On March 20, State Rep. Denise Driehaus met with Knox Hill Neighborhood Association President Paul Wilham to learn how the foreclosure crisis is affecting urban neighborhoods, specifically older ones like this small corner of South Fairmount. Cincinnati Preservation Association Preservation Director Margo Warminski and I went along for the tour, which covered a fairly representative area along Knox Street and Fairmount Avenue.
Topics covered included the role of out-of-state LLCs, state level legislation requiring delinquent property taxes to be paid before a deed is recorded, a repeal of the City's vacated building maintenance license (VBML), and land banking.
Wilham has also proposed the creation of state-level Community Redevelopment Zone districts, incentivizing local governments to work with neighborhood groups on homeownership and reinvestment initiatives.
A complete write-up of the event can be found on Wilham's blog, Victorian Antiquities and Design.
The following photos have been added to the South Fairmount gallery, which now contains 53 photos.
Click on each image to enlarge to 800 x 600.
1. Rep. Driehaus and Wilham discuss the neighborhood's housing stock along Fairmount Avenue.
2. Asphalt sidewalk along McBrayer Street
3. Plantings spruce up McBrayer Street
4. Wilham and his partner Greg Drake are restoring this Second Empire cottage at the corner of Knox and McBrayer streets
5. Knox Street
6. Westwood's water tower is visible, looking westward down Knox Street
7. Knox Street
8. Knox Street, approaching Thompson Avenue
9. Knox Street
10. Thompson Avenue, approaching Fairmount Avenue
11. Initricate iron work, Knox Street and Thompson Avenue
12. Knox Street
13. Knox Street
14. Yet another house being prepared for demolition, Knox Street
15. Demolition site, Knox Street
16. Close up
17. Backs of Bethany House buildings on Fairmount Avenue
18. Fairmount Avenue
19. Blaine Road
20. Fairmount Avenue
21. Fairmount Avenue
22. Fairmount Avenue
23. Fairmount Avenue
24. Fairmount Avenue
25. Fairmount Avenue
26. Fairmount Avenue
27. Fairmount and Thompson avenues
28. "Junkyard", Thompson Avenue and Knox Street
