Those behind a new development as part of the Flats East Bank project will make their design pitch to the Cleveland Planning Commission on Friday. The Downtown/Flats Design Review committee signed off on the project on Thursday.
The mixed-use project will be built on the surface parking lot in between Phase I and Phase II of the project and is designed with young renters in mind.
"It's really almost a lifestyle club for millennials," said David Earnhart, Vice President Akara Partners, which is behind Kennect Cleveland along with Scott Wolstein.
"So we design it and program it specifically for a millennial renter who wants to be in the urban core, wants to live in the urban core, wants to really be in a live, work, play neighborhood."
"We think it's a great place for the 22 to 28-year-olds," Earnhart said. "From our standpoint, it's really about providing good housing in the neighborhoods where millennials want to be and we think the Flats East Bank is one of those."
As a result the development will feature 309 apartments, 60 percent of them will be 350 square foot studios, 5 percent convertible studios, 25 percent one bedroom units and 10 percent three bedroom units.
The challenge for millennials has been the price point of downtown housing, smaller studio units address that.
"What we've tried to do is create units that are much more efficient so that the millennial renter can actually afford to live in that area, but then the other thing is the emphasis on shared social spaces," he said.
"So our amenity packages are relatively robust which allows to experience the sharing economy at home."
Designs call for social spaces as well as work spaces in the building, a pool and rooftop green spaces including a massive area on the roof of the two-story movie theater to be located on the projects north side catercorner to Margaritaville.
Pending approvals from the city developers are hoping to break ground on the project in 2019.
