City of Cleveland accepts building on Raider Drive
Photo by Student Reporter Charlie Boothe
A long-vacant building next to Greenway Park has a chance for a new purpose, after the Cleveland City Council voted to accept it as a donation from Cleveland Development, LLC.
In January of 2020, Forrest Preston, owner of the building at 775 Raider Drive, sent a letter to Mayor Kevin Brooks offering the building to the city as a gift. For the next two years, the city examined the possibility of owning the building before finally accepting the donation.
At their meeting on Jan. 24, 2022, city council voted to accept the building donation and asked City Planner Joe Fivas to present the council with options on its use in 30 to 75 days.
According to the briefing memo from the same meeting, the city council aims “to have the building being used, or under construction, for the best interest in the public within one year from this date, and after the closing of this property the City will work with Mr. Preston to obtain the parcel of property next to its boundaries.”
Preston, a local businessman who is the founder and owner of Life Care Centers of America, first offered the building to the city in 2012; however, his initial offering held stipulations.
Dale Hughes, District 5, was on the council in 2012 when Preston initially offered the building.
“In order for him to give the gift of the building to the city, the municipal building had to be moved to Raider Drive. And at that time, that was not acceptable to the population in downtown” said Hughes.
The requirement caused the city council to reject the donation.
When Preston offered the building again in 2020, there were no stipulations attached. The stipulation’s removal, in addition to the city’s growth and need for additional space, contributed to the council’s acceptance of the donation.
“The city of Cleveland is growing at a phenomenal rate. We’ve got so much growth going on in the city of Cleveland that we are locked in, especially where we are located downtown. Accepting that building will give us more flexibility” said Vice-Mayor Avery Johnson.
One of those city entities in need of additional space is the Cleveland City School Board. The school board has outgrown its current office space, which is located at 4300 Mouse Creek Rd.
“We have a current office building that is very small. Many of the offices are separated by partitions,” said School Board Chairwoman Dawn Robinson.
A report given to the city council by city staff broke down the cost of renovation into three different options: a warm shell renovation, basic renovations and premium renovations. The warm shell renovation is the cheapest option at $1.2 million.
According to the report, the premium renovation would cost roughly $11.3 million.
The next city council meeting is on Feb. 28. The council meets at 1 p.m. for work session and 3 p.m. for voting session.
