Sustainable Community Associates

What Sustainable Community Associates does

Sustainable Community Associates (SCA) is a privately held real estate development and property management firm headquartered at 2306 West 17th St., Suite #6, Cleveland, OH, founded and led by co-founders Josh Rosen, Naomi Sabel, and partner Ben Enzinga. The firm specializes in catalytic mixed-use developments across Northeast Ohio, with a portfolio that combines adaptive reuse of historic industrial and institutional structures (e.g., the 1895 Wagner Awning Building, the 1917 Nathaniel Hawthorne School, the 1930s Fairmont Creamery) with selective new infill construction (East College Street, The Tappan, The Lincoln).

The current active portfolio comprises roughly 300+ residential units across Cleveland's Tremont and Jefferson Park neighborhoods and downtown Oberlin, including The Lincoln (82 units), The Tappan (95 units), Wagner Awning (59 units), The Hawthorne (37 units), Fairmont Creamery (~30 units), West 17th Townhomes (20 units), and East College Street (33 units). SCA underwrites projects using complex capital stacks that combine Opportunity Zone designation, federal and state historic tax credits, LEED/Enterprise Green Communities certifications, and conventional project financing (Goldman Sachs participated as equity/lender on Fairmont Creamery). Recurring partners Bialosky Architects (architecture) and Naylor Wellman (historic preservation consulting) anchor development execution, while Brewer-Garrett and MVP Snow Removal handle ongoing HVAC and grounds maintenance.

Revenue is generated exclusively through recurring monthly residential rents in the $1,500–$2,100/month range and commercial lease income from mixed-use pads, with all-inclusive rents covering water, sewer, trash, and assigned parking. Marketing and leasing is fully digital — website inquiry forms, SMS/email availability alerts, Instagram, and SEO — with no on-site leasing offices. The firm also targets medical program participants and dedicates a portion of units (e.g., 20% at The Lincoln) to workforce/affordable housing. Mueller Lofts in AsiaTown was developed in 2018 and divested in 2023 to refocus capital; SCA has publicly stated plans to expand the portfolio in Spring 2025 and beyond.

Name

Sustainable Community Associates

Legal name

Sustainable Community Associates

Website

https://sustainableca.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sustainable Community Associates is a privately held Cleveland-based real estate development and property management firm specializing in adaptive reuse and mixed-use projects across Northeast Ohio, operating a portfolio of roughly 300+ residential units and commercial spaces in Tremont, Jefferson Park, and Oberlin for individual renters, small businesses, and workforce/affordable housing tenants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mixed-Use Real Estate Development

SIC

Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513), Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Development, Construction & Rehabilitation Programs (BPAIANAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC), Housing Facilities Management (Repairs, Custodial & Grounds Liaison) (EDALACAE)

Keywords

• Mixed-use real estate
• Residential property development
• Adaptive reuse development
• Commercial property leasing
• Affordable workforce housing

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Residential Rental Income: SCA generates primary revenue through monthly apartment rentals across its owned and managed portfolio. Units range from studios to 4-bedroom apartments across properties in Cleveland (Tremont, Jefferson Park) and Oberlin, Ohio. Rents range approximately $1,500–$2,100/month depending on unit type and property.
2. Commercial Tenant Leasing: SCA leases retail, office, and studio commercial spaces within its mixed-use properties. Commercial spaces exist at Fairmont Creamery, Wagner Awning, The Tappan, and The Lincoln. All commercial spaces were listed as fully occupied as of the most recent available data. Commercial tenants include bakeries, salons, architecture firms, and other businesses.
3. Property Management Services: SCA owns and manages its portfolio directly, including maintenance services, landscaping, snow removal, and resident amenities management. Revenue offsets operational costs through included rent pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sustainable Community Associates develops, owns, and manages mixed-use real estate communities across Northeast Ohio, primarily in Cleveland neighborhoods (Tremont, Jefferson Park) and Oberlin. The firm rehabilitates historic industrial and institutional buildings into residential apartment buildings with ground-floor commercial space, and also develops new infill workforce and market-rate housing. It operates its portfolio directly, providing leasing, maintenance, landscaping, and resident amenity management.

Product overview

Sustainable Community Associates (SCA) operates a multi-property residential real estate portfolio focused on catalytic mixed-use developments across Northeast Ohio. The portfolio consists of distinct residential communities including The Lincoln (82 units, 2022), The Tappan (95 units, 2020), West 17th Street Townhomes (20 units), Wagner Awning Building (59 units, 2016), Fairmont Creamery (mixed-use), The Hawthorne (37 units), and East College Street in Oberlin (24 condos + 9 rentals). SCA also previously developed Mueller Lofts in AsiaTown but no longer owns or manages it. Properties feature amenities including fitness centers, rooftop decks, pet facilities, bike storage, and resident portals. The company also manages commercial spaces within several properties for retail and office tenants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Lincoln An 82-unit residential community opened in 2022 at the corner of Scranton Road and Willey Avenue in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood, featuring two commercial spaces for entrepreneurs and 20% of units reserved for residents earning below Cleveland's average annual income.
• The Tappan A 95-unit new construction residential project opened in 2020 along the historic Scranton corridor in Cleveland, utilizing Opportunity Zone designation for workforce and market-rate housing, including a ground-floor neighborhood bakery.
• West 17th Street Townhomes Twenty one- or two-bedroom townhomes located between The Lincoln and Fairmont Creamery in Cleveland, featuring private entries, 10-foot ceilings, rooftop decks, 24-hour fitness center, community room, pet wash, and underground parking. Enterprise Green Communities Certified.
• Wagner Awning Building Historic 1895 landmark converted in 2016 into a mixed-use property with 59 one-bedroom apartments featuring original maple floors, timber beams, and enormous window openings, plus approximately 12,000 square feet of commercial office space housing tenants such as Behnke Landscape Architecture, Brite Skies, and EFFECT Phototonics.
• Fairmont Creamery Historic $15 million rehabilitation of a 1930s dairy factory building into a 106,000-107,000 square foot mixed-use property bridging Cleveland's Tremont and Ohio City neighborhoods, featuring approximately 30 apartments and commercial tenants including Twist Creative design firm and Tremont Athletic Club.
• The Hawthorne Conversion of the historic 1917 Nathaniel Hawthorne Elementary School in Cleveland's Jefferson Park neighborhood into 37 modern loft apartments ranging from studios to 4-bedroom units.
• East College Street An $18 million new infill development in downtown Oberlin, Ohio featuring 24 for-sale condos, 9 affordable housing rental units, underground parking garage, the Richard Baron Art Gallery, and 20,000 square feet of independent retail and office space; built under the LEED Gold Neighborhood Development pilot program.
• Commercial Leasing Leasing of retail, office, and studio commercial spaces within SCA's mixed-use properties to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals including bakeries, salons, architecture firms, and design studios.

Quantifiable outcome

• East College Street project was the first major downtown development in Oberlin in decades; building was fully occupied since opening in 2011; SCA received Oberlin's 2017 Community Service award
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Bialosky ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Architecture firm that designed and won National Park Service approval for Mueller Lofts' innovative interior courtyard solution. Also designed Marco Alexzander Salon's space at The Lincoln and previously designed SCA's other properties. Bialosky is a recurring architectural collaborator across SCA's development portfolio.
• Naylor Wellman, LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Historic preservation consulting firm that prepared the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Scranton South Side Historic District. Also instrumental in securing $3.1M in state historic tax credits for the Fairmont Creamery and helped land $1.745M state + $2.3M federal historic tax credits for Mueller Lofts.
• Brewer-Garrett HVAC ServicecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSCA has a contracted service agreement with Brewer-Garrett for HVAC maintenance across its properties. Residents with thermostat errors contact SCA, who then dispatches Brewer-Garrett. The contractor typically responds within 24 hours.
• MVP Snow RemovalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSCA partners with MVP Snow Removal to keep all surface parking lots and sidewalks free from snow and ice during winter months at SCA properties.
• Tremont Athletic ClubcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLong-time fitness partner located at the Fairmont Creamery. All SCA residents in any building can receive a discounted membership for as long as they live with SCA. This cross-property amenity access is a resident acquisition and retention lever for both parties.
• Bialosky ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigned the Marco Alexzander Salon space at The Lincoln, working with the salon owner on a custom interior layout. A recurring design collaborator for SCA's commercial tenant spaces and new construction projects.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Greystar Real Estate Partners: Largest global multifamily and student housing developer/operator. Comparable only in product category (multifamily leasing/operations), but operates at vastly larger scale with institutional capital, serving as the upper bound on what a scaled SCA could become.
• Mid-America Apartment Communities: Public multifamily REIT focused on Sun Belt apartment operations. Relevant only as a broad incumbent benchmark for institutional multifamily operations; differs sharply in geography, product type, and development approach.
• Equity Residential: Public multifamily REIT operating urban apartment communities across major U.S. metros. Comparable in urban-residential leasing operations but operates as a capital-markets-driven REIT rather than a development-led firm.

Direct peers

• Harbor Bay Real Estate Partners: Private mixed-use real estate developer focused on urban infill and adaptive-reuse projects in Midwestern markets. Comparable business model combining historic rehabilitation, residential leasing, and ground-floor commercial activation.
• The Annex Group: Mission-driven affordable and mixed-income housing developer active across the Midwest. Directly comparable for combining market-rate and affordable housing within single developments using layered public financing (LIHTC, historic credits).
• The NRP Group: Cleveland-headquartered multifamily developer and property manager with a portfolio of workforce, market-rate, and affordable housing across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Closest comparable by geography, product type, and affordable-housing integration strategy.
• Woodmont Properties: Private multifamily developer specializing in adaptive reuse of historic and underutilized buildings into mixed-use residential communities in the Northeast and Midwest. Comparable on adaptive-reuse expertise and mixed-use product type.
• Mid-America Management & Development: Regional Midwest multifamily developer and operator serving similar renter segments with mixed-income communities. Comparable in scale and product mix though broader geographically.

Others

• Cleveland Neighborhood Progress: Cleveland-based community development intermediary and capital provider for neighborhood revitalization. Adjacent ecosystem participant — overlaps with SCA on Tremont/Ohio City community development but functions as capital/grant conduit rather than developer.

Regional players

• Northland: Cleveland-based real estate investment and development firm active in Northeast Ohio urban neighborhoods. Comparable on local market focus and historic/adaptive-reuse development, though typically operates at larger asset scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/sustainableca
• Facebookfacebook.com/sustainablecommunityassociates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sustainableca

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sustainable Community Associates