CLEVELAND, Ohio – A new apartment project in Tremont moved forward Friday with the latest design approval it needed from the city’s planning commission.

The commission OK’d the schematic design for J Roc Development’s Electric Gardens, an apartment building on Literary Road in the near-West Side neighborhood. Friday’s vote is not the final step; the developer must still get final design approvals and a zone change for the property, which is currently industrial.

Located behind the Bergen Village townhouse development, the project site sits at the juncture of an urban neighborhood and the city’s Industrial Valley. There, J Roc is proposing to erect a building with between 124 and 140 apartment units. A centerpiece of the project is its proximity to the Towpath Trail, project representatives said. Residents would have direct access to the 87-mile trail that follows the historic route of the Ohio and Erie Canal.

The development site for a new apartment building on Literary Road in Tremont. The project is called Electric Gardens (J Roc Development).J Roc Development

Project representatives described their vision for the building’s design, with glass being the most important element to allow plenty of natural light into the units. Although not yet finalized, J Roc hopes to incorporate a new location of Limelight, the co-working space the company developed in Ohio City, into the project. That space is envisioned as a glass-walled outpost of the main apartment structure.

Drawings show a garage level topped with residential units, capped by a rooftop deck. Current plans include about 145 parking spots in the project. Asked about the project’s name, project representatives said it is simply something they came up with that they felt conveyed the context of the site.

(J Roc Development)J Roc Development

The latest round of approvals from Tremont West Development Corp., a city design-review committee and the city planning commission followed an extensive community engagement process.

“Any project that size is going to bring a certain level of concern from surrounding neighbors,” Cory Riordan, executive director of nonprofit neighborhood agency Tremont West Development Corp., said in an interview. J Roc met with the local block club and Bergen Village residents numerous times and worked closely with Tremont West’s economic development committee. The process resulted in several changes to the project, including the developer donating about 10% of the site to prevent the project from encroaching onto Bergen Village, J Roc said.

The developer submitted a letter of approval from the local block club Friday, prompting a commendation from Ward 3 Councilman Kerry McCormack, who represents the neighborhood. “This was a big one,” he said. “Thank you for the time, energy and investment you put into this. I think it’s going to be a very positive project for the neighborhood.”

“They addressed 99.9% of [concerns], and the outcome is a better project, a stronger project, and one that works for the developer and the neighborhood,” said Riordan.

J Roc expects to come back for final design approvals next month.