Cleveland accounted for about 91% of the added building value from qualifying transit-oriented development in Cuyahoga County from 2019 through 2025, according to a county planning report.

Only five of 26 communities along designated transit corridors recorded projects meeting the study’s criteria during those seven years. A new regional partnership is now trying to encourage more development near public transportation throughout the county.

These are five takeaways from the original article, which examined where transit-oriented development occurred and efforts to spread it beyond Cleveland.

1. Cleveland dominated the qualifying development

The Cuyahoga County Planning Commission identified 122 major transit-oriented developments that added about $1.52 billion in building value from 2019 through 2025.

Cleveland accounted for approximately $1.38 billion.

The other $136.7 million came from Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Lakewood and Rocky River. The other 21 communities studied had no projects meeting all of the report’s requirements.

2. The study used a narrow definition of transit-oriented development

Projects had to be near one of 22 designated transit corridors, add more than $1 million in building value within a year and meet design standards intended to support walkability.

Those standards included features such as buildings close to streets, multiple stories, pedestrian-oriented uses and parking positioned behind or beside buildings.

A community with no qualifying projects therefore did not necessarily have no construction.

3. Shaker Heights led the suburbs

Outside Cleveland, Shaker Heights recorded about $63.4 million in qualifying added building value, followed by Cleveland Heights at $52.1 million.

Lakewood recorded $15.4 million and Rocky River $5.8 million.

The Raye Apartments in Shaker Heights’ Van Aken District accounted for $38.7 million during construction.

4. Transit-oriented projects represented a substantial share of major development

The qualifying projects accounted for 36% of the added building value from major developments countywide during the seven-year period.

Within Cleveland, downtown accounted for 34.4% of qualifying value. The east side accounted for 25.1%, the west side 24.1% and University Circle 16.4%.

Countywide qualifying development reached $324 million in 2025, the highest annual amount in the period studied.

5. A new partnership is trying to broaden where projects happen

The Cuyahoga TOD partnership launched Oct. 8 involving County Planning, Greater Cleveland RTA, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and the Port Authority.

Its website combines development sites, financing information, design guidance and other resources intended to make transit-oriented projects easier to pursue.

Several communities also have undertaken zoning studies or changes intended to support such development.

Those efforts do not guarantee construction, however. The report does not establish that zoning restrictions caused development to concentrate in Cleveland, and factors including financing, available land and market conditions also influence where projects occur.

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