Cleveland Housing Innovation District to Waive Permit Fees on East Side

Cleveland is establishing a Housing Innovation District on the East Side that includes the neighbourhoods of Hough, Central and St. Clair-Superior. Under the district rules, permit fees for single-family homes will be waived and fees for multifamily projects will be reduced by 50 percent.

The city will contribute $750,000, matched by $2 million from philanthropic partners, to build 20 new single-family homes, renovate 10 existing houses and refurbish two storefronts inside the district boundaries. These investments are expected to increase the supply of housing stock available to local residents.

Additional federal support for affordable units

Three Cleveland housing projects have received $39.1 million in federal 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. The credits will support 165 new affordable units, of which 40 are designated for home ownership. Separately, the Southeast Side Promise initiative, supported by $15 million in federal funds, sold its first fully renovated home within one week of listing and targets improvements to between 200 and 250 homes.

For residents in the affected East Side neighbourhoods, the fee reductions and new construction may lower barriers to building or purchasing homes. The addition of ownership units through the tax-credit projects provides a direct path to homeownership for qualifying households.

Public comment period now open

Draft public comment periods for the City’s 2026-2030 Five-Year Consolidated Plan and FY 2026 Action Plan remain open through August 6, 2026. Residents can review the documents and submit feedback on how the housing initiatives align with local needs.

The combined measures address both immediate project costs and longer-term planning for housing supply in Cleveland’s East Side communities. The city has directed these resources toward the specific neighbourhoods named in the district designation.