The article is published as part of an exclusive content-sharing agreement with neo-trans.blog.
Once again, we’re breaking the news on a pending real estate deal for a Cleveland-area sports stadium. But, unlike the deal by owners of a certain American football team for 176 acres in Brook Park, this stadium site and purpose were already well known.
That doesn’t make the deal for a half-acre property at 836 Broadway Ave. in Downtown Cleveland any less important for the Cleveland Soccer Group (CSG) and its backers. The site is across the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) Rapid tracks from the proposed site of a $50 million, 10,000-seat, modular-built stadium in what’s dubbed the Gateway South area.
On May 9, a certificate of disclosure for the three-parcel property was requested from the city by Acacia Title Agency, indicating a purchase is in the works. The buyer on the application was identified as the Cleveland Soccer Group LLC.
“We’re still working through diligence at 836 Broadway, but I can confirm we have a executed a purchase agreement with the seller,” said CSG Co-Founder and CEO Michael Murphy in an e-mail to NEOtrans.
It will still be months before any deal is closed, so terms of the pending deal were not available. For everyone else not directly involved in the transaction, the pending acquisition of the property may be largely symbolic. It is the first piece of land to be directly controlled by the group for its proposed soccer stadium.
That stadium could host two professional, developmental-league soccer teams — a Major League Soccer (MLS) Next Pro men’s team and a Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) Pro team. CSG has secured the rights for teams in both leagues that could start play as early as next year.
The property being acquired, recently occupied by Cleveland Black Oxide, a small metal finishing business, is not in the way of the proposed stadium. But it could be important for a training facility, an office building for the two soccer teams, parking, or supportive development.
The property’s seller is McElwee Properties LLC, whose principal is Bob McElwee. He also is the owner and president of Cleveland Black Oxide. The business relocated in 2021 to 11340 Brookpark Rd. in suburban Brooklyn.
Their building on Broadway near downtown has been vacant ever since and listed for sale. A sale price was not publicly available. Cuyahoga County appraised the property for tax purposes at $598,400 last year and $624,800 the year before. McElwee paid $560,000 for the property in 2013, county records show.
McElwee did not respond to two e-mails sent to company addresses prior to publication of this article. NEOtrans broke the story in 2019 that the South Gateway location was the preferred site for a soccer stadium.
At that time, McElwee told NEOtrans he didn’t have plans to move Cleveland Black Oxide. While he was approached by various developers, he said he hadn’t been contacted by anyone representing a planned soccer stadium.
A 20,627-square-foot, 66-year-old building is on the site, described by the county in “average condition.” The property was refurbished in 1988 and a 12,500-square-foot section of the roof was replaced in 2015, according to Cleveland Building Department records.
But Pepper Pike architect William Oeflein described the building as an “eyesore” in an Oct. 30, 2023 Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) hearing. He was hired by McElwee in 2023 to oversee a proposed demolition of the building and construction of a parking lot in its place.
That plan never advanced far enough to warrant a request for demolition and construction permit applications before CSG came calling. But Murphy said the fate of the building remains uncertain.
“We’re evaluating whether it makes more sense to repurpose the existing structure or pursue a new build depending on programming needs and site integration with existing and future potential partners,” Murphy said.
Last fall, Cleveland Metroparks staff reached an agreement with the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) for the acquisition of about 13.6 acres of ODOT land next to the Inner Belt (Interstate 90) bridges for $4.25 million. This site is across the GCRTA Rapid tracks from Cleveland Black Oxide.
At minimum, it is where the Metroparks would build its Trailhead Project to link up existing and planned trails. But the site would also host the soccer stadium through a long-term lease with CSG.
While the deed would transfer to the Metroparks, CSG will be the one paying for the property along with transaction costs that include a $250,000 deposit in escrow to hold the property during a 120- to 240-day due-diligence period.
The area is dubbed “South Gateway,” a reference to the Gateway District on the north side of I-90 where the Cleveland Guardians baseball, Cleveland Cavaliers basketball and Cleveland Monsters hockey teams play.
Cleveland is the only top-40 market in the U.S. lacking a dedicated soccer stadium or even having one under construction, Murphy said. However, two downtown venues often host soccer games. Krenzler Field hosts Cleveland State University’s soccer program and Huntington Bank Field has hosted pro games.
In related Cleveland soccer facility news, Murphy told NEOtrans that CSG is keeping its headquarters and training facility request for proposals open past the April 30 deadline. Instead, he said it will kept open until the end of May. He said it’s not for a lack of response, however. A site measuring 40-100 acres is desired.
“We received multiple strong responses across four Northeast Ohio counties and are currently reviewing them,” Murphy said. “We expect to share more on the path forward later this summer.”
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