How a Moreland infill home – porch included – provides a new nest in a friendly neighborhood.

By Sharon Holbrook

Photos by Kevin Reeves

Before I even rang Mary Ann Stropkay’s doorbell, a neighbor was waving hello to me. That’s the kind of neighborhood Moreland is, says Mary Ann, where her brand-new home sits on a formerly vacant parcel on Ludgate Road.

“They’re all lovely,” she says of her neighbors, who go out of their way to reach out to one another. “That’s the way Shaker is.”

Mary Ann, who works as a financial consultant, first lived in Shaker Heights in the 1990s, when she lived in an apartment in the Shaker Square area. She and her late husband, Eric, raised their two children farther east, closer to extended family. But when their second child finished high school and headed off to Chicago for college last year, Mary Ann knew the time was right both to find some fresh empty-nester digs and to return to Shaker Heights.

When it came to location, Mary Ann was drawn to the walkability of Moreland and the proximity of Heinen’s and the rest of the Chagrin-Lee retail district. She often prefers to stroll up to CVS rather than have to always hop in the car.

And, she says, there was a particular attraction to buying a new home. “It’s the perfect way to experience Shaker life,” she says. “It’s a wonderful way to live here. And, a small house on a small lot is totally perfect for me, rather than a condo or a townhouse.”

Mary Ann Stropkay

As luck would have it, Mary Ann happened to know the owner of Knez Homes, the company that built her new home. Knez has been working with the City of Shaker Heights to identify buyers interested in building “infill” housing, or new construction on empty lots in established neighborhoods. A key benefit to building a home on an infill lot in Shaker Heights is tax abatement. For 10 years, owners pay property tax only on the value of the lot and not on their new home. If they sell their home before the 10 years are up, the abatement is fully transferable.

The designs for the Knez homes are taken through the City’s rigorous Architectural Review Board standards to ensure they blend with the surrounding homes. Mary Ann’s handsome house sits between two other tidy lots, each with a Knez sign announcing their availability for new construction.

When homes are built on those lots, the street will again be knit together in a continuous line of gracious front porches – one of the hallmarks of the Moreland neighborhood, and not just architecturally.

“The porch scene is great. Everyone sits on a porch here. It’s very social,” says Mary Ann. One reason she was ready to move from a larger property to her smaller Ludgate lot is that she no longer had the need for a big backyard as a play area for her children.

Mary Ann’s roomy front porch echoes the others on Ludgate, but the home’s resemblance to its older neighbors ends at the threshold. Stepping inside feels like architectural time travel straight to the 21st century. Mary Ann’s first floor, at 1,016 square feet, is a continuous, lightfilled, high-ceilinged space, all visible from the front door.

The living room area, to the right, is roomy and cozy with a sectional sofa and armchair gathered in an invitation to sit and visit. Behind the living space is an open dining and kitchen area that effortlessly fits a table for six and a generously sized island with a breakfast bar while still allowing for plenty of floor space.

A small house on a small lot is totally perfect for me.

In a nod to the layout of so many of Shaker’s traditional homes, a staircase rises to the second floor directly inside the front door. Upstairs, Mary Ann has three bedrooms. The main bedroom is especially large and, much like the first floor, feels airy and bright with its large windows. Two walk-in closets – and of course a bath – complete the primary suite, with one windowed closet large enough to comfortably serve as Mary Ann’s home office.

In the basement, a TV area and ping-pong table await the return of Mary Ann’s son and daughter from college – and the return to more freedom to invite friends over in a post-COVID-19 world.

Although Mary Ann didn’t find her home until it was “probably 85 percent complete,” she’s still making it her own, tweaking colors and accents and design. Knez uses model homes and a showroom to allow buyers to make choices about what features and finishes they would like. As with typical new construction, some options are standard; upgrades, such as a finished basement or taller kitchen cabinets, can be added at additional cost.

  • Open floor plan of new infill home on Ludgate Rd.

Just in time for summer, Mary Ann will be adding Adirondack chairs and some new landscaping to the backyard to create another hangout zone. But when it comes to customizing the building process, she was just as happy to find an almost-done house with smart choices already made by Knez within the architectural standards of the City.

“I fell in love with it. They did a really nice job on a house that could work for a family, and it works for me, too.”

If you are interested in acquiring a City-owned infill lot and building a new home, start by reviewing the City’s vacant lot program page on the City’s website and then contact Neighborhood Revitalization Director Kamla Lewis at 216-491-1374 or by email.

Originally published in Shaker Life, Summer 2021.