The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) closed 18 school buildings this year. City planners and district officials say the next step is to find new uses that benefit the surrounding neighborhoods.
Community input and the path forward
Last spring the city held listening sessions in neighborhoods across Cleveland. About 230 residents attended, offering modest but valuable feedback on how the vacant sites could serve their communities.
Ohio law requires a district to offer any empty school building to a charter school first if it has been vacant for more than a year. CMSD plans to use land‑swap agreements and sale‑leaseback arrangements to move the properties off its books while keeping options open for future charter use.
Proposed projects
Historic high school – senior housing
Winn Development and First Interstate were selected to convert the historic high school into mixed‑income senior apartments. The plan would preserve the auditorium and possibly demolish the gym. The city has not yet voted on the land‑swap.
Tremont school – mixed use
Sustainable Community Associates proposes turning the large Tremont building into housing with ground‑level space for a grocery store or art venue, aiming to deliver material benefits to residents. Formal approval is still pending.
Glenville building – community hub
Third Space Action Lab, a Glenville‑based consulting group, intends to create low‑cost office space for local businesses, a community kitchen, and programming for kids and teens. The land‑swap vote has not occurred.
Historic school – apartments
Local developer MCM Co. plans to preserve most of the school’s historic architecture while converting it into apartments that meet neighborhood market needs, with some commercial or community uses guided by resident input.
Dike school – possible demolition
The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority may demolish the Dike building as part of a larger redevelopment of the nearby King Kennedy housing community.
Rehoboth Cares – early childhood and senior services
Affiliated with Rehoboth Temple Community Church, Rehoboth Cares proposes minimal renovations to offer early‑childhood education, senior programming, and community event space under a sale‑lease‑back agreement.
Bolton school – child‑advocacy headquarters
Canopy Child Advocacy Center plans to use the former Bolton school as its new headquarters, providing office space, a play area, interview rooms, and behavioral‑health services for children and families.
Finch Group – senior housing with gym
The Finch Group would demolish the former boys school but retain the gym as a common area for future senior residents.
Next steps
For each proposal, the city must first receive the property from CMSD via a land‑swap or sale‑lease‑back, then obtain approval from the school board and city council. Those votes have not yet taken place, so the timelines for renovation and reopening remain uncertain, potentially spanning months or years.
Residents with questions or comments about any of the projects are encouraged to contact the district at the email provided in the original announcement.
Original reporting: Signal Cleveland — read the source article.
