CLEVELAND — Cleveland residents like Jazmen Pace are extremely grateful the State of Ohio will distribute millions in grant funding to take down more than 400 vacant structures citywide but hopes the state will also address vacant industrial buildings as well.
Pace is trying to raise children at her East 83rd Street home and is pleased the vacant home next door is on the state grant list through Ohio's Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program.
The program was announced by Governor Mike DeWine last week and will distribute grant funding for 825 vacant structures statewide; more than 400 of the structures on the state listare located in Cleveland.
But Pace and some Cleveland city leaders are hoping the next round of grants will include funding to take down more commercial buildings, like the building that remains a hazard across the street from Pace and her family.
“It’s a safety hazard. The kids can’t ride and play because you don’t know what’s really over there," Pace said. “There were a group of kids that got in there who were playing, and we contacted the owners of the building and we contacted the police because we weren’t sure what was really going on."
According to Cuyahoga County records the commercial building on East 83rd Street is in a state of forfeiture and is more than $34,000 behind in property taxes.
Other Cleveland homeowners like Darryl Hammock are wondering who came up with the list of structures on the state demolition funding list. Hammock said he was disappointed the hazardous house next door to him on East 176th Street was not included on the list, even though it's been sitting with a wide open garage and roof for more than two years. Hammock believes residents should have had some input on which homes should have been on the state list.
“The house is like a sanctuary for vagrants, critters," Hammock said. “It's a sore spot with all the neighbors; we’ve been all trying to stick together to get it removed. I don’t know what the hold-up is.”
“It should have been on the list a long time ago. From what I understand from the land bank it is supposed to be on the list," Hammock added. Especially with the complaints that we put in, we should have been informed, we should have had some type of awareness made to us as to what was going on.”
News 5 reached out to the office of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine to get some information on whether citizen input would be considered, or if additional commercial buildings would be a bigger part of the next grant list, but we're still waiting for a response.
In a news release about the program, the Governor's office said: "the Ohio Building Demolition and Site Revitalization Program will award approximately $150 million in grants for demolition and revitalization projects across the state. Additional details on demolition projects in counties not represented in today's announcement will be announced in the coming week."
"There are sites all over Ohio that are perfect for redevelopment, but the cost to demolish the crumbling structures on these properties is standing in the way of new economic opportunities," said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. "By helping to clear out this blight, we're investing in the future of our citizens and our communities."
Meanwhile, Cleveland Councilman Michael Polensek is hoping Cleveland council members will play a role in selecting the homes for the next state grant list, especially when it comes to homes and commercial buildings that are an imminent safety threat like the home on East 176 Street.
“You've got a school right there four doors away, you have the Salvation Army over here with multiple programs for kids on this nice street, historic street. And then I got this thing over here that’s not even on the list," Polensek said. “Who put this list together? I got a whopping seven houses on the list. I'm glad to get the seven, yes, but something like this continues to just sit."
“All the commercial structures that we have sitting around, abandoned factories are not on the list," Polensek added. "So I hope that the state steps back and takes a look as well, what can they do to help us."
Polensek said Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb is trying to prioritize potentially hazardous vacant structures by asking each council member to provide a list of the top 25 structures that need to come down in their wards in the coming year.
