LORAIN, OHIO — Construction has begun on Broadway Commons, a 62-unit supportive housing complex at Broadway and West 21st Street in Lorain that city leaders hope will spark broader development in the area.
The apartment building will provide wrap-around services for people formerly experiencing homelessness and will include dedicated space for veterans. City leaders say the support services represent a $22 million investment.
Mayor Jack Bradley said the location is significant.
"This is an ideal location to really start the rebirth of this corridor of downtown Lorain," Bradley said.
The project has been years in the making and was not always popular.
In 2023 and 2024, city council meetings included public comment from some neighbors pushing back at the idea of supportive housing at that location.
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"We don't want to kick the homeless to the curb. We just want a better location and maybe a better plan," one resident said at the time.
Plans have since shifted to address safety concerns, including adding a police substation at the site.
"Having a substation here, a police presence here in the center of our community is very important and it's actually going to make it safer," Mayor Bradley said.
By the time of a groundbreaking earlier this year, some of the initial critics had come around, including Lorain Safety Service Director Rey Carrion.
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"What changed for me was seeing it for myself," Carrion said in June.
In 2023, News 5 toured a similar facility and spoke with one resident who credited the services with turning his life around.
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"I don't have to rely on anyone. I'm self-sufficient," the resident said.
Broadway Commons sits across the street from the former Saint Joseph's Hospital site, which is also slated for improvements. Mayor Bradley said the project is about more than housing.
"When our community works together and takes care of all of its citizens, it makes our community better," Bradley said.
He believes the development may be a catalyst for investment.
"It's going to help in the short term, but it's also going to help in the long term, and I think people are going to see that development can happen in the city of Lorain," Bradley said.
Construction is expected to ramp up in the coming weeks, with developers projecting completion by late 2027.
Catherine Ross is the Lorain County reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @CatherineRossTV, on Facebook CatherineRossTV or email her at Catherine.Ross@wews.com.
