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Campbell discusses how it will tackle blight
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Shrubs and trees cover this home at 77 Fairview St. in Campbell. It is one of approximately 200 vacant homes in the town. This location has been vacant for at least six years.
CAMPBELL
It’s been years since anyone’s lived in the small, white home at 77 Fairview St. in Campbell.
After more than six years, shrubs and trees seem to overtake the residence, almost hiding it from the view of passers-by.
All that’s visible is the front door, a lamppost and the peak of the roof.
Judith Clement, director of administration for the city, said this is one of about 186 vacant homes in Campbell.
Steve Cappittee, Campbell’s zoning director, said more houses and lots like the one on Fairview have been popping up this year in town. And along with more vacancies, Cappittee said he received almost two dozen complaints from residents about vacant houses and lots.
“People will get up, move out,” he said. “Then, once you find out who owns them, you might see they’re out of state, and you’ve got to still get hold of them.”
Paul Bevak, a Campbell resident, said he’s been counting the number of vacant houses on his street go up for a few years.
“There’s at least four or six houses on my street that have been vacant for years,” Bevak said.
Bevak said he noticed rats, pigeons and groundhogs taking over most of the vacant houses on his street. Several dozen pigeons nearly covered the roof of a vacant house two doors down from him.
“It’s brought the value of my home down, and it’s not good for the health of people, having more critters around the area. It just brings the whole neighborhood down,” Bevak said.
Clement said the city has been in communication with the Mahoning County Land Bank to try to increase the number of houses and lots that can be demolished or greened in town.
“Last we heard, we had 39 [vacant homes] on the list that the Land Bank is looking at,” Clement said. “If we can get all or part of that [torn] down, that would be wonderful.”
As of April, the Mahoning County Land Bank has been working to acquire, demolish and green properties in Austintown, Boardman, Campbell, Struthers and Youngstown with its Neighborhood Initiative Program. The program has a little more than $4.2 million to use to help these towns during the next two years.
Debora Flora, the land bank’s executive director, said these five towns have “tipping-point neighborhoods” because they show some signs of weakness but are still strong.
“We hope by demolishing uninhabited properties beyond repairing that that will help stabilize those neighborhoods,” Flora said. “We will remove some eyesores and will put in something green — pleasant — and bring some peace to neighborhoods.”
Flora said the nonprofit is looking at improving areas closer to the center of Campbell. Though that’s only a small portion of the town, she said the land bank hopes to have an impact on a few streets.
Flora said most of the vacant homes in Campbell still need to go through foreclosure before they can have dates set for demolition.
“Until those finish, we can’t set any dates for demolishing, greening or any of it,” Flora said. “But it is safe to say that those will take place in 2015 at the soonest.”
Clement said about 103 homes were demolished in Campbell over the past four to five years. Only seven or eight homes were demolished in 2013. She said she thinks that number could increase at a faster rate with the land bank’s help.