Council committee approves city transfer of former MLK Junior High site to private developer for multi‑phase redevelopment

An ordinance that adds the city to the chain of title on the former Martin Luther King Jr. Junior High School and authorizes a development agreement with Structures Unlimited LLC won committee approval Monday.

The legislation, read into the record as ordinance 11‑16‑2021, would allow the city to accept the vacant school site at 1651 East 70th Street from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and later convey it to Structures Unlimited or a designee for redevelopment. The property is roughly 11 acres in Cleveland’s Ward 7 and is bounded by Lexington Avenue, East 70th/70th Street and Huff Avenue.

The city presenter, identified in the meeting as Miss Andrzejewski, told the committee that the site has been vacant since 2020 and that the city and CMSD launched a joint request for qualifications in 2021 to identify development partners. She said the…