Many AsiaTown residents once considered the Dave’s Market along Payne Avenue the heartbeat of the community. Seven years after the grocery shuttered its St. Clair-Superior neighborhood location, a new development is set to occupy the hole it left behind.

Real-estate firm NRP Group and the neighborhood’s community development corporation MidTown Cleveland Inc. have partnered on a 120-unit mixed-use development on the former Dave’s site. The project includes two four-story residential buildings slated for the soon-to-be-demolished grocery property and an adjacent parking lot on Payne.

The former Dave's Market on Payne Avenue in AsiaTown.An additional 3,500 square feet of commercial space will be anchored by a new Cleveland Public Library (CPL) satellite location—one of the amenities proposed by AsiaTown residents during the planning phase.

“Community members are excited about hosting yoga classes at the library,” says MidTown Cleveland executive director Ashley Shaw. “We’re serving people of all different ages, and the library can be a welcoming gathering space. It’s an early win for us, because it’s in alignment with so many things the community wanted to see.”

Residents and business owners were instrumental in naming the larger complex as well. Previously called MidTown Lofts, the $50 million project is now Mingyue Place, meaning “bright moon” in Chinese.

The building name “reflects themes of gathering, belonging, and cultural identity rooted in AsiaTown,” according to a May 7 press release from MidTown Cleveland.

A community-first approach extends to project design and affordability. Mingyue will provide one-to-three-bedroom apartments across a trio of income tiers. Splitting the development into two distinct structures will also make the street feel more complete, Shaw says.

“This will be a clean, safe housing option that’s good for aging in place,” she says. “Ninety percent of housing in MidTown is ranked ‘fair’ or ‘substandard.’ [Mingyue] is the type of opportunity that keeps families and attracts new residents; while making sure we have an intergenerational neighborhood.”

Set to break ground this December and reach completion by summer 2028, Shaw says the development is expected to revitalize the corridor. Midtown Cleveland Inc. also plans to create green space at a pop-up park near the site.

Although Asian-owned food and beverage shops remain a mainstay, both planners and residents say they would like to see new retail concepts as well.

The design rendering of Mingyue Place in AsiaTown.“This should be retail that doesn’t compete with our legacy businesses,” Shaw says. “There’s a desire to see more commercial space, but we need to bring in more folks first to support those businesses.”

Residents also said they wanted a library during the planning phase—a request that will be fulfilled by the new CPL branch on the first floor of Mingyue’s North Building.

Many AsiaTown residents once considered the Dave’s Market along Payne Avenue the heartbeat of the community. Seven years after the grocery shuttered its St. Clair-Superior neighborhood location, a new development is set to occupy the hole it left behind.

Real-estate firm NRP Group and the neighborhood’s community development corporation MidTown Cleveland Inc. have partnered on a 120-unit mixed-use development on the former Dave’s site. The project includes two four-story residential buildings slated for the soon-to-be-demolished grocery property and an adjacent parking lot on Payne.

An additional 3,500 square feet of commercial space will be anchored by a new Cleveland Public Library (CPL) satellite location—one of the amenities proposed by AsiaTown residents during the planning phase.

“Community members are excited about hosting yoga classes at the library,” says MidTown Cleveland executive director Ashley Shaw. “We’re serving people of all different ages, and the library can be a welcoming gathering space. It’s an early win for us, because it’s in alignment with so many things the community wanted to see.”

Residents and business owners were instrumental in naming the larger complex as well. Previously called MidTown Lofts, the $50 million project is now Mingyue Place, meaning “bright moon” in Chinese.

The former Dave's Market on Payne Avenue in AsiaTown.The building name “reflects themes of gathering, belonging, and cultural identity rooted in AsiaTown,” according to a May 7 press release from MidTown Cleveland.

A community-first approach extends to project design and affordability. Mingyue will provide one-to-three-bedroom apartments across a trio of income tiers. Splitting the development into two distinct structures will also make the street feel more complete, Shaw says.

“This will be a clean, safe housing option that’s good for aging in place,” she says. “Ninety percent of housing in MidTown is ranked ‘fair’ or ‘substandard.’ [Mingyue] is the type of opportunity that keeps families and attracts new residents; while making sure we have an intergenerational neighborhood.”

Set to break ground this December and reach completion by summer 2028, Shaw says the development is expected to revitalize the corridor. Midtown Cleveland Inc. also plans to create green space at a pop-up park near the site.

Although Asian-owned food and beverage shops remain a mainstay, both planners and residents say they would like to see new retail concepts as well.

“This should be retail that doesn’t compete with our legacy businesses,” Shaw says. “There’s a desire to see more commercial space, but we need to bring in more folks first to support those businesses.”

Residents also said they wanted a library during the planning phase—a request that will be fulfilled by the new CPL branch on the first floor of Mingyue’s North Building.

“Cleveland Public Library is proud to be part of the vision for Mingyue Place and to expand our presence in AsiaTown,” executive director and CEO of Cleveland Public Library Felton Thomas Jr., said in a statement to Fresh Water. “While our AsiaTown ArtBox helped us connect with residents, this new space allows us to provide more consistent and accessible library service in the heart of the neighborhood.

“We’re excited to expand access to free resources, technology, and culturally relevant programming while continuing to grow alongside the AsiaTown community” Thomas continued.

Shaw says ringing vitality back to one of Cleveland’s most unique communities is the project’s ultimate goal.

“You think about adding a new library, 120 units of new housing, and a permanent park to a place where you already have dynamic businesses around, and it starts to feel like you’re creating this center of activity,” she says.