Vacant Property Organizing Campaign

Introduction

After several months of conducting a listening campaign in the Mahoning Valley, it became clear that vacant property is one of the greatest challenges facing urban neighborhoods within the region. Many residents are concerned about the impact of vacant property on their neighborhood and lives. Vacant property affects all aspects of life in urban neighborhoods and can be a breeding ground for criminal activity, pose a safety hazard to children, an impediment to redevelopment, create a physical desperation, and significantly decrease property values. Despite all these challenges vacant property also presents the community with significant opportunities to revitalize and rethink their neighborhoods. Given the depth and far reaching effects of vacant properties, the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative began a regionwide organizing campaign in the fall of 2008 to begin systematically addressing the situation. The regionwide campaign is community driven and facilitated by neighborhood and community leaders from across the Mahoning Valley. The campaign is comprehensive and collaborative in its approach.

Background

The City of Youngstown is home to over 4,500 vacant structures and over 22,000 vacant lots, which creates one of the highest vacant property rates per capita in the United States. This translates into 43.7 percent of parcels within the City of Youngstown experiencing vacancy in some form. The City of Warren is also facing a significant problem with 2,500 plus vacant structures and over 4,000 vacant lots. The problem in the Mahoning Valley is of epidemic proportion and continues to consume neighborhoods. The oversupply of vacant properties reflects the decade’s long population outflow and economic decline of the Mahoning Valley. While the Mahoning Valley problem is severe it is simply a stage on the long road to renewal.

The current approach to addressing vacant properties in the Mahoning Valley is reactive, intermittent, fragmented, and a financial burden. The lack of an effective system decreases residents’ quality of life, discourages reinvestment, and contributes to the continued trends of depopulation and disinvestment.

It is time for the Mahoning Valley to embrace a bold new approach for addressing this fundamental urban problem. A new approach must be comprehensive, strategic, ongoing, focused, collaborative and provide a financial return to the region. By developing a comprehensive organizing and policy strategy to address vacant properties, neighborhoods and communities can reinvent themselves by effectively reutilizing vacant properties.

Organizing Campaign

As a broad-based organizing initiative the MVOC is able to increase the momentum for change at all levels of geography and government (neighborhood, local, regional, state, federal). The MVOC has the ability to build the grass roots community support necessary to move forward an aggressive policy agenda and organize community leaders from across the region to implement a comprehensive and strategic approach to addressing vacant property.

Current Focus

The MVOC Vacant Property Organizing Campaign is currently focused on five components.

1. Citywide Vacant Property Survey
2. Strategic Demolition Policy
3. Landlord Accountability Campaign – Mack Property
4. Leveraging Resources to Address Vacant Property – State of Ohio, Federal Government, Foundations and Private Institutions
5. Creation of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation

Citywide Vacant Property Survey

In January 2009, the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative completed the Citywide Vacant Property Survey. Over 150 community and neighborhood leaders were involved in this 3 month participatory research process. Participants surveyed every parcel within the City of Youngstown (over 62,000 parcels) and identified vacant lots and structures using a uniform and consistent methodology. Vacant structures were rated utilizing a uniform, consistent and objective rating scale from A to F. The results of the survey were entered into a Geographic Information System database to be utilized to make informed and strategic decisions moving forward. This is one of the most comprehensive and thorough vacant property surveys conducted to date in the United States.

The methodical process of surveying every parcel allowed community and neighborhood leaders to experience the extent of the problems facing their neighborhoods firsthand. The Citywide Vacant Property Survey determined that 43.7 percent of the parcels within the City of Youngstown experience some form of vacancy. The survey identified 4,564 vacant structures and 22,792 vacant lots within the city. Each of the 4,564 vacant structures was assigned a rating based on condition.

The findings of the Citywide Vacant Property Survey are compelling when compared to national data and statistics. The city’s total percentage of vacant land is 36.4 percent or two and a half times the national average of 15.4 percent (Brookings). Even more compelling is the ratio of vacant structures per 1,000 residents, which is another indicator, used to measure the extent of the problem. The vacant structure per 1,000 residents ratio in Youngstown is 61.8 or 23 times the national average of (2.63).

The results of the vacant property survey provide a baseline for making informed decisions for future policy and development decisions. This data also creates the foundation for a more strategic approach to demolition within the City of Youngstown. View a map and detailed data of the completed Citywide Vacant Property Survey here. (pdf)

The Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative is also working to carry out a Citywide Vacant Property Survey in the City of Warren to be completed in early Spring 2009.

Available maps:
• 2008 Youngstown Vacancy survey map-citywide
• 2008 Youngstown Vacancy survey map-north
• 2008 Youngstown Vacancy survey map-east
• 2008 Youngstown Vacancy survey map-southeast
• 2008 Youngstown Vacancy survey map-southwest
• 2008 Youngstown Vacancy survey map-west
• 2008 Youngstown bank foreclosures map

Strategic Demolition Policy

The current approach to demolition places condemned structures on a numbered list with no formal mechanism for prioritization. This approach results in a scattershot method of demolition that has proved ineffective in stabilizing neighborhoods as illustrated by the Citywide Vacant Property Survey data. This method puts stable and transitional neighborhoods within the city at risk because there is no method to prioritize and target. During the Youngstown 2010 planning process the idea of a more strategic approach to demolition was developed, but never formalized.

A new more strategic approach to demolition must be developed, as the data proves this point. The Citywide Vacant Property Survey data shows an increase in the number of vacant units within the City of Youngstown. The lack of an effective system decreases residents’ quality of life, discourages reinvestment, and contributes to the continued trends of depopulation and disinvestment. Currently, vacancy is continuing to spread to neighborhoods where it was previously nonexistent. While a strong commitment to demolition has been made over the past three years, it has not been utilized to effectively combat the problem. The city can sink millions of dollars in demolition, but if it is not done in the context of stabilizing neighborhoods and right sizing the positive impact will be minimal and the city will continue to decline.

The idea of a strategic approach to demolition is nothing new. In fact it has been formalized in the Youngstown 2010 Citywide Plan Chapter 8 – Implementation which states "Target residential demolitions in stable neighborhoods, planned areas or adjacent to catalyst projects and neighborhood assets." It also states "Target residential rehabilitation funding in stable neighborhoods, planned areas or adjacent to catalyst projects and neighborhood assets." While the plan states the need for a new approach, it has not been internalized and/or formalized as policy and the details have not been clearly articulated. The new approach should view both demolition and rehabilitation as two equally valuable tools. Currently more focus has been given to demolition and rehabilitation has not been as widely used. However, the focus of this idea is to set forth a strategic demolition plan built on the Youngstown 2010 approach. The strategic approach does not need to begin as an overly sophisticated system, but rather a simple approach that can evolve over time as it proves successful. Read more about a strategic demolition policy. (pdf)

Landlord Accountability Campaign

The Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative began a campaign to hold landlord’s accountable for the condition of their properties within the City of Youngstown. The Landlord Accountability Campaign is intended to illustrate that a standard is being set by the community for the condition of rental property. Landlords are no longer immune to the law and must act in good faith to work with the neighborhoods. Landlords unwilling to work with the neighborhoods will be held accountable for the condition of their properties.

The campaign began with community leaders spending several weeks researching the major property owners within the city and identifying landlords with the largest holdings of nuisance and slum properties. After several weeks community leaders identified one of these landlords. A community meeting was held to discuss the issues and the landlord was invited, but did not attend. After seeing the overwhelming response from the public and media, the landlord committed to working with the MVOC. On Monday, December 8, 2008 the landlord met with a group of community leaders to negotiate an agreement. The landlord agreed to a ten point community agreement to address his properties. Major components include a commitment to tear down a list of blighted properties provided by the group. Read the agreement in its entirety. (pdf)

The campaign is ongoing and monthly meetings are held to follow up on progress toward meeting the goals of the commitment. Other landlords will be identified to work with community leaders based on the condition of their properties.

Leveraging Significant Resources to Address Vacant Property

One of the primary functions of the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative is to aggressively work for sufficient resources needed to address the vacant property crisis facing the Mahoning Valley. To date, the MVOC has raised several million dollars to fund initiatives related to vacant property reclamation.

In October 2008, the City of Youngstown did not receive an equitable allocation from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program and the city was again overlooked by the State of Ohio in December 2008. Given the facts and figures, it is well known that the vacant property and foreclosure crisis is very severe in the Mahoning Valley. The MVOC organized a delegation of community leaders to lobby the State of Ohio for the resources needed to address the problem.

In November 2008, the MVOC sent a letter to Lt. Governor Lee Fisher asking for a meeting to discuss the situation and the need for more resources. On January 9, the MVOC led a delegation of community officials and leaders from all levels of government and sectors of the community to meet with Lieutenant Governor Lee Fisher and Ohio Department of Development officials. This historic event, which included everyone from the Mayor of Youngstown, County Commissioners, neighborhood leaders, State Senator and faith-based leaders resulted in two important commitments. One, the state committed to finding funding to begin to address the neighborhood stabilization needs of the City of Youngstown. Two, the Lieutenant Governor committed to coming to Youngstown and meeting with the MVOC, community officials, leaders and residents. View the signed letters to Lee Fisher: October 2008 and January 2009. (pdf)

The MVOC is also working with Congressman Tim Ryan to gain support for a federal initiative, the Community Regeneration, Sustainability and Innovation Act of 2009, that would provide serious resources to weak market cities facing issues like Youngstown.

The MVOC will continue to aggressively pursue resources and ensure Youngstown and Warren receive equitable allocations from state and federal programs. In addition, MVOC will work with community leaders to pursue resources from the philanthropic and business community to address vacant property.

Creation of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation

A Community Development Corporation (CDC) is a not-for-profit organization incorporated to provide programs, offer services and engage in other activities that promote and support a community. Community Development Corporations typically serve a geographic location such as a neighborhood or a city. They can be involved in a variety of activities including economic development, foreclosure prevention, housing rehabilitation and development, community greening, neighborhood marketing and community building.

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) is being developed to undertake strategic neighborhood development and revitalization activities in targeted areas throughout the city. Historically, Youngstown has had limited community development capacity and currently there is no functioning CDC that is able to work comprehensively on a targeted citywide scale. The YNDC is being developed to fill the existing void and to provide the community with a high capacity and multifaceted organization staffed by talented and experienced professionals capable of achieving the needed results.

Mission Statement

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation is committed to improving the quality of life in Youngstown by building and encouraging investment in neighborhoods of choice for all.

Initial Work of the YNDC

Initially, the YNDC will target its work in a handful of neighborhoods based on objective neighborhood selection criteria and alignment with existing neighborhood revitalization efforts. Preserving the viability and facilitating market recovery in the stable and transitional neighborhoods the city has left will be the focus of initial targeting strategy. Targeting strategies have been effective in cities throughout the country including the Neighborhoods in Bloom program in Richmond, Virginia and the Strategic Investment Initiative in Cleveland, Ohio. The YNDC will utilize a broad palette of programs, focused on neighborhood recovery from housing rehab, homebuyer assistance, home maintenance assistance, vacant lot management and greening, neighborhood marketing and engagement, to begin the process of neighborhood stabilization and recovery.

These market recovery tactics will be used in tandem with the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative’s (MVOC) ability to strengthen and reknit the social fabric and capacity of the target neighborhoods. The MVOC will also work hand in hand with the YNDC to effectively lobby for sufficient resources to undertake these strategic and innovative community development activities. The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation is intended to be a "sister project" to the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative. The two organizations will work together to rebuild the social and physical fabric of neighborhoods across the City of Youngstown. The two organizations will also work in close partnership with existing organizations such as the City of Youngstown and other groups involved in urban revitalization activities.

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation will play a critical role in realizing and implementing the Youngstown 2010 Vision.

The YNDC will begin the long process of ensuring the viability of neighborhoods on all sides of town and developing neighborhoods of choice. Developing strong neighborhoods and quality of life will make Youngstown more attractive and competitive for existing residents (first and foremost), new residents and potential economic development projects.

Leveraging Additional Resources

Investing in the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation leverages additional public and private resources for neighborhood development. The Raymond John Wean Foundation has made a significant commitment to the organization. Investment in this endeavor also leverages additional public and private resources and economic activity within city neighborhoods.

Current Status

Currently, a diverse board composed of residents and representatives of stakeholder groups has been meeting monthly to begin crafting and developing the organization. The initial articles of incorporation have been filed and approved. A national search for an Executive Director will be conducted in late spring/early summer with the goal of having the organization functioning by summer 2009. View more information on the YNDC. (pdf)