| Today, Mayor Don Plusquellic announced the
selection of the neighborhoods that will receive housing rehabilitation assistance and new
public improvements as needed over the next two to three years. The new Neighborhood
Initiative Program allows residents in selected parts of each ward to petition for housing
rehabilitation finances and technical assistance to improve their neighborhoods. Areas listed were selected on the basis of the percentage of
property owners within each address range who signed petitions requesting City assistance
to improve their properties. Each property owner within a selected neighborhood will be
eligible to apply for grants of up to $7,500. Owner-occupants will also be eligible for up
to $7,500 more in the form of a 0% interest, no payment loan that is repayable to the City
when the property changes hands.
All rehabilitation assistance will be used first to make
sure the exterior of each residential structure meets housing code standards, then to
address any lead-based paint hazards found in the house. Finally, monies will go toward
addressing safety issues associated with the plumbing, heating and electrical systems in
each home. Property owners able to borrow money will have access to low-interest loan
funds through cooperating lenders to make further improvements beyond what is covered by
rehabilitation assistance.
Neighborhood Initiative project areas were selected in each
ward. All selected areas range in size from 25 to 95 houses. The areas selected for the
first funding round of the Neighborhood Initiative Program are:
| Ward |
| Area |
| 1 |
Thayer
Street between Cuyahoga Falls Avenue and Tallmadge Avenue |
| 2 |
Breiding Road between
Alphada Avenue and Independence Avenue
Alphada Avenue between Breiding and Hyde Park Avenue |
| 3 |
Between Mercer Avenue and Diana Avenue:
Bisson Avenue and Mistletoe Avenue |
| 4 |
Dover Avenue between Stoner
Street and Diagonal Road |
| 5 |
Santee Avenue between Arlington Street and
Van Everett Avenue
Kipling Street/Baird Street between Brown Street and Burkhardt Avenue |
| 6 |
East Park Boulevard between
Congo Street and south end.
Genoa Avenue between East Park Boulevard and Cluster Avenue |
| 7 |
Barbara Avenue between Allendale Avenue and
east end.
Stanton Avenue/Neptune Avenue between Lovers Lane and Cole Avenue
Girard Street between East Archwood and Ido avenues |
| 8 |
Between S. Hawkins Avenue
and Sheldon Drive/Avondale Drive:
Woodbine and Jefferson avenues (four-year project) |
| 9 |
Fawler Avenue between Kilgore Avenue and 32nd
Street.
Belcher Avenue between railroad and 32nd Street |
| 10 |
Marks Avenue between Watson
and Pilmore streets
Flint Avenue between Watson Street and Preston Avenue |
There are 760 properties eligible for the Neighborhood
Initiative Program, which will begin over the course of the next 18 months. Eligibility
for benefits will last for two years after the initiation of the program in each of the
areas.
Mayor Plusquellic said, "The new programs under the
housing strategy I unveiled in October of last year are being implemented and coming
on-line. The first group of project areas under the Neighborhood Initiative Program will
complement the Neighborhood Redevelopment Program on Hickory Street and the Exterior
Improvement Program now on-going City-wide." Plusquellic added, "This program
furthers the City’s commitment to preserve existing housing in our neighborhoods. Our
overall strategic plan will improve Akron’s housing stock through housing
rehabilitation, removal of blighted housing and construction of new, desirable housing for
our citizens."
Planning for the next round of funding for the Neighborhood
Initiative Program is scheduled to begin in 2006.
(attachment: map)
(667k pdf)
END |
