CLEVELAND HEIGHTS
Severance Town
Center Project
Reimagining Spaces,
Revitalizing Communities.
Severance Town Center is centrally located in Cleveland Heights and has the potential to enhance connections among the various unique segments of the community. Once a bustling retail hub, Severance served as a focal point for community gatherings for many years. The decline of shopping malls has undeniably presented significant challenges for communities nationwide, and the Cleveland area is no exception.
Nonetheless, initiatives aimed at revitalizing these once lively spaces are underway across the region. Ultimately, Severance can only fulfill its potential and regain its significance through a collaborative approach that engages all stakeholders. It is though a process before plan approach that MPact will revitalize Severance into a walkable mixed-use environment that reflects the needs of the community and creates a brighter future for Severance Town Center.
About Us
MPact is an established firm with deep expertise in transformative redevelopment and public-private partnership initiatives. Known for their Unified Development Approach™ (UDA) and Crowdsourced Placemaking™ (CSPM) strategies, MPact excels at aligning underutilized real estate assets with market-driven opportunities. MPact is committed to changing how the world evaluates real estate development. Our process is true place-based development. Our unique solutions, in hard to develop areas, unlock massive potential. With a deep understanding of all aspects of real estate, and robust in-house expertise MPact projects create epic impact stories.
About the Namdar MPact Relationship
Understanding the presence of MPact in Cleveland Heights and its legal rights to the site is essential. In the summer of 2023, MPact was approached by Eric Zamft, the planning director for Cleveland Heights, through a mutual acquaintance. Director Zamft had previously collaborated with the MPact team while overseeing planning for the City of Port Chester, New York. They discussed the possibility of MPact applying its development strategy to the redevelopment of the Severance Town Center Site in Cleveland Heights. Although MPact did not have an existing relationship with the site’s owner, Namdar Realty, the team expressed interest in the initiative and quickly established contact with Namdar’s representatives.
Over the following year, MPact engaged in discussions with Namdar regarding the Severance opportunity while maintaining regular communication with Director Zamft. Initial talks revealed a significant gap between Namdar’s asking price for the site and the amount MPact could feasibly offer given the associated risks. Consequently, MPact suggested a partnership arrangement that would involve a post-entitlement valuation (after obtaining new zoning approvals). In this structure, MPact would invest its human and financial resources at risk to collaborate with the community and the City in envisioning and rezoning the site. The pursuit timeframe for MPact was set at 20 months, and if successful, Namdar would be required to contribute the land incrementally for the development of new buildings.
MPact has a track record of achieving similar objectives in shorter timeframes on more complex projects in the past. While there are no guarantees, this approach appeared to be the most viable way to align interests for future development. After nine months of negotiations, MPact and Namdar formalized their agreement with a Contribution agreement signed in June 2024.
We draw Inspiration from the Past, to Shape the Future
The initial step of the revitalization of Severance is the creation of a Recommended Action Plan (RAP). The RAP covers various aspects, including a review of the site’s historical planning activities, community engagement and crowdsourcing initiatives, as well as analyses of the market, infrastructure, and land use that MPact has conducted. Based on these diligent efforts, along with MPact’s experience and success in comparable redevelopment projects, the RAP presents specific recommendations for actions and subsequent steps aimed at redeveloping the Severance site and its surrounding areas.
Creating the Future Together
MPact practices a Crowdsourced Placemaking (CSPM) community engagement process. CSPM provides more than public engagement. It creates a community of local residents and stakeholders that are active participants in the planning and implementation of a development vision, including population segments that are often left out of, or do not feel invited into, the public process. The process can help the Developer and the City best meet the needs of its residents, with a focus identifying uses for the site that will address how the community lived in the past, lives in the present and desires to live in the future.
In the News
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Development Partner Outlines Process for Revitalizing Severance
New York-based real estate development firm MPact Collective, known for its innovative approach to downtown revitalization, has commenced its process toward the transformation of Severance Town Center.
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Developer steps in at long-ailing Severance Town Center in Cleveland Heights
Cleveland Heights officials are cheering a breakthrough at Severance Town Center, a sprawling shopping center that’s been decaying for more than a decade.
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Development Deal Inked for Struggling Severance Town Center
City officials hope a deal announced Thursday between a New York development company and the owner of Severance Town Center is the first step to breathe new life into the downtrodden retail center.
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March 2025: Reimagining Severance Town Center Podcast
We share March events in the community, and shine a spotlight on the ongoing process of reimagining Severance Town Center with Ryan Porter from MPACT Collective.