Ohio City Transit-Oriented Development Site is Back in Play

This article was published through an exclusive content-sharing agreement with neo-trans.blog.

The third time may be the charm for a potential transit-oriented development (TOD) site in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood — in part because it’s the first time a new TOD coalition is initiating it.

A transit-adjacent site that’s being targeted for development is at the intersection of Abbey Avenue and Columbus Road, directly adjacent to the West 25th Street Rapid Transit Station, seamlessly connecting Ohio City with the broader Cleveland transit network.

The new coalition seeking the development is a unified countywide initiative called Cuyahoga TOD. It was announced less than two weeks ago but its purpose appeared limited to promoting TOD local and providing a one-stop shop for TOD resource informaiton.

The regional coalition features the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA), the City of Cleveland, the Port of Cleveland, and Cuyahoga County.

Cuyahoga TOD has officially released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) — which the organization touted as its first-ever. That implies it will be issuing more RFQs for more TOD sites in the future.

The purpose of this RFQ is to seek and find a qualified development team to spearhead “the highly anticipated Columbus Road Transit-Oriented Development Project,” according to a written statement from Cuyahoga TOD.

According to the offering, the site measures approximately 2.4 acres which includes the nearly half-acre station headhouse built in 1990 which will be rebuilt or replaced. And it includes nearly 2 acres of vacant GCRTA-owned land along Columbus south of Abbey.

In addition to the light-rail Red Line, busy bus lines converge on the area, too. More is planned, including the Lorain Avenue portion of the Cleveland Midway and the MetroHealth Bus Rapid Transit line on West 25th Street.

The coalition described the RFQ as “the initial activation of the newly centralized portal, CuyahogaTOD.org, designed to break down long-standing bureaucratic barriers and actively guide developers toward high-density, mixed-use investment opportunities.”

“By launching the Columbus Road RFQ as our pilot unified offering, we are demonstrating how regional coordination can fast-track high-impact projects that transform underutilized transit footprints into vibrant, walkable spaces,” said GCRTA General Manager and CEO India Birdsong Terry.

“The Columbus Road project aims to deliver a dense, pedestrian-first ecosystem that leverages public transit access to create sustainable housing and commercial opportunities,” Cuyahoga TOD said in its offering.

Interested developers can review full site specifications, submission criteria, and evaluation timelines by visiting the centralized Cuyahoga TOD Opportunities Page at CuyahogaTOD.org.

“Responses must be submitted through the portal in accordance with the dates outlined in the official package,” the offering explained.

Two prior GCRTA-developer joint efforts to redevelop the site faded away. The first was in the late 2010s, in a partnership with Westlake-based Carnegie Management and Development. But Carnegie withdrew from the project in 2020, causing GCRTA to negotiate with runners-up.

One of those was an affiliate of MRN Ltd. of Cleveland. It proposed a mixed-use development with a public plaza over the Red Line tracks and Red Line Greenway. But MRN prioritized redeveloping the former Rauch & Lang/Voss plant into The Carriage Co. across West 25th.

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