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City committee approves 10-year ground lease to consolidate Rust Belt Riders composting at East 70th
Summary
The committee approved an emergency ordinance allowing the city to enter a 10-year ground lease with Rust Belt Riders to operate a consolidated composting and retail site at 3270 East 70th Street, with two 10-year renewal options. The social enterprise says the site will reduce hauling costs and expand resident access to food-scrap drop-offs.
The Municipal Service and Properties Committee on Feb. 3 approved an emergency ordinance authorizing the director of public works and economic development to enter a ground lease with Rust Belt Riders Composting LLC for property at 3270 East 70 Ninth Street for 10 years, with two 10-year options to renew.
The agreement would let Rust Belt Riders consolidate its composting operations, add an on-site retail outlet for soil products and increase regional processing capacity for food waste. Natalie Longa, chief financial officer and a worker owner at Rust Belt Riders, told the committee the organization “currently employ[s] 33 people, have 15 worker owners, offer a starting wage of more than $20 an hour, offer health insurance to all employees who work more than 30 hours per week, and every employee is eligible for worker ownership.”
The ordinance is aimed at reducing the company’s operating costs and creating local jobs. Longa said the organization now ships material through multiple transfer and manufacturing points across Northeast Ohio; consolidating at the East 70th parcel would reduce those intersite movements. She told the committee the company “estimate[s] that we spend over $225,000 a year just moving the material, more than 12% of our operating costs.”
Why it matters: Committee members said the lease would activate long-vacant city land and keep an expanding social enterprise anchored in Cleveland. Councilman Star said he had worked with the group for months and “support[ed] ordinance 40-2025,” citing job creation and the organization’s neighborhood partnership potential. Councilman Hairston praised the partnership with the nearby urban-agriculture organization and called the move “phenomenal.” Councilman Kelly suggested Rust Belt Riders consider outreach to Cleveland Metropolitan School District students for educational programming.
Details from the presentation and committee exchange: - Lease and facility: The lease covers a vacant 6–7 acre parcel near East 70th between Kinsman and Bessemer; Rust Belt Riders described the site as already zoned light industrial and meeting setback requirements for a Class 2 composting facility. The company said it plans to use an aerated static-pile (ASP) system and to process roughly 5,000 tons of food scraps annually. - Services and access: Rust Belt Riders said it operates commercial, residential and municipal services and currently works with more than 300 businesses in Cuyahoga County. The company runs a drop-off program the city supported through a USDA grant that currently has 35 locations; Longa said the city partnership would expand access so “90% of residents [have] access to a drop-off location within a 15-minute walk.” - Pricing and subsidies: Longa said the partnership allows up to 250 SNAP-eligible families to join the drop-off program at no cost; non-SNAP households are charged $12 per month under the current pilot model. - Job and program ties: Council members emphasized potential workforce-development and school partnership opportunities; Councilman Kelly said he would pursue connecting CMSD students to site visits or programs.
Action and next step: The committee approved the ordinance (introduced as ordinance 40-20-25). The transcript records the committee’s approval and an instruction to “please sign,” but does not record a roll-call vote tally or named mover/second.
What wasn’t decided: The lease and ordinance authorize the city to proceed but do not include project-level construction permits, final engineering approvals or the contract text in the committee record. Committee members requested city staff provide the list of existing drop-off locations and additional educational outreach materials; staff said the Office of Sustainability and the Department of Economic Development were working with the company on those items.
The committee also requested follow-up materials: addresses of existing drop-off locations, details on the planned odor-control systems and confirmation of required state/local permits for a Class 2 facility.
