Morgana Run Trail Sparks New Home Construction

Jake Lynch — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:30:00 GMT

When the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio, welcomed the Morgana Run Trail more than five years ago, there were high hopes for how it would help transform the area. And in the ensuing years the trail proved the catalyst for many wonderful amenities, from public art installations to the construction of a new school.

The fall of 2011 brought yet another step forward in Slavic Village's renewal, with construction beginning on a new residential development, Trailside at Morgana Run. The two- and three-bedroom single-family homes will feature direct access to the Morgana Run Trail, which runs throughout Slavic Village to Mill Creek Falls.

With the real estate market struggling nationwide, and in Cleveland particularly, the fact a home developer has invested in a new project deliberately featuring trail access is significant. Recent studies by the National Association of Homebuilders found that trails were the number one amenity desired by potential new homebuyers. And homes in close proximity to the Minuteman Bikeway and Nashua River Rail Trail in Massachusetts have been found to consistently sell closer to the list price, and faster, than homes not close to either trail.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy staff from the Midwest Regional Office have been working with Slavic Village Development (SVD) for the past three years. The 2011 Urban Pathways Initiative Conference was held in Cleveland in the spring of 2011 and showcased the Morgana Run Trail and Slavic Village. Trailside at Morgana Run is further evidence that walking and biking infrastructure continues to be a robust driver of economic activity.

Where the new neighborhood will one day grow was once an environmentally contaminated brownfield site until being cleaned up a few years ago. Third Federal Savings and Loan, a banking institution founded in Slavic Village and headquartered next door to Trailside, is the developer of Trailside at Morgana Run.

"We want to continue to help the revitalization of the neighborhood where we were founded," says Jennifer Rosa, public relations manager for Third Federal. "The Trailside project is important to us not only because it is on property adjacent to our headquarters, it is also adjacent to a beautiful multi-purpose trail and helps move new development further into the neighborhood."

Photo of cyclists on the Morgana Run Trail by RTC

Trail Helps Spur Housing Rehabilitation in Cleveland Neighborhood

Stephen Miller (RTC) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:45:00 GMT

By Jacob VanSickle/Slavic Village Development

Slavic Village Development (SVD) is a community development corporation in Cleveland, Ohio, that serves the Broadway Slavic Village neighborhood. SVD's primary focus has been housing and business development, but the organization is also engaged in property management, green space development and community organizing.

In 2006 Slavic Village Development took its green space development to the next level when it spearheaded the public-private development of the Morgana Run Trail, a three-mile urban rail-trail. While promoting the trail as an alternative form of transportation for residents, the SVD hasfound that it is a great tool to market the neighborhood.

In the past year a public-private housing partnership, Opportunity Homes, has formed. The partnership creates unique, fully renovated, energy-efficient homes in targeted areas. Slavic Village was selected in part because of its proximity to the Morgana Run Trail and other numerous amenities in the neighborhood that the trail links together.

Slavic Village Development is responsible for marketing the houses, both in flyers and at open houses. One of the main selling points is the close proximity to the Morgana Run Trail and the connections the trail makes both within the neighborhood and beyond. Having access to shopping, schools, parks, employment and recreation via the trail has proven to be an important asset in selling houses and revitalizing the neighborhood. In total five houses in the residential area near the trail will be renovated through the Opportunity Home program. Three houses were complete in November 2009 and one is currently under contract.

Image courtesy of Opportunity Homes & Slavic Village Development

RTC TrailBlog : economic impact, morgana run

Morgana Run Trail Sparks New Home Construction

Trail Helps Spur Housing Rehabilitation in Cleveland Neighborhood