Thursday, June 6, 2002
The North Side Citizens' Coalition saw little choice but to start buying, renovating and reselling the run-down homes.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The home at 1226 Florencedale Ave. is 100 years old -- and the two-story, three-bedroom home shows its age.
Mostly dead ivy clings to what's left of the old brown paint, much of it beaten into chips by the weather. Support pillars are sliding off the porch. Inside, paint peels from every wall and ceiling.
The North Side house was targeted for demolition.
Priceless wood trim around the windows and doorways remains, however. Hardwood floors throughout the house need a mere polishing to look new. And the stone foundation is solid.
The North Side Citizens' Coalition wants to keep the neighborhood that way, too.
That's why the coalition is dedicated to rescuing 1226 Florencedale and three other homes nearby with similar profiles.
Work started on the roughly $350,000 project Wednesday with a symbolic paint-scraping. By year's end, all four homes should be renovated and ready for sale to low- or moderate-income families. The other homes are at 65 and 66 Indiana Ave. and 130 Madison Ave.
The project continues the Wick Park neighborhood revitalization, said Dr. David Sweet, Youngstown State University president. YSU is involved with planning the renovations.
Starting small
The coalition started on revitalization several years ago with small projects. A new decorative fence went up around The Rayen School; grants were made to Wick Park area residents to repaint their home exteriors.
But the small projects paled compared to the lingering problem: too many big, empty homes deteriorating more every day.
Walter Mayhall, the coalition's retiring executive director, saw little choice but to start buying, renovating and reselling such homes.
Residents can't afford the extensive rehabilitation that such homes need, he said. The neighborhood can't afford to let the homes go.
"What's the alternative?" Mayhall asked. "The alternative is not acceptable."
The project works like this:
The coalition received $175,000 of the city's federal community development money. Bank loans make up the balance of funding. Each home will get a roughly $90,000 renovation. The coalition then will sell the house to qualified families. Part of the mortgage is forgivable over seven years.
Ultimately, the coalition hopes to recover about half the renovation cost through the resale.
"We feel that's a worthwhile investment to bring this community back," Mayhall said.
Families could get the home with a low-interest mortgage, no closing costs and monthly payments of $400 to $500, said Talut Rasul, the coalition's new executive director.
"That's a heck of deal," he said.
Rasul expects to expand the project.
City staff recommend that city council give the coalition $339,000 in community development money for 2002-03. The coalition proposed renovating seven more homes. Council, however, approved only $75,000. Members want to see the coalition complete the first round of homes before committing more money.
The coalition is confident it will succeed and keep renovating homes, Rasul said.
"We'll turn this ripple into a wave of restoration," he said.