Finding a new-build in West Park is unusual. Finding a brand-new townhome with a 15-year, 100% property-tax abatement is even harder.
That is part of what makes The Parker Townhomes so appealing. The 19-unit development rising on Warren Road near St. Mary’s Romanian Orthodox Cathedral was grandfathered into Cleveland’s previous abatement structure just before the city’s revised program took effect.
The project is being built by Maverick Building Co., whose owner, Anthony Fiorini, says The Parker was years in the making — beginning with conversations involving Cleveland officials and West Park neighbors long before construction began.
“We had a rough idea of what we wanted to put here, but wanted to just have that collaboration with the neighborhood,” Anthony said of an early community meeting held at St. Mary’s. “So that was great, just to get some feedback. There were some things we tweaked, and ultimately came to the exterior design and the overall setup of the neighborhood.”
Some of those changes are now built directly into the property.
Nearby residents, for example, raised concerns about the height of the townhomes and the possibility of elevated decks looking into neighboring backyards. In response, the developers changed that portion of the design.
“So we ended up doing, instead of a raised deck back there, we did, like, a ground patio,” Anthony said, adding that privacy fencing is also planned.
Other changes were less about privacy and more about making a distinctly new development feel like it belonged in an established West Park neighborhood.
Anthony said the team took cues from the brick and stone homes found throughout the area, particularly around Munn Road.
“I think that there’s a lot of the bungalow style with the brick in the front,” he said. “I think that was the key focal point.”
That influence can be seen in the beige-toned brick incorporated into the townhomes’ exteriors. The developers also varied rooflines and siding between residences, an intentional choice meant to distinguish each home rather than make the development feel too uniform.
“We wanted to have individual units,” Anthony said. “We did what we could to separate the rooflines and the siding so that each owner knows that, ‘Hey, this is, like, my ownership,’ versus shared roofs and shared details like that.”
Driving past the site, one may catch glimpses of the developing exteriors and overall layout. Less visible are the planning, approvals, design decisions and behind-the-scenes labor that took place before the first foundation was poured.
That work began years before the first completed townhome gave passersby something tangible to see.
Planning for The Parker dates back to 2022, when the development team began putting together preliminary plans and taking the concept through the city review process. Early on, that also meant bringing the plans directly to the neighborhood.
A race against the tax-abatement deadline
Getting from those initial plans to construction took some time.
Anthony estimated that the back-and-forth process with the Cleveland Planning Commission alone lasted roughly a year, beginning with design considerations and eventually moving into technical details such as site layout and fire-truck access.
By late 2023, however, another deadline was approaching.
The developers knew Cleveland’s residential tax-abatement program had changed and that securing approval under the earlier rules was critical to the project’s economics.
“We knew we were up against the gun because the tax abatement was going to be ending for the hundred percent at the end of 2023,” Anthony said. “We slid into the last meeting, got it approved, and then got grandfathered in.”
That timing now forms a significant part of The Parker’s allure to prospective buyers.
Anthony acknowledged that the townhomes’ roughly $500,000 price point can initially appear high compared with existing homes in the neighborhood. He said the tax savings substantially change the monthly-cost comparison. Compared to some homes listed for $450,000 or more in the area, these new builds don’t come with extensive immediate repairs. The exterior is also maintained –– so a Parker Townhome owner is spared from shoveling snow, mowing the yard, or tedious landscaping chores –– season after season. Units also come with a builder warranty.
For the development itself, he said securing the abatement was more than a selling feature.
“If we didn’t get the tax abatement, it would have been really challenging to get this just across the finish line.”
Building something new — while connecting with current neighbors
The relationship has also continued with nearby St. Mary’s, where the early community meeting was held.
“We had a couple of kickoff parties as we were getting it off the ground, and they’ve been a huge supporter of the project,” said Brittny Tobia-Heller of The Salem Team Real Estate Professionals.
Anthony and Brittny said the church has supported the project as it moved from plans to construction, including hosting kickoff events.
The proximity became especially apparent during The Parker’s first public open house in August, which coincided with St. Mary’s annual festival next door.
“It was cool to have the food,” said Anthony. “It smelled awesome, and we went over there afterward.”
Both say their contacts at the church have been a tremendous help overall.
When The Parker becomes home
As construction moves forward, the developers say they are seeing interest from several types of prospective buyers rather than one narrowly defined demographic.
Brittny pointed to young professionals, couples, and healthcare workers — including residents, physicians and nurses working near Fairview Hospital — as one potential group. Anthony said the development has also attracted interest from people looking to downsize without giving up proximity to the neighborhood or taking on the maintenance that can come with an older home.
“They just want something new and don’t want to have to worry about the maintenance,” he said. “And they still want to be close and in a walkable area.”
Some potential buyers are already West Park residents. Others have previous ties to the neighborhood.
“One thing I noticed over the last four years: Every time I brought this project up to somebody, I would say 75 percent of the time someone either knew about it just from being in West Park and knowing that area, or they had lived in West Park at some point in their life,” Anthony said.
For him, that familiarity reinforced something the development process had already demonstrated about the neighborhood.
“That was cool—to see how many people have come through West Park, whether short-term or long-term,” he said. “It’s definitely a staple part of Cleveland’s West Side.”
From one building to the next five
The work visible today is still only part of the finished vision.
The developers have been holding monthly open houses and are also offering private tours to prospective buyers.
“I think the biggest thing is the affordability of it and people contacting us to learn more about what that affordability looks like,” Brittny added. “There are a ton of programs out there, especially for doctors and things like that. There are special doctor programs that lenders are offering and things like that, which make it even more affordable.
“So I think the big pull and big draw are the tax abatement and the builder incentive, because that really keeps the payments at an affordable price for buyers.”
“It’s been four-plus years in the making,” said Anthony, “and we’re just excited to be here, finally have a structure up and look forward to getting the rest of the next five buildings underway.”