City considers future opportunities for McCafferty Health Center site, clinic relocation

While approximately 25% of the existing building footprint is used by the Department of Public Health, the city, Councilman McCormack and Ohio City Inc. are working together to explore future affordable housing options.

Tuesday, July 2, 2024 – Cleveland – The City of Cleveland will soon issue a request for proposals to redevelop the McCafferty Health Center site to meet the needs of the Ohio City neighborhood, including providing affordable housing. The 19,000-square-foot clinic, built in 1971, is largely underutilized, with about 25 percent of the space occupied by the Cleveland Department of Public Health.

This summer, a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) will be issued to identify professional real estate development teams to reinvest in the 1.5-acre site to meet the neighborhood’s growing need for affordable housing. Ground-floor uses will be for nonprofit or social services that support neighborhood residents. An additional press release will be issued once the RFQ opportunity is posted.

The Public Health Service is actively seeking a new location in the west end of the site, conveniently located near other social services, to provide holistic care to its clients. The search for a more comprehensive location opens up new possibilities for the future of the site.

“The Department of Public Health is currently looking for a site to continue to offer low-cost reproductive health services and vaccines,” said Dr. David Margolius, Cleveland’s director of public health. “We also recognize that housing has a significant impact on health and are pleased to be part of a process to create more affordable housing opportunities in a neighborhood that needs it.”

Transforming this city-owned site to meet the neighborhood’s affordable housing needs has long been part of Councilman Kerry McCormack’s vision and Ohio City’s strategic plan. The initiative is also supported by the Cleveland 2030 Housing Equity Plan.

“I want to thank all of the public health professionals who have served the Cleveland community for decades at McCafferty Health Center,” said Councilman McCormack. “Their work has touched the lives of many in need of medical services in our neighborhoods. As we move forward, I am excited about the future of this site as it continues to serve a public purpose by providing affordable housing and social services to the neighborhood. I appreciate the hard work of city staff and look forward to the community’s continued engagement to ensure this project is the best it can be.”

The Department of Community Development and Ohio City Inc. created a community survey to gather early input from residents and stakeholders and ensure that the future redevelopment of this site takes a place-based approach to addressing the need for affordable housing in the Ohio City neighborhood. The survey aims to understand residents’ community values, the challenges they face in accessing affordable housing, and how the future of this site can preserve its public health legacy by promoting community inclusion and well-being.

Feedback collected from this survey will be shared with potential development teams as part of the future RFP process, to incorporate community voice and value from the beginning of the project. Once a project team is selected, they will continue to collaborate with the community on site design and other elements of the project.

The survey is available here: https://v2.sites.courbanize.com/mccafferty-health/home