Break Ground on New Lee Road Senior BuildingCLEVELAND, OH (November 10, 2011) – Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) will be joined by the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation (Cuyahoga Land Bank), the City of Cleveland, and Cuyahoga County for a ground breaking ceremony for the Lee Road Building on November 14, 2011 at 11 a.m.
The U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Midwest Regional Administrator, Antonio R. Riley will join Cleveland Mayor, Frank G. Jackson for the ground breaking ceremony for the Lee Road Project, a new senior development helped by HUD’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). The event will highlight the impact of neighborhood stabilization efforts and demonstrate how the American Jobs Act and Project Rebuild can continue to revitalize neighborhoods, create jobs, and grow local economies throughout Cleveland. The Lee Road Senior Building groundbreaking ceremony will take place at the old Beehive School site at 4345 Lee Road, just north of Miles Avenue. Lee Road will be a 3-floor apartment building with 40 units, 12 of which will meet uniform federal accessibility standards, designed by Richard Bowen and Associates.
CMHA is using approximately $2.8 million in Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 funding received from the U.S. Dept of Housing and Urban Development. The NSP 2 funding is part of a $41 million dollar competitive grant award received by the Cleveland-Cuyahoga NSPII Consortium. With the Cuyahoga Land Bank serving as the lead agency, other Cuyahoga Consortium members that jointly obtained the grant are the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. On top of the approximately $2.8 million, an additional $1 million in NSPII funding was awarded to the Lee Road project under a local competitive grant program awarded by other consortium members.
“Nearly $3 million in Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds will help the Lee Road Senior Building become a reality. And NSP funds have been used to rehab abandoned homes, stabilizing and revitalizing neighborhoods throughout the country,” said Antonio R. Riley, HUD’s Midwest Regional Administrator. “This demonstrates the power of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and the need for the President’s proposed American Jobs Act which will put $15 billion of NSP funds to work creating jobs, stabilizing neighborhoods and helping communities.” “CMHA is pleased to be partners in this outstanding project that will provide quality senior housing in this community,” said Jeffery K. Patterson, Acting CEO at CMHA. “We thank all of the local leaders and community stakeholders who work with us in the planning process to make
this project happen.” “This site has long stood as an empty eyesore ripe for redevelopment,” said Gus Frangos, President of the Cuyahoga Land Bank. “We are thrilled to be able to be a part of bringing new
vitality to this community in the form of much needed senior housing.” About CMHA Founded in 1933, the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority is the oldest public housing authority in the country. It is an independent political subdivision of the State of Ohio, created under sections 3735.27 and 3735.50 of the Ohio Revised Code. It serves Cuyahoga County excluding Chagrin Falls Township, through two federally assisted housing programs: Low-Income Public Housing, which serves 16,000 residents, and the Housing Choice Voucher Program, which provides rental assistance to 14,000 households.
About Cuyahoga Land Bank
The mission of the Cuyahoga Land Bank is to strategically acquire properties, return them to productive use, reduce blight, increase property values, support community goals and improve the quality of life for county residents.