Cleveland - The Woodhill Transformation Initiative took a significant step forward today as the project received a 9% tax credit award from the Ohio Finance Agency.
The award lays the ground work for the development of 77 new housing units on Woodland Avenue, and is the result of an extensive planning process led by the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) and the City of Cleveland together with The Community Builders, City Architecture, Cleveland Foundation, St. Luke’s Foundation, Gund Foundation, Case Western Reserve and a host of community partners and stakeholders.
The goal continues to be to create a connected, vibrant community in which to live, work, learn and play with access to quality schools, healthcare, transportation and jobs for current and future residents.
The team is working with more than 300 individuals and partners from over 60 organizations, which so far have collaborated at more than 50 monthly public meetings, resident engagement and special events and design parties to plan, make decisions and implement strategies to transform the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood.
“This tax credit award is welcome news not only because it advances the Woodhill Homes Development Project but also because it furthers development and investment in the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood,” said Mayor Frank G. Jackson. “The project also aligns with reinvestment and revitalization under my Neighborhood Transformation Initiative.”
“CMHA would like to thank The Ohio Housing Financing Agency for this 9% tax credit award. This Tax Credit award is excellent news for the residents of the Buckeye/Woodhill Community,” said CMHA CEO Jeffery K. Patterson. “CMHA is committed to moving this vital development initiative forward and to build on the momentum generated by the effort of this development team and community partners as well as receipt of this tax credit award.”
“This is great news for the Buckeye/Shaker and Woodland Hills Community,” said Councilman Blaine A. Griffin. “I have always had a goal to improve and increase quality housing options in this area. This Ohio Finance Agency Tax Credit will help us achieve this goal. Thank you to all of the partners who are committed to make the Woodhill Choice Plan #WoodhillUpNext a reality.”
Woodhill Homes is a family property owned and managed by CMHA located on a large wooded site (25 acres) in the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. Woodhill Homes is comprised of over 60 buildings with 487 units available for housing (two-story row houses and three-story walkups) that were built in 1939.
Buckeye-Woodhill is a strategically located Cleveland neighborhood with strong historic assets and recent investments. Over the past nine years, the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood has enjoyed more than $113 million in new investments from the public and private sector. This includes new housing, public art, parks and green spaces, housing rehabilitation, a youth workforce program and much more.
With funding from the Choice 2017 Planning Grant awarded to CMHA, Woodhill Homes and the broader neighborhood will continue the momentum that Buckeye-Woodhill has enjoyed. The development team will continue striving to create a physical and social environment that promotes education, health, neighborhood confidence and marketability.
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