Real estate developers and other groups hope to reimagine nine former school sites in Cleveland as everything from housing to community spaces to social services facilities.
City officials are recommending eight project teams to tackle properties including the historic Tremont Montessori building on the West Side and the landmark Collinwood High School to the east. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s board still needs to sign off on the real estate transactions, and many deals will require City Council approval.
The selections are the result of a process that started early this year, as the district prepared for a massive wave of school consolidations and building closures. Responding to a years-long enrollment slide, a looming deficit and other challenges, CMSD slashed its staff, moved students around, shuttered 18 of its buildings and dropped five leases…