Last month, Vice Mayor David Crowley met with the board of the South Cumminsville Community United for Better Housing (SCCUFBH) to discuss several problem properties plaguing the neighborhood.
Hoping to keep the small Mill Creek Valley community on the City's radar, a follow-up letter from SCCUFBH treasurer S. Barbara Busch goes into the specifics of each property.
According to the letter, the top priorities include:
* 1782 Dreman Street: In and out of condemnation since 1992, the SCCUFBH and the South Cumminsville Community Council are seeking the City's help on getting it torn down.
* 3733 Borden Street: A vacant lot once promised to the SCCUFBH for $1 through the City's CLRP program, they are now being told it will cost $12,000 to obtain the property.
* 1789 Agnes Street: Condemned and declared a public nuisance, the SCCUFBH wants this property to be given priority in the City's demolition program.
Busch also requests a status update on 1786 and 1787 Agnes Street, as well as 3823 Borden Street - all condemned properties.
South Cumminsville has suffered from an aging housing stock, high levels of poverty and years of property speculation, bank foreclosures and disinvestment.
In 2001, a $3.7 million, 25-home development called Herron Heritage Homes was proposed for the neighborhood along Herron Avenue.
But most efforts have occurred on a piecemeal basis through organizations such as Working in Neighborhoods, and Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity.
A report on the properties from City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr is expected by the beginning of April.
Previous reading on BC:
Forgotten neighborhoods: South Cumminsville (12/5/07)
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
South Cumminsville board meets with Crowley on problem properties
