Thursday, January 22, 2009
The surveys were conducted by more than 150 residents and block-watch leaders.
YOUNGSTOWN — More than one-third of the city’s lots are vacant, with another 7.3 percent of them housing abandoned structures, according to data collected by a community organizing agency.
The 36.4 percent vacancy parcel rate is more than twice the national average for cities of 15.4 percent, the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative survey shows. When you add parcels with vacant structures, that percentage goes to 43.7.
Because of the data, MVOC will announce today a number of initiatives to reverse this situation in targeted neighborhoods throughout the city.
The MVOC is dedicated to improving the quality of life by creating a stable neighborhoods, as well as identifying and developing leaders to organize and build healthy communities.
The collaborative created the vacant-property surveys to identify and rate each vacant structure and parcel of land in the city. The surveys were conducted by more than 150 residents and block watch leaders and revealed specific information detailing which neighborhoods should receive stabilization funds.
One of the most notable findings from the survey shows “the city’s abandoned structure-to-citizen ratio, which, per 1,000 inhabitants, stands at 61.8 or 23 times the national average of 2.63,” according to MVOC data.
Other aspects of the vacant-property campaign involve the city’s rental licenses ordinance being implemented, as well as using the East Side Organizing Project, a nonprofit housing counseling agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Today’s press conference was conducted “to unveil details of a comprehensive vacant property and community development strategy geared toward neighborhood stabilization and restoration in the City of Youngstown” and to show the coalition of federal, state, city and county officials, as well as community and faith-based leaders who are supporting the initiatives developed by the MVOC.
At the top of the list with the surveys is the creation of Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, a citywide community development organization.
The corporation would provide various initiatives including foreclosure prevention, housing rehabilitation and development, home maintenance assistance, community greening and neighborhood marketing.
At this time a board has been crafted of residents and stakeholder group representatives to develop the organization. In late spring or early summer, there will be a nationwide search for an executive director, MVOC stated.
“I’m very encouraged by the YNDC,” said Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams.
“We have a lot of good organizations, but we’ve lacked an organization to do true community development.”
The corporation and collaborative would work together and with government and other organizations and institutions involved in urban revitalization to begin rebuilding the city’s neighborhoods.
The MVOC urged the city to eliminate its current approach to demolition.
The agency says the city doesn’t follow its Youngstown 2010 land revitalization plan by not focusing on specific neighborhoods.
Williams disputed that, however, and said the city has followed the plan that has resulted in about 1,500 structures being demolished during the past three years.
The city plans to take down about 500 more vacant and dilapidated structures this year using the $2.7 million it received from the federal government through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.