The Residential Vacant Lot Analysis provides a framework to understand, track, and evaluate vacant lots in Cuyahoga County suburbs for future residential development.
Final Report and Mapping Tool
The Residential Vacant Lot Analysis report has been published and the online tool is now live.
Key Findings
- Housing market conditions vary significantly by geography. Outer-ring suburbs account for 78% of new construction and generally have stronger housing growth, occupancy, homeownership, and sale prices. Inner-ring suburbs have seen uneven recovery, with slower progress in the east and rapid price growth in the west.
- Residential construction remains below pre-recession levels but has rebounded from a 2023 low and continues to trend upward.
- Infill development plays an important role but remains underutilized. Since 2021, 46% of new housing in the First Suburbs has been built on previously inventoried infill lots; however, only 2% of total infill lots have been developed.
- Buildable vacant land is abundant but concentrated. More than 11,200 buildable lots were identified across Cuyahoga County suburbs, with over half located in east inner-ring suburbs and about one-quarter in west outer-ring suburbs.
Background
The Residential Vacant Lot Analysis is a joint effort between County Planning and the County Department of Housing and Community Development to understand and identify opportunities for residential construction. This effort builds upon two recent studies:
- Single-Family Zoning Analysis (2021): Identified regulatory challenges to infill development and mapped over 5,300 potential infill lots within single-family zoning districts in the First Suburbs.
- Cuyahoga County Housing Study (2025): study highlighted several housing issues across Cuyahoga County including the lack of diverse, affordable housing options, aging housing stock, and limited new residential construction.
Project Outputs
There are two main deliverables: a report and an online tool.
Residential Vacant Lot Analysis Report
The report
covers housing trends across Cuyahoga County suburbs, tracks infill construction progress in the First Suburbs, and identifies vacant land patterns throughout the suburbs.
The Suburban Residential Vacant Lot Tool
The online mapping tool regularly updates the suburban residential vacant lot inventory—which is an accumulation of publicly available data on vacant lots—and provides filters and additional data layers to help municipalities, partners, and stakeholders identify, track, and evaluate potential opportunities for residential construction.
Thank You!
Thank you to the Cuyahoga Land Bank for sharing their expertise and for their contributions to the tool, and to all our communities and partners whose feedback shaped the project throughout its development.
Contact Us
Questions or comments about the Residential Vacant Lot Analysis can be directed to:
Laura Mendez Ortiz, AICP | Project Lead
lmendezortiz@cuyahogacounty.gov
Top photo courtesy of Cuyahoga County