Cleveland High School Heading Towards Redevelopment

"Finally".

That's the sentiment that many neighbors to the vacant, and deteriorating, Cleveland High School have shared with me upon hearing that the building's likely heading towards a redevelopment.

Development Services Group (DSG) of Memphis, the firm that redeveloped Downtown West's Butler Brothers Building, has assembled a capable team to take Cleveland and turn it into 106 senior (adults aged 55+) apartments. This comes as the City of St. Louis leads stabilization and security efforts to prevent further deterioration ahead of any potential redevelopment. The City has allocated close to $3 Million for that work. Progress on that is visible thanks to the demolition of Cleveland's old gym and new wood boards taking place of windows.

Any potential redevelopment of the school is dependent on the development team being awarded $2.6 Million in federal and state low income housing tax credits (LIHTC) in addition to possible historic tax credits. Cleveland's size, its current condition, and the complexity of such a redevelopment won't be possible without those components. DSG has also sought a $3 Million loan from Missouri's Housing Development Commission. It's also possible that the City would approve a tax abatement to help facilitate the redevelopment of the school.

A pile of rubble is all that remains of Cleveland's former gym on the north side of the property and along Virginia Avenue.

Getting Cleveland redeveloped has long been a priority for Alderman Shane Cohn and former Alderwoman Beth Murphy. It's seen as the key to unlocking a brighter future for Dutchtown and the heart of South St. Louis as its blight has pulled the surrounding blocks, and neighborhood, down. The vacant building has hurt the image of nearby positive efforts that come in the form of renovated homes and apartment buildings, new single-family homes, and new businesses opening.

The project's units should yield rents of $550-$1350 per month for a one-bedroom apartment and $1228-$1678 for a two-bedroom apartment. 95 of the 106 apartments will be "affordable" with the other 11 being market rate. The unit breakdown is 100 one-bedroom units and 6, two-bedroom units.

Development Services Group will be working with EverTrue on this project. EverTrue was once known as Lutheran Senior Services. A development cost and what architecture firm associated with the project hasn't been announced yet. Again, the redevelopment is dependent on the awarding of the low income housing tax credits.

There's reason to be optimistic about this potential redevelopment despite the fact the tax credits can take months, or even years, to be approved. DSG is a large enough development firm with enough backing to execute complex projects of this scale and EverTrue has a solid portfolio that proves their capabilities to properly manage senior apartments.

If the redevelopment of Cleveland is completed, it's fair to expect that the former football field that stretches between Louisiana Avenue and Grand could eventually be home to a public gathering space, additional housing and/or commercial space. But for now, the fact we have an early, but tangible, redevelopment effort working its way through the process is a great sign. I look forward to hearing more about the project as they're released.

Intricate details above the school's main entrance on Louisiana Avenue.

Cleveland High School was built in 1915 and was designed by William B. Ittner, the architect of many of St. Louis's public schools.