Moreland is rising, literally, from the ground up. The first new infill housing in
southern Moreland in 15 years is on track to be built in 2018. This is a big deal.
Diversifying the City’s housing stock and revitalizing the Moreland neighborhood
were two goals expressed in the 2015 Housing and Neighborhood Plan. These
ambitious goals, supported by the stakeholders in the neighborhood, required
innovative solutions, multiple partners, and time in order to accomplish. A concrete
path to achieving those goals is now in view.
In 2016, the Shaker Design Competition was launched: a bold, creative step to
achieve the plan’s goals and to set a new standard for housing in the neighborhood,
and perhaps elsewhere in the City. The Competition attracted 12 architect-builder
teams from around the world who submitted modern, energy-efficient design concepts
that respond to 21st century lifestyles. The City further signaled its commitment to
infill housing and the goals of the Plan by adding 100 percent, 10-year property tax
abatement for owner-occupied houses.
In early 2017, the City entered into negotiations with the top three winners as
well as the Shaker-based teams that submitted concepts as part of the Competition.
The architect-builder team of RDL/Knez is the first to emerge from this process.
RDL, a Moreland- based architectural firm, is already familiar with the neighborhood,
having designed Library Court apartments and the new Townhomes of Van Aken.
Knez Homes is a leading builder of single-family and attached urban infill housing.
The RDL/Knez team is finalizing a Development and Use Agreement with the
City to build its first unit on a two-family vacant lot at 3516 Hildana Road. The site
is within walking distance of the RDL offices. One of the units will be a model home.
The team has chosen five additional vacant lots in southern Moreland that they will
acquire as buyers are identified, and has the option to purchase an additional
20 lots for $1 each.
The design will blend modern and traditional elements, and introduce greater
density into the neighborhood while respecting the existing streetscape. The units will
be energy-efficient, sustainably built, and accessible.
Each house is a two-story, twounit
structure with three bedrooms
and two-and-a-half baths. The master
bedroom will be on the first floor.
The main unit faces the street and
is connected to the rear unit by an
attached, shared two-car garage.
These houses can be purchased
by one buyer or separate buyers, and
used in a variety of ways, including
by two separate families living on
one site, or one multi-generational
family. Moreland residents expressed
a desire for housing units that had the
flexibility to accommodate various family
configurations and living arrangements.
Designs have not been finalized yet, but
the team anticipates houses that are
roughly 1,200 square feet and are priced
at approximately $239,000.
As the first units rise from the
ground, the City anticipates additional
developer interest in the remaining lots.
They will be sold for $1 to developers
with qualifying concepts.
Are you a potential buyer or
developer? If so, contact the City’s
Director of Neighborhood Revitalization,
Kamla Lewis, at 216-491-1374. SL
News
REAL
Moreland
(housing) is Rising
10 WINTER 2018 | WWW.SHAKER.LIFE
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