(Plain Press July 2025) On Friday, June 6^th the Cleveland Public Library and Northwest Neighborhoods Community Development Organization broke ground on the Walz Library-Karam Senior Living project at 7918 Detroit Avenue in Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. The new development promises to bring to the neighborhood a new state-of-the-art library branch and affordable senior housing. In preparation for the new development, the Walz Branch has been closed since March 7, 2022.

     Part of the Cleveland Public Library’s 10-year Facilities Master Plan, the new two-story Walz Branch will feature improved technology, sustainable LEED design, and welcoming spaces for reading, collections, and community meetings.

     Above the library, a three-story residential building will provide 51 affordable apartments for seniors ages 55 and older, along with amenities like a community room, wellness center and laundry facilities. Parking will also be available for residents and staff.

     An October 2023 statement from Cleveland City Council says, “Karam Senior Living will provide 51 residential units to seniors who earn 60% or less of the area median income (AMI). The new, energy-efficient, accessible building will hold spaces for social connection and wrap-around programming with a new Walz Library Branch, developed in partnership with the Cleveland Public Library on the building’s ground floor.”

     The statement from Cleveland City Council also noted that “Northwest Neighborhoods CDC (formerly Detroit Shoreway) secured Low-Income Housing Tax Credits for the project from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency in 2021.”

     The Cleveland City Council’s October 2023 statement indicated the delay in building the project was due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A June 2, 2025, article in NEOTrans by Ken Prendergast titled “Walz Library-Karam Senior Living groundbreaking set” attributes additional delays due to cost increases.

     The NEOTrans article says, “The $34 million project was delayed by cost increases and having to come up with the additional funding. Just two years ago, the combined Walz branch-Karam Senior Living project had an estimated cost of about $22 million. It is being pursued as two building projects in one, but with two developers, two general construction contractors and a myriad of public and private funding sources.”

     The NEOTrans article also offers a rough timeline for the project, saying “The Walz Library-Karam Senior Living development will take at least 16 months to build the structure with additional time required for interior buildouts.”