South Cumminsville blight will be abated 'as practical'

Saying that the use of demolition funds has historically been a matter of public safety considerations, City Manager Milton Dohoney Jr. says that some blighted South Cumminsville buildings will be abated "as practical".

Following a February meeting with Vice Mayor David Crowley, S. Barbara Busch, treasurer of South Cumminsville Community United for Better Housing (SCCUFBH), sent a follow-up letter to City Council regarding several of the neighborhood's most blighted properties.

In a recent report to City Council, Dohoney writes that the City currently has a backlog of 588 condemned buildings that would require over $8 million to raze.

With access to only $265,000 in unexpended hazard abatement funds - and the cost of demolishing all of the buildings for South Cumminsville at approximately $120,000 - Dohoney says that future demolitions will depend on the degree to which each condemned building impacts the health, safety, and welfare of the City at large.

Addressing Busch's letter directly, Dohoney gives updates on these problem properties:

* 1798 Dreman Street, 1789 Agnes Street and 3732 Borden Street are in the City's demolition program and are out to bid. These demolitions will use 2008 hazard abatement funding.

* 1786 and 1787 Agnes Street, as well as 3823 Borden Street, will be entered into the demolition program if found to be a public nuisance later this month. No funding has been identified.

Dohoney also writes that the City-owned lot at 3733 Borden Street, which had been promised to the SCCUFBH for $1through the Cincinnati Land Reutilization Program, is the subject of an ongoing discussion between the City and the county over the meaning of "fair market value", as defined by the Ohio Revised Code.

He writes that the property will be transferred as soon as those issues are resolved.

For 2008, $250,000 in hazard abatement funds have been allocated for Westwood, while an additional $150,000 will be spent in the three Neighborhood Enhancement Program neighborhoods of CUF, Evanston, and Westwood.

The Vacated Building Maintenance License Fund, which can also be used for demolition, has a balance of $185,000.

$100,000 of those funds are held protected for cases of emergency demolition.

Previous reading on BC:
South Cumminsville board meets with Crowley on problem properties (3/11/08)
Forgotten neighborhoods: South Cumminsville (12/5/07)