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 project already has “conceptual approval from the local design review body as well as from Cleveland planning commission” and that the project team has worked with neighborhood groups including Famicos Foundation on community engagement.

Kareem Abdul Salam, managing member of Structures Unlimited, described a multi‑phase plan that would demolish the existing approximately 60,000‑square‑foot school building in phase one, remediate asbestos if present and install underground infrastructure in phase two. Salam said the first phase would include demolition and removal of sewer and water lines inside the school and that the team is pursuing LEED Gold for the site. He described a program combining roughly 96 townhouses for sale on the north side (with at least 20 units earmarked for seniors) and approximately 200–225 multifamily units, plus a quarter‑acre interior amenity, an amphitheater and light commercial space including potential credit union branches and food retailers.

Council members asked about ownership, ongoing management and long‑term maintenance. Salam said Structures Unlimited intends to own and manage most of the project in partnership structures and noted the firm’s past portfolio. Council members expressed concern about the common pattern of developers selling assets after 10–15 years and asked for measures to prevent deterioration if ownership changes; Salam said his firm retains ownership in most projects and “that’s not what we do.”

Committee discussion also covered affordability and tax impacts. Salam characterized the housing as market rate, giving proposed price ranges for for‑sale townhouses of about $220,000 to $315,000 and townhouse sizes from about 1,500 to 2,200 square feet. Councilwoman House Jones and other members noted ongoing legislative work at the state level on tax relief to protect legacy residents from displacement and said Ward 7 will pursue local programs to increase residents’ ability to buy into new housing over the multi‑year development timeline.

The committee voted to approve ordinance 11‑16‑2021, and the chair recorded that council members House Jones, the chair and Councilman Hairston were added as cosponsors during the meeting.

Why it matters: The transfer would move one of CMSD’s vacant properties into private redevelopment and frames a mixed housing and light‑commercial project that neighbors and neighborhood planners have reviewed. The proposal includes demolition, environmental remediation, and nearly 300 total residential units across townhome and multifamily components in a multiyear, multistage project.