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Valley Land Banks to Get $7M in Demolition Funds
WASHINGTON -- The Mahoning Valley will receive more than $7 million to demolish vacant and abandoned properties, the office of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown announced Friday
The Mahoning County Land Reutilization Corp. will receive nearly $4.3 million and Trumbull County Land Reutilization Corp. $3.2 million in Hardest Hit Funds. In August 2013, the U.S. Department of the Treasury approved the Ohio Finance Authority's proposal to use $60 million of the state’s nearly $375 million remaining from the Hardest Hit Fund program to demolish vacant and abandoned properties. Part of the Neighborhood Initiative Program, the funds represent a portion of the $570 million in Ohio funds that Brown helped secure in 2010 as a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
“These demolition funds are a critical step forward in rebuilding Mahoning Valley neighborhoods devastated by the housing crisis,” Brown, D-Ohio, said. “Our local communities need more resources to address the scourge of blighted properties that undermine surrounding property values, drain local resources, and threaten the safety and security of our neighborhoods. The Neighborhood Initiative Program will go a long way towards meeting that need and stabilizing local neighborhoods.”
Applicants for the funds, said Deb Flora, executive director of Mahoning Conty's land bank program, needed to identify "tipping point" neighborhoods, areas that had strength but also were showing signs of weakness -- occupied but for example seeing increases in vacancies or where "red tag" properties requiring some form of intervention.
Areas approved for funding in Mahoning County included several sections of Youngstown such as parts of the west and east sides, the Crandall North neghborhood, and Idora and the Garden District on the South Side. Outside of the city, eligible funding areas include the northern section of Boardman, eastern Austintown, a "pretty good chunk of Campbell and virtually all of Struthers," Flora said.
“This funding allows us to continue our effort to remediate blight in Warren and Trumbull County by demolishing vacant abandoned properties that plague our neighborhoods by reducing property values and diminishing the quality of life of our residents” said Matt Martin, executive director of Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership. Of the 11 target areas for the program, 10 are in Warren and one is in Girard.
Lisa Ramsey, TNP's development director, said the Trumbull County land bank's application was crafted strategically and the money will be utilized in a way that has maximum impact. “We leaned heavily on TNP’s neighborhood planning and community outreach staff to identify target areas that will have the highest impact on our communities. We are grateful to OHFA for acknowledging both the need of our community and the capacity of our land bank,” Ramsey said.
The Mahoning and Trumbull county land banks were among 11 statewide that were awarded first-round funds through the program. Awards ranged from $10.1 million to Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corp. to $773,750 to Richland County Land Reutilization Corp.
"It's substantial support as far as our need to remove some of the worst bighted structures on the current landscape," Flora remarked. "The need is great and it certainly was greater than the available funds but all in all we're pleased. We know that we'll be able to do a great deal of good."
State Sen. Joe Schiavoni, D-33 Boardman, also applauded the announcement.
“Since the establishment of the land bank, we have made great progress in fighting blight in communities across the county, especially in Youngstown," the senate minority leader said in a statement issued by his office. "Strong neighborhoods lay the foundation for new economic growth, which is why it is so important to provide funding specifically for the demolition of vacant, blighted properties. I look forward to seeing the positive changes to our community made possible through this funding.”
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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