Thanks to past progress, more federal dollars coming to demolish vacant houses

YOUNGSTOWN

About $13.5 million is coming to land banks in Mahoning and Trumbull counties to demolish 950 vacant houses, largely in Youngstown and Warren.

The money, announced Wednesday by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, is on top of the $9.7 million the Mahoning County Land Bank and the Trumbull County Land Bank received in the past two years for the same purpose.

Mahoning County is getting $6,894,969, and Trumbull will receive $6,566,271. Both are larger amounts than the more-populated counties of Stark and Summit were awarded. The amounts are based on population and performance.

“We’ve accomplished a lot as a region, and because of that we’re receiving additional money,” said Debora Flora, Mahoning County Land Bank executive director.

Since mid-2014, 200 vacant properties, about 75 percent of them in Youngstown, have been demolished with the $4.8 million awarded Mahoning County from the state agency, she said.

Also, about 60 additional properties will be demolished in a few months, and 50 to 60 more will be taken down early next year using that money, Flora said.

Read more about the matter in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.