Former Dave's Market in AsiaTown eyed for new middle-income housing

Yahoo

11-07-2025

CLEVELAND (WJW) – The former Dave's Market along Payne Avenue near 33rd Street on Cleveland's east side may finally get new life.
The grocery store in the heart of the AsiaTown neighborhood, which has sat vacant for more than five years, is being eyed for a project that could soon be finalized.
Cleveland-based NRP Group and Midtown Cleveland Inc., are partnering on a project that would include demolishing the grocery store, leveling the parking lot across the street on the south side of Payne, and building two, four-story buildings with 120 units and 3,500 square feet of available commercial space.
'For us, it's important that we're adding people and activity back to this site to make it active once again,' Ashley Shaw said.
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Shaw is the executive director of Midtown Cleveland Inc. She told FOX 8 that this would bring much-needed affordable housing, which she said is needed all over the country, to Cleveland.
'This is housing for people that are early in their career,' Shaw said. 'It's housing for teachers, nurses, people that work in our restaurants in AsiaTown. So that's really the target population for this housing that's being built and one of the highest needs in terms of gaps for housing in Cleveland.'
Ward 7 Councilwoman Stephanie Howse-Jones represents the area. She's excited to help fill the middle-income housing gap in her ward and to attract people back to Cleveland.
She shared with FOX 8 that there's been a lot of excitement from residents, but also some hesitation due to lingering feelings from Dave's Market leaving and concerns over AsiaTown losing its identity.
Shaw said they've heard those concerns in community meetings about the project and are doing everything they can to make sure the project is a product of the community it's being built in.
Howse-Jones called it a win-win and responsible development when a developer gets to build a project but also works with the community.
'AsiaTown has been a cultural hub for Asians in Cleveland for decades, and so it's a priority for all of us to make sure that when something is built, it's reflective of that and contributes to that,' Shaw said. 'The community members in this neighborhood have been really engaged about this project from the beginning. It's really important that the project that's built on this site feels reflective of what they'd like to see in the neighborhood.'
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Shaw said they've formed a committee of residents and stakeholders who are giving input on names, designs and signage.
They're also doing all they can to bring more green space to the neighborhood, which is a big ask from the residents, Shaw said.
If the project moves forward, Midtown Cleveland Inc. would take control of a nearby lot that they would work toward developing into a park.
Shaw said re-zoning for the project was completed this week. Additionally, they've received full approval from their major funding source, Ohio Housing Financing Agency, to get low-income taxing credits.
The plans could be finalized very soon, Shaw said.
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