Damon Taseff, a principal with Allegro Realty who along with partners is undertaking the renovation of the historic West Side Community House in Ohio City into market-rate apartments, recently showed Fresh Water around. He also announced details of what he says will be "Cleveland's first bicycle-friendly apartment building."

The building is being redeveloped into 19 apartments, 4,000 square feet of office space and a Phoenix Coffee shop. It will feature not only a communal bike rack but also individual bike racks in each suite built from salvaged lumber. There will be a bike lounge in the basement where tools and other resources will be available, and membership with the nonprofit Bike Cleveland will be part of the amenity package that comes with signing a lease.

Bike Cleveland also is coming on board to coordinate at least one community cycling event at the building each year. The building will feature a bike-share program managed by Phoenix (there will be bikes in the basement that residents and visitors can borrow). Finally, Taseff is in talks with Joy Machines Bike Shop and the Ohio City Bike Co-op about bringing them in as partners, as well.

All in all, Taseff says he wants to set a standard for Cleveland and beyond when it comes to creating bike-friendly apartment buildings. "This is ground zero in the neighborhood -- you're dead center in the middle of everything," he says of the property at 3000 Bridge Avenue. "If you look at the national landscape, this is an emerging trend. When people talk about bike-friendly buildings, it's usually just a place to park your bike, but we really wanted to take it to the next level."

According to the City of Cleveland's recently announced plan, Bridge Avenue will be redeveloped as a bike route, making the area even more bike-friendly.

The building's parking lot does not have enough spaces for every resident to park a car, so Taseff is hoping the bike-friendly nature of the building will encourage some tenants to go car-free.

Taseff says it's very possible to live without a car in Cleveland, and he wants his project to help facilitate that lifestyle. "I did not have a car when I lived in Chicago," he says. "Let's design neighborhoods around people, not cars."

Other highlights include the custom finishes that are being incorporated into each suite, including hexagonal tile in the bathrooms and butcher block and steel kitchen islands courtesy of Rust Belt Welding and Soulcraft Woodshop.

The West Side Community House building is lined with windows on every side (all of which are relatively new and can be opened), affording views of the surrounding neighborhood, downtown and the West Side Market.

Plans already are in the works for a roof deck, but nothing has been finalized yet. Phoenix will open in August, the offices in September and the apartments in October. Pre-leasing for the apartments will begin soon, though prices have yet to be announced.