By Staff reports at Cleveland.com. See article.
Published: Jul. 08, 2025, 3:20 p.m.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland officials have named four finalists who are vying to establish a modular housing construction facility on the city’s East Side, with the goal of delivering more affordable housing options for Clevelanders.
The city has selected the following modular housing manufacturers as finalists: ModDSys/Container Homes USA, from Cleveland; ZenniHome and Guardian Structural Technologies, both from Northeast Ohio; and Module, from Pittsburgh.
All four companies will show off their skills this year by building test homes in the Clark-Fulton and Buckeye neighborhoods. The homes are expected to blend in with existing neighborhood architecture while meeting modern standards, according to a city news release.
Based on their performance, and other factors from the vetting process, City Hall officials will choose an overall winner.
“Each of these finalists brings a serious interest in Cleveland, not just as a market, but as a place to invest, build, and hire,” Jeff Epstein, Cleveland chief of integrated development, said in a statement.
The winning company, as envisioned by city leaders, will then be allowed to establish a modular housing factory on the former site of a sprawling General Electric plant in the Collinwood neighborhood.
Modular houses are mostly constructed off-site in factories, then transported in different parts and assembled at the construction site. They are different from traditional mobile homes, which are transported in one piece.
Three of the contenders — ModDSys/Container Homes USA, ZenniHome, and Module — produce 3D home-construction modules that are 90% to 95% complete when they leave the factory, according to a city news release. Guardian creates 2D panels off-site for wall and roof framing, the city said.
As part of Tuesday’s announcement, officials revealed that the Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund — a nonprofit created by Cleveland using $50 million in federal aid — has officially acquired the former General Electric site.
Construction of the future facility is expected to begin in 2027. It is intended to create new manufacturing jobs and serve as a hub for housing innovation, the city said.
Brad Whitehead, managing director of the Site Readiness fund, called the GE site an “anchor” in the Collinwood community.
“It’s fitting that this site will now help anchor the next generation of economic growth in Cleveland,” Whitehead said in a statement.
The test homes that are part of the vetting process will be constructed in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, which has been using modular home construction in parts of Cleveland in recent years. Completion is expected this fall on the six test homes in Clark-Fulton and Buckeye. Each finalist will contribute at least one home to that mix.
The city will decide the winner by the end of 2025, the release said.
In early 2026, the winner will be expected to deliver 20 more homes to the St. Clair-Superior and Hough neighborhoods.
Ward 13 Councilman Kris Harsh called the homes “high-quality” in a statement.
“This initiative is about building in a way that respects and strengthens our communities,” he said. “It’s also a real opportunity to expand access to affordable homeownership for Cleveland families.”
This story was written with the assistance of AI.
