New apartments in Cleveland are bigger than a decade ago
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Cleveland ranks among the top U.S. cities where apartment size has increased over the past decade.
Why it matters: The city has become a hot market for developers who cater to people who want more space while they postpone house purchases or spend time working from home.
By the numbers: Apartments built in Cleveland between 2014 and 2023 gained 163 square feet compared with rentals constructed before 2014. The average apartment size in the metro area is 879 square feet.
- That's the second-largest increase among the 100 U.S. cities with the most apartment buildings, per a recent report from RentCafe, behind only Tucson, Arizona.
The big picture: The average U.S. apartment built in 2023 measured 916 square feet.
- That's a 27-square-foot rebound from 2022, when apartment sizes shrank to the smallest on average since at least 2014, according to the report.
- RentCafe attributes the increase "to more spacious two- and three-bedroom apartments opening their doors last year as developers aimed to meet renters' need for more space."
Zoom in: Cleveland's growth in apartment size has coincided with the city's downtown revival, as outlined by a January article in the Washington Post.
- The Post detailed an increase in luxury apartments, including near Public Square, where the number of units has gone from about 40 in 2016 to more than 1,200.
State of play: Cleveland is also among the top metros for converting underused office space into apartments.
- Recent projects include the City Club Apartments on Euclid Avenue, the Ten60 Bolivar across from Progressive Field and The Bell at East 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue.