City of Cleveland and the Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund Launch RFP for Modular Home Manufacturing Facility

Monday, December 2, 2024 - Cleveland - The City of Cleveland and the Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund announced today they have issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to modular home manufacturers across the United States and internationally to establish a manufacturing facility in Cleveland. The initiative aims to renew the use of disinvested commercial property and to create new manufacturing jobs while also addressing the city's housing needs and utilizing thousands of residential vacant lots.

The strategic move comes as Cleveland addresses the challenge and opportunity of approximately 25,000 vacant residential lots across the city and inner ring suburbs. Continuing to build with traditional methods is necessary to accelerate home building. Bringing additional building capacity with modular construction is important to help close the gap. With the nearest modular home manufacturer currently located 100 miles away, local, regional, national and international builders have already expressed significant interest in the opportunity.

"Cleveland is taking a bold step forward in addressing our housing needs while simultaneously growing our manufacturing base," said Mayor Justin M. Bibb. "By attracting a modular home manufacturer to our city, we're not just creating jobs - we're creating a sustainable solution to provide quality, affordable housing for our residents. The comprehensive incentive package we've assembled together with other actions to support increased home-building demonstrates our commitment to making this vision a reality."

The Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund, a collaborative initiative between the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and the Cuyahoga Land Bank, has identified a strategic site on Cleveland's east side that offers ample space for both immediate manufacturing operations and future expansion.

"The Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund was established precisely for opportunities like this," said the fund's managing director Brad Whitehead. "This project represents the perfect alignment of our mission to prepare sites for manufacturers while addressing critical community needs. The selected site offers the scale and infrastructure necessary to support a significant manufacturing operation."

Cleveland City Council has been instrumental in advancing this initiative. "This project represents a win-win for Cleveland," said Councilman Kris Harsh. "We're not just bringing manufacturing jobs back to our city - we're addressing our housing needs with an innovative, high-quality and cost-effective solution that will benefit generations of Cleveland residents."

The success of modular housing in Cleveland has already been demonstrated through local initiatives. Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity is currently midway through constructing 24 modular homes throughout the city.

"Our experience with modular homes has been exceptional," said John Litton, CEO of Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity. "These homes are built to high quality standards, often at a lower cost than traditional construction methods. The controlled manufacturing environment ensures consistent quality and greater efficiency, allowing us to provide more families with safe, affordable housing options."

The RFP is being published today, Dec. 2, 2024, to manufacturers that have already expressed interest. Additional manufacturers and media are welcome to express interest in receiving the RFP by contacting Richard Barga at the Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund ([email protected]). Proposal submissions are due Jan 17, 2025.