A new era for Cleveland real estate development
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Would a Department of Economic Development by any other name smell as sweet?
Cleveland thinks so. City Council has passed legislation rechristening the department the Department of Development and centralizing the city's real estate operations within it.
Why it matters: City Hall's development functions are scattered across multiple departments, creating delays, backlogs and confusion for residents and builders.
- The reorganization is meant to create a single "front door" for commercial and residential projects, making it "easier to do business in Cleveland while fostering catalytic growth across the city," per city council.
Zoom in: The legislation moves 18 staffers from the Department of Community Development to the new department, which will manage the city's land bank and asset redevelopment.
- It also establishes an Office of Land Strategy to better manage acquisitions and sales.
- Five positions will be created to support this work.
Stunning stat: There are 18,000 vacant parcels in the city.
What they're saying: Cleveland's chief of integrated development, Tom McNair, told city council the new structure would "radically" speed transactions by removing internal bottlenecks.
- Ultimately, he argued, it would position Cleveland to attract investment and pursue long-term growth.
- "In a city of infinite need and limited resources, we talk an awful lot about how to divvy up the crumbs of the pie," he said, but this department would focus on growing the pie — expanding the city's revenue sources.
Flashback: The new department was recommended in the city's operational strategic plan of 2024, part of Mayor Justin Bibb's ambition to create a more modern, responsive City Hall.
In a parallel effort, the city launched a portal this week to streamline the city's permitting processes.
- In a Crain's story Monday, developers criticized Cleveland's existing system as unpredictable and slow, inflating project costs and derailing timelines.
The last word: "Change is coming!" Bibb posted on Instagram.