History

Buckeye Shaker Square Development Corporation

70s: Founded and incorporated in 1970 as The Buckeye Area Development Corporation, with an emphasis in addressing commercial neglect on Buckeye Road with safety being the major issue. It managed a variety of programs including the first Cleveland Police Mini-Station, a Senior Outreach Program, and the Dial-a-Bus Program. Through its effort, a major streetscape program was launched in the late 1970s, which added off-street parking and public amenities to the Buckeye Road.

80s: Late in the 1980s, Buckeye Area Development Corporation began to administer new activities that included the Storefront Renovation Program and a neighborhood code enforcement partnership with the City of Cleveland. The corporation also began to assist in the development efforts around Shaker Square and Larchmere Boulevard.

In 1989, Buckeye Area Development Corporation formed an affiliate corporation, New Buckeye Redevelopment Corporation, which specializes in real estate development and property management. Also in 1989, the corporation became a member group of the Cleveland Housing Network (CHN). This union has resulted in the renovation of scores of homes to date for lease to low or moderate income residents.

90s: In the 1990s, the Buckeye Area Development Corporation administered the following programs: Community Outreach Program, Lease Purchase Program, Homeward/Market Rate Program, Paint Refund Programs, Storefront Renovation Programs, New Tax Credit Homes, Low Interest Home Improvement Loans, Home Weatherization Assistance Program (HWAP), Land Reutilization Programs, Safety Program, Court Community Services Program, Court Watch Program, Community Lead Exposure Prevention Program (CLEPP), and the Lead Abatement Program. Also, the community street festival, known as the Soul of Buckeye Festival, was revived.

2000s: The Buckeye Area Development Corporation was selected as a Strategic Investment Initiative (SII) area by Neighborhood Progress Incorporated. The SII has many impactful projects such as the anchor project, Saint Luke’s Pointe. The project includes the $40 million conversion of the former hospital building to 140 units of senior housing, the learning campus featuring the new Harvey Rice School and Rice Library, and the housing development project called Legacy at Saint Luke’s Pointe.

Other initiatives in the SII include the Buckeye - Larchmere Initiative (BLI) through the Saint Luke’s Foundation. The BLI has funded a neighborhood model block program, the Greening of Woodland project, and computers for the computer labs for the new school and library.

Restoration of the Woodhill and East 116th Street train stations in partnership with RTA emphasizes the importance of public transportation to the community. Rehabilitated housing through Cleveland Housing Network’s Opportunity Housing and Cleveland Green Home projects with foreclosure prevention provided by ESOP offer needed attention to the existing housing stock; and finally, sustainability practices are being instituted through the LEED ND pilot process to educate area stakeholders on the latest sustainable practices.

2012: Buckeye Area Development Corporation became the Buckeye Shaker Square Development Corporation, adding the Larchmere and Shaker Square neighborhoods to its service area.