Chicago-by-way-of-Cleveland developers plan 170 new apartments on edge of Tremont, Ohio City neighborhoods
Updated: Dec. 18, 2020, 2:27 p.m. | Published: Dec. 18, 2020, 11:42 a.m.
A rendering of the proposed Treo apartment complex on West 25th Street in Cleveland.
By Eric Heisig, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — A trio of Cleveland natives who run a Chicago development company are plotting their first inroads into the local market with plans to build 171 new apartments on the edge of the Tremont and Ohio City neighborhoods.
Mavrek Development plans to add the studio, one- and two-bedroom units in the 2400 block of West 25th Street. For years the land has been home to Sass Automotive and Wrecking, wedged between a bridge and the parking lot for Porco Lounge and Tiki Room.
It's a stretch of the main near-West Side thoroughfare that hasn't seen as much development in the past few years, even as surrounding areas have. Mavrek Principal Adam Friedberg said that was a big reason why the site, which is in Tremont, was attractive for the company's largest project to date.
"It's almost a forgotten pocket" of the neighborhood, Friedberg said. "There's development potential. You just need an open mind and perspective and vision to execute it."
Renderings provided to cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer show that the project, which Mavrek dubbed "TREO," would include a five-story, 150,000-square-foot building that wraps around a courtyard. The ground floor of the building facing West 25th Street will have room for commercial space, which fellow Mavrek Principal Bobby Krueger said could house a café or minute medical clinic.
Another rendering of the proposed Treo development between the Tremont and Ohio City neighborhoods of Cleveland.
The renderings also include what would be new city street that connects West 25th Street and West 20th Street, which aligns with Swift Avenue and Moltke Court. Friedberg said the developers plan to build two underground parking levels.
Friedberg and Krueger said in separate interviews that a big selling point would be unobstructed views of the Cleveland skyline. Both they and the NORR architecture firm tried to make design the building to allow as many units as possible to have such views. The coronavirus pandemic also informed some of the designs for the building, including more open spaces outside and workstations built into the apartments, Friedberg said.
An exact cost of the project, with financing from the Columbus-based Schiff Capital Group, has not yet been calculated, Friedberg said. He said the apartments would be "market rate" and that his team is still looking at pricing per unit.
The developers are set to present their plans to the Near West Design Review Committee on Wednesday. They hope to start construction in spring and keep on track to finish in summer 2022.
Krueger, Friedberg and Peter Koch run Mavrek. The company is based in Chicago though all three are from the Cleveland area – with Friedberg from Orange and the other two from Rocky River. Krueger – who also runs the construction company The Krueger Group, founded by his father – moved back to the area last year.
In addition to projects in Chicago, the group also plans to build apartments in suburban Denver.
TREO has been in the works since last year. The developers finalized the $1.25 million purchase of the land from SoLo Development in October.
Krueger, whose construction company will work on the project, said Mavrek was looking for an area that was "vibrant and has energy day in and day out." The developers think they've found that on that stretch of West 25th Street.
It's a stretch that connects several areas with a lot of activity. Projects are underway in Ohio City to the north and near the MetroHealth campus to the south. Khalid Hawthorne, housing and economic development director for Tremont West Development Corp., said the planned apartments are representative of a "gateway" project to fill a gap between several neighborhoods.
A third rendering of the proposed Treo development on West 25th Street.
Councilman Kerry McCormack, whose ward includes Ohio City and Tremont, noted development to the north, which includes the INTRO apartment project at West 25th Street and Lorain Avenue, and that development near the TREO site pertains to different levels of income. Across the street from Mavrek's site will be St. Joseph Commons, which will be run by Front Steps Housing and Services and include 68 permanent supportive housing units for the homeless.
Other newer projects in that area include The Pivot Center for Art, Dance and Expression a bit south on West 25th Street.
"I'm not surprised to see more investment on that stretch," McCormack said.
While touting their project, both Friedberg and Krueger are quick to point out their Cleveland roots in the hopes of combating any narrative that they are a bunch of outside developers who don't know the city.
"I had grown up going downtown and envisioning adding a building to the skyline," Friedberg, 32, said. "I'm not doing that quite yet. This is the first part of that journey."