Consultant advises cities on handling vacant land

If the Youngstown, Cleveland and Pittsburgh regions are to thrive, its political and community leaders must “adapt to a different type of thinking” about vacant property.

That was the advice Dan Kildee, president and co-founder of the Center for Community Progress, gave today to about 250 leaders from the three cities at the “Rebuilding the Cities that Built America” conference.

The conference was held at Trinity United Methodist Church in downtown Youngstown.

A major mistake made by cities, particularly those that are cash-strapped, is to sell vacant property to someone or a company right away instead of taking the time to evaluate the best use of the land, Kildee said.

“Rather than get quick cash you need to determine what is the best long-term solution for property,” he said.

For the complete story, read Saturday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com