Broadway-Slavic Village became the 9th community worldwide to receive EcoDistricts certification this past July. The EcoDistricts certification details a neighborhood-wide commitment to equity, resilience and environmental protection through year 2050. The Broadway-Slavic Village Roadmap was adopted by the EcoDistrict team in December of 2022 after 2.5 years of collaboration, workshopping and outreach. The Roadmap includes goals, strategies and indicators/performance targets under each of the three pillars and will be recertified every two years.

Our strategies to stabilize the Slavic Village community include renovating and marketing housing to provide various options to retain existing residents and attract new ones. Slavic Village ReDiscovered (SVR) and Neighbors Invest in Broadway (NIB) are two of our alternative purchasing options offering homes for very low to low-moderate income levels. The Housing Team has worked on growing the use of nuisance abatement capacity by utilizing the receivership tool to address problem properties. SVR’s renovation of Dorver Avenue and Cullen Drive are examples of transformative nuisance abatements that provide safety and stability to the neighborhood and its residents. Over ten years, SVR home values have nearly doubled, with sales price increasing with

each sale. This past year, our annual Vacant Property Survey shifted to a parcel-by-parcel strategy, yielding a more detailed report regarding occupancy, vacancies, green space, and more. We have continued systematic progress on reducing vacant structures in Slavic Village by collaborating with the City of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County to notify them of problem properties, pushing for the remediation of code violations, more strategic demolitions, prioritizing condemnations, and holding absent property owners accountable. SVD has also begun collaborating with developers to usher in new developments and amenities. In 2023 and beyond, we will seek additional grant funding to extend the reach of our housing development programs, benefit buyers, and increase accomplishments overall.

This past year has been fruitful for business in Slavic Village. We have seen successes in small business, manufacturing, and institutional sectors.

This spring saw the reopening of Daisy’s on Fleet, a beloved neighborhood ice cream shop. New owner Brittany DePriest has kept much of the business the same, recognizing its previous importance to the community and offering new options, such as Polish Boys and other creative sweets and savories.

A long-time manufacturing business, Cleveland Wire Cloth, has undergone new ownership. Local group, Freshwater Capital, purchased CWC in the spring of 2023 and is looking to modernize the company and grow its operations.

Lastly, the national organization Beat The Streets has moved into the neighborhood on Broadway Avenue. Their mission is to positively alter life’s trajectory for youth in the community through wrestling programs and activities. They support health and wellness, social and emotional impact, and physical literacy. Cleveland chapter executive director Demetrius Williams has already significantly impacted the community and is working alongside the board of directors to fund substantial improvements to their facility.

Through generous support from the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, Slavic Village Development received two grants to promote recycling and composting efforts in our work and the community. The first grant focused on a composting and equipment program to build a backyard compost station for yard waste generated by our vacant lot maintenance and park/greenspace work. This spring, we hosted a DIY yard waste composting workshop, teaching residents how to build a compost station. In the fall, we will host a second workshop to teach residents what materials are used for yard waste composting and how to care for a compost pile.

The second grant focused on special projects; the funding was used to implement recycling and composting in our events, such as Pierogi Dash and Rooms To Let. We partnered with Republic Services and Rust Belt Riders to reduce up to 100+ lbs of recycling and compost. Our new partnership with Republic Services allowed us to host a recycling dumpster on office property, which has led to around 500 lbs of recycling diverted from the landfill this year.