The "Right of Eminent Domain" and abandoned, blighted residential properties

[AllanY2525]

Parkside neighbors is a group of people who live in the neighborhood around
Crandall Park, in the North Heights section of town.

[Shar]

Can I ask who the Parkside Neighbors are??

[truffalo]

The Parkside Neighbors meeting Thursday, March 16th was called to discuss recent developments concerning the property located at 2220 Goleta Avenue.  The Goleta Avenue property was previously on the City of Youngstown's demolition list.  The dilapidated and abandoned structure, an eyesore in a neighborhood doggedly attempting to remain vital in a difficult environment, would have been removed this spring. 

Neighbors of the 2220 Goleta Avenue location have been attempting to "purchase" this property for several months to ensure its prompt removal as a contributor to North Side blight that reduces values of all properties in the area.  These neighbors were told that the property could not be "purchased" because it was scheduled for demolition.  Subsequently, it became known in the neighborhood that 2220 Goleta Avenue had been "sold" to a real estate speculator for $2,000 as a settlement in satisfaction of unpaid tax liens levied by Mahoning County. 

The believed intention of the speculator is to marginally improve the uninhabitable building to make it attractive to an owner/tenant to occupy the property on a no money down/land contract basis to reap a speculative profit on this sadly distressed residence.  This type of speculation within the North Side neighborhoods continues to undermine the desire of current residents to improve the neighborhood and improve property values on the North Side.

Third Ward Councilman, Richard Atkinson, was in attendance at the March 16th meeting.  Councilman Atkinson described the bureaucratic maze that exists at City Hall and within the Mahoning County Administration that allows this type of speculation to exist.  2220 Goleta Avenue is one of many North Side addresses that has greatly deteriorated over the last few years as the result of unbridled speculation in North Side real estate. 

Eminent Domain may ultimately be the solution to reclaiming the abandoned and neglected properties of the City of Youngstown, but a more coordinated and cooperating bureaucracy within the local political structure must be accomplished immediately to more rapidly reclaim city neighborhoods. 

Councilman Atkinson informed the Parkside Neighbors meeting attendees that the newly installed administration of Mayor Jay Williams has taken action to coordinate efforts of city building inspection, public health and zoning/planning departments to implement the Youngstown 2010 Citywide Plan.  This news was very well-received by the Parkside Neighbors group. 

Let's continue to pressure our elected representatives to streamline and coordinate all city departments associated with real estate acquisition, rehabilitation, code enforcement and the like.  This pressure must be consistently applied and must increase in intensity until every neighborhood in Youngstown is restored to its former "quality of life" condition of the early 1960s.

Tim R.

[AllanY2525]

I attended a meeting of the Parkside Neighbors yesterday evening at the home of
one of the members of this neighborhood group, along with the proprietor of the
Printz Mansion Bed & Breakfast.

Ward councilman Dick Atkins was also in attendance (it was nice to finally meet
him in person).  One of the main topics of the meeting was distressed and
abandoned properties.  These are properties that have back taxes and other liens
against them and cannot be successfully purchased by new owners because of
entanglement with liens, etc.

I suggested to the group that someone start a dialogue with City Hall about using
the "Right of Eminent Domain" as a legal mechanism for the city to TAKE properties
which still have salvageable houses on them, force foreclosures and/or Sheriff's
Sales on these properties, and then put them up for sale to new owners.  This
would allow the city to generate some revenue from these properties - both
through the resulting sales of these  properties and through the property tax
revenues that would be generated once the new owners have posession of
them.

In today's Vindicator there is an article on the lower, right hand quarter of the
front page about a proposed project to link YSU directly to the downtown area by
improving 38 acres of land between the university and downtown. 

This article mentions that "Right of Eminent Domain" could be used by the city to
acquire dilapidated structures whose owners have left Youngstown so that the properties could be improved by the city and the university.

I would be interested to hear what everyone in the group thinks
about this idea.


Allan