Northwest Neighborhoods celebrates City Council allocation of $1M to Karam Senior Living
Oct. 10, 2023
Rendering by Bialosky Cleveland
Northwest Neighborhoods CDC (NWN) thanks Cleveland City Council for their new commitment of $1,000,000 in ARPA Transformative Neighborhood Project Funds to Karam Senior Living, the development of affordable senior housing and a new Walz branch of the Cleveland Public Library (CPL) at West 80th Street and Detroit Avenue in Ward 15. Council’s approved ordinance brings NWN’s $22-million project to its final fundraising stage before closing.
“We are deeply grateful for this crucial commitment to affordable housing development,” said Bridget Kent Márquez, NWN Interim Executive Director. “Our board and staff give our utmost thanks to ordinance co-sponsors Councilmember Jenny Spencer, Councilman Blaine Griffin, Councilman Anthony Hairston, and Councilman Kerry McCormack; the Finance, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee; the Development, Planning and Sustainability Committee; the whole of City Council; and the City of Cleveland’s Department of Community Development.”
In response to displacement pressures affecting vulnerable senior residents, Karam Senior Living will provide 51 residential units to seniors who earn 60% or less of the area median income (AMI). The new, energy-efficient, accessible building will hold spaces for multigenerational connection and wrap-around programming with a new Walz library branch, developed in partnership with CPL on the building’s ground floor. The project’s prime location, adjacent to the existing St. Augustine Health Campus, will be a driver of community integration and reimagines the northeast corner of West 80th and Detroit to more equitably serve neighborhood residents.
Cleveland Public Library will anchor the project’s joint facility with a new, five-star library to meet a wide range of community needs. The new Walz branch will span two floors and provide meeting spaces, children and teen areas, enhanced technology, and after-hours book lockers. This branch investment is part CPL’s 10-year plan to reimagine all 27 branches through renovation, expansion, and new library construction to fulfill its commitment to all Clevelanders.
Karam Senior Living’s construction was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and sharp cost increases, and now, with Council’s new allocation, the project’s fundraising gap is less than $500,000. NWN was previously awarded Low-Income Housing Tax Credits for the project from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency in 2020. Following City Council’s approval in 2022 of American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds, NWN and its partners responded to the City’s request for housing gap financing proposals, and, in August 2023, the City committed $2,000,000 in ARPA Gap Funds to the project. The steadfast support of CPL, Councilmember Spencer, Cuyahoga County, and Enterprise Community Partners have been essential for NWN to close the project budget, and NWN will establish a new construction timeline in the near future.
The development site today on the northeast corner of West 80th Street & Detroit Avenue, viewed from the south
NWN’s development work for Karam Senior Living is fulfilling one of its core goals: to maintain, provide, and increase housing affordability for residents with low incomes. In its forthcoming, five-year, organizational strategic plan, NWN’s board and staff have committed to a vision of “A place where anyone can thrive.” The Karam and Walz facility will manifest that vision by creating shared spaces for young scholars, older residents, and all community members to grow in their economic mobility together.
About Northwest Neighborhoods CDC
Northwest Neighborhoods CDC provides comprehensive community development services to more than 28,000 residents in Cleveland’s Cudell, Detroit Shoreway, and Edgewater communities to equitably foster diverse, vibrant neighborhoods. NWN owns and maintains 15 buildings containing 300+ affordable apartments, 50,000+ square feet of commercial space, and the Capitol Theatre cinema, and provides home repair assistance and other supportive services to residents and stakeholders. Northwest Neighborhoods’ service area is bounded by Lake Erie to the north, West 45th Street to the east, Interstate 90 to the south, and West 117th Street to the west.
About Cleveland Public Library: Our Future is Building
In 2017, Cleveland residents passed a tax levy set to renew and increase support for Cleveland Public Library, setting into motion a project to dramatically transform the city’s libraries. Over the next decade, Cleveland Public Library will renovate, expand, relocate, or rebuild all 27 neighborhood libraries. The project, known as the Facilities Master Plan, honors and preserves the past while preparing to better handle the future needs of our community. The revitalization project marks the third major, system-wide capital project in our 151-year history.