Federal bill would help raze vacant buildings

The bill would provide $1 billion to raze dilapidated properties in blighted areas.

U.S. Reps. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, and Charlie Wilson of St. Clairsville, D-6th, have introduced federal legislation to help cities deal with abandoned buildings in blighted areas.

The Emergency Neighborhood Reclamation Act would authorize $1 billion in federal funds for the demolition of such structures.

Ryan and Wilson said their bill responds to the mortgage foreclosure crisis and will help ensure the public health and safety of residents who stay behind.

“Cities like Akron, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Detroit and Youngstown need to meet the challenges of urban population decline and the mortgage foreclosure crisis. These problems have led to the abandonment of whole neighborhoods,” said Ryan.

“This money will help tear down abandoned and dilapidated structures which threaten the public health and safety of our communities”

“The concern is that many foreclosed homes have been empty for a long period of time. Many of them have been stripped of their copper piping and other valuable parts. To rehabilitate such homes is often more expensive than demolishing and starting new. We need to do what’s best for neighborhoods that are hurting,” Wilson said.

Many cities in the Midwest, including Youngstown, have a surplus of abandoned properties.

However, it is not always feasible to rehabilitate and reuse them due to prolonged job and population losses.

These structures create blight, serve as breeding grounds for rats and other vermin, are used for illicit purposes such as drug trafficking and distribution and create a financial burden on the cities that still need to provide public utilities to the area, the congressmen said

“We will not allow whole neighborhoods to turn into ghost towns. Providing cities with the necessary resources to pursue “creative shrinkage” policies, as Youngstown has, is a successful strategy for economic development,” said Ryan.