Key facts
- The City of Cleveland and Cleveland’s Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund selected MMY as its preferred modular housing manufacturer.
- The project received $2.56 million in Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits.
- The funding will support the redevelopment of the 185,000-square-foot Wellman-Seaver-Morgan Engineering Company building.
- The MMY factory is expected to create over 150 jobs and have the capacity to deliver three homes per day.
- MMY previously received grants for a modular housing factory in Louisville, Kentucky.
- Philadelphia has proposed $10 million to attract a modular factory.
- Colorado has provided millions in grants and loans for modular housing facilities.
The City of Cleveland has selected UK-based MMY as its preferred modular housing manufacturer, a move supported by $2.56 million in Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credits. This funding will facilitate the redevelopment of the historic Wellman-Seaver-Morgan Engineering Company building into a modular housing factory, aiming to address the city's housing shortfall and stimulate economic development.
The 185,000-square-foot building, constructed in 1901 and largely abandoned for decades, will be revitalized as a key component of Cleveland's housing and economic strategy. MMY's CEO, Robin Bartram-Brown, highlighted the critical role of public financial support in undertaking such a complex capital project.
The new factory is projected to create over 150 jobs and, at full capacity, produce three homes daily, primarily single-family residences for the Cleveland area. The facility will feature three production lines for vertical integration, including modular housing assembly, component manufacturing, and precast foundation systems.
This initiative aligns with a broader national trend where local and state governments are actively investing in modular housing manufacturing. MMY has a prior U.S. project in Louisville, Kentucky, where the city provided grants totaling $1.7 million for a similar factory. Other cities and states, including Philadelphia and Colorado, are also offering financial incentives like grants, loans, and tax credits to establish modular housing factories, recognizing their potential to increase housing production and overcome construction challenges like harsh weather.
Colorado, for instance, has provided millions in grants and loans to spur modular housing construction, supporting facilities like Vederra Modular's factory in Aurora and the city-owned factory operated by Flatiron Habitat for Humanity in Boulder. In New England, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded a $3 million grant to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council to plan for a new modular construction facility.