With approximately 25 percent of the existing building footprint being utilized by the Department of Public Health, the city, Councilman McCormack and Ohio City Inc. are collaborating to explore future affordable housing options
Tuesday July 2, 2024 – Cleveland – The City of Cleveland will soon be seeking proposals to redevelop the McCafferty Health Center site to address the needs of the Ohio City neighborhood, including providing affordable housing options. The 19,000-square-foot clinic, constructed in 1971, is largely underutilized, with approximately 25 percent of the space occupied by the Cleveland Department of Public Health.
This summer, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) will be issued to identify professional real estate development project teams to reinvest in the 1.5-acre site to meet the neighborhood’s growing affordable housing needs. Ground floor uses will be aimed toward nonprofit or social services that support neighborhood residents. An additional press release will be issued once the RFQ opportunity is published.
The Department of Public Health is actively seeking a new location on the west side, ideally co-located with other social services, to provide holistic care for their clients. Their search for a more all-inclusive location opens new opportunities for the site’s future.
“The Department of Public Health is currently searching for a site to continue offering low-cost reproductive health services and vaccines,” said Cleveland’s Director of Public Health Dr. David Margolius. “We also recognize that housing has a tremendous impact on health and are pleased to be part of a process to create more opportunities for affordable housing in a neighborhood that needs it.”
Transforming this city-owned site to meet the neighborhood’s affordable housing needs has long been a part of Councilman Kerry McCormack’s vision and Ohio City’s Strategic Plan. This initiative is further supported by the Cleveland 2030 Housing Equity Plan.
“I want to thank all of the public health professionals who have served the Cleveland community from the McCafferty Health Center for decades,” stated Councilman McCormack. “Their work has touched the lives of many people in need of medical services in our neighborhoods. As we move forward, I am excited about the future of this site continuing to serve a public purpose by providing affordable housing and social services to the neighborhood. I appreciate the hard work of city staff and look forward to future community engagement to ensure this is the best project possible.”
The Department of Community Development and Ohio City Inc. created a community survey to gather initial input from residents and stakeholders and ensure the future redevelopment of this site takes a placed-based approach to addressing the need for affordable housing in the Ohio City neighborhood. The survey seeks to understand residents’ community values, the challenges faced in accessing affordable housing, and how the future of this site can preserve its legacy of public health by promoting inclusivity and community wellness.
Input received from this survey will be shared with prospective development teams as part of the future RFQ process, in order to incorporate community voice and value from the beginning of the project. Once a project team is selected, they will continue to collaborate with the community on the site design and other project elements.
The survey is available at here: https://v2.sites.courbanize.com/mccafferty-health/home
