Major institutions in healthcare and education affect any housing submarket with a “hybrid” draw of professional, seasonal and often affluent workforce. Most local housing can aspire to market-rate levels of supply and demand, yet these institutions can provide an overlay of special housing needs. By working with these institutions, Market Foresight has provided better product insights for their developer Clients in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.

The Cleveland Clinic was in negotiations with a successful “eds and meds” Client developer to address the lack of suitable housing for their personnel, specifically the 2,000 trainees in several medical tiers that would rotate through their sprawling campus over 2-5 years. The Clinic and Client agreed to pursue a well-connected offsite corner parcel for a mixed-use development. To address these special needs, the Clinic allowed access to all the trainees through their Division of Marketing and Communications that began with an online housing survey. A fourth of the trainees responded with unexpectedly positive results.

Market Foresight was asked to join forces with the Division to draft the narrative and imagery for a series of follow up, remote focus groups, one group for each tier of trainees.  Visioning “mood boards” of living spaces, colors and features were prominent. More than just for convenience, the respondents were clear in the value of their time.  Armed with these proprietary outcomes, the design team would emphasize smaller, quieter and more thoughtful floor plans. Privacy and safety were top considerations. So too was the terrific amenity for the proposed residential located above a newly branded urban grocery store, all across the street from the Clinic campus. Today that hybrid development is the Medley residential community located above Fairfax Market by the Meijer Companies.

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