Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) broke ground Jan. 29 on  the Cedar-Central Development – a large-scale, mixed-use housing project that supporters believe will weave seamlessly into the fabric of its downtown neighborhood.

The planned 15-acre residential initiative includes an apartment building and townhomes. Construction has already begun on the first two phases, which will utilize approximately eight acres of the site, says Jeffrey Patterson, CMHA chief executive officer.

Phase one is a four-story, 61-unit structure with room on the ground floor for a community area and potential commercial space. Each unit will contain one bedroom, a full bathroom and kitchen. The project's second phase consists of 50 townhome units with multiple bedrooms, depending on unit type.

Future stages representing the project's remaining seven acres could include additional residential units, while green space will be dispersed throughout the redevelopment site.

The mixed-use apartment and townhome space, costing a total of about $33 million, will be built near the corner of East 30th Street and Community College Avenue. The units will rent at both market and subsidized rates.

With this area already active thanks to two nearby colleges and a recently introduced neighborhood clinic, the CMHA project can help link these elements together, Patterson says. "This type of housing is different than what had been there in the past," he says. "It's going to add a new dynamic."

The housing initiative replaces the Cedar Extension Estates, demolished in 2012 to make way for the forthcoming project. Displaced residents will get first dibs on the new apartments at the normal subsidized rate.

These folks will be returning to a project that can help transform the area through streetfront retail and other perks, its backers maintain. Restaurants and shopping options are among the possibilities for the mixed-use apartment complex.

Meanwhile, contracting work and other skilled labor positions related to the year-long construction are currently available, says Donovan Duncan, CMHA's director of asset management. The housing group participated in a building and certification program with Cuyahoga Community College, which taught painting and other valuable skills to laborers who can take those talents to employers beyond the Cedar-Central development.

"These are future job skills we're teaching," Duncan says.

Ultimately, the housing project represents a coming together of community stakeholders, notes Patterson.  Tri-C, Cleveland State University and St. Vincent Charity Medical Center have committed to Employer Assisted Housing, which will offer first-month stipends for staff and students to rent at the property.

A wholesale neighborhood effort will be a boon for the first two phases of the enterprise, slated for completion during the first quarter of 2017, Patterson says.

"Housing is going to be a key component of our community's development," he says.