Could Shaker solution work in Lakewood?
Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:09 pm
From Cleveland.com on July 30 (meaning it'll be in the PD on the 31st):
Shaker Heights turns foreclosed home sites into public spaces
Shaker Heights -- The city has a new idea for some vacant residential lots: Don't build homes there.
Put a patio, a gazebo or a garden there instead.
Shaker Heights, expanding its public land bank this year by buying nine foreclosed homes, is encouraging neighbors to buy and improve some of the cleared sites as side lots.
Traditionally, officials welcomed new homes on empty lots to boost property taxes, income taxes and traffic at nearby stores.
But now, with foreclosures rising and real estate prices falling, Shaker is in the vanguard of a national movement to leave some cleared lots open.
A neighbor might benefit from a bigger deck for a party and a bigger lawn for football.
The city would benefit by the lot's return to the tax rolls, with a little extra revenue from the deck.
The neighborhoods in this densely built suburb might benefit from a little more open space. Besides, a few of the cleared lots are too small for modern zoning codes to allow new houses.
Shaker is getting one home for free from a bank and eight more for $1 apiece from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Contractors have razed five homes so far and should raze the four others this year.
In another new step, the city will improve landscaping on the cleared lots that it owns. Crews have always seeded the footpads of razed homes. Now they will add some bushes, fencing or both in front, to make the land look like a neighbor's side lot, not a missing tooth in a block's smile.
Jennifer Leonard, who runs the National Vacant Properties Campaign, said many older communities like Shaker are trying to let congested neighborhoods breathe.
"It slightly reduces the density and yet maintains people living in areas that are already built up," said Leonard.
She encourages landscaping, side lots, community gardens and other alternatives to new homes.
"There's an increase in value to the adjacent properties," she said. "Studies show even the seeding makes values go up. It's nice to go a step further."
Officials estimate that Cuyahoga County has 20,000 vacant or abandoned lots. But now, with the population and economy slipping, some officials say building new houses on all of them would depress the values of old homes around the region by raising the supply beyond the demand.
"We should have a countywide goal to tear down two houses for every new home," said Paul Oyaski, Cuyahoga County's development director.
A couple of neighbors have begun to talk to Shaker officials about buying recently leveled property for side lots.
"It would be basically for more yard space for my children to play," said Doug Thornton, a father of two, whose Avalon Road lot is 40 by 150 feet.
The city requires buyers to build something on the vacant lots. Thornton is thinking about a patio or a playground.
But not everyone wants an extra lot. One neighbor who withheld her name scoffed at the idea. She said she could barely afford her current property with the city's high taxes and strict exterior maintenance codes.
A few years ago, Euclid tried to interest neighbors in side lots, with no luck, said Oyaski, the city's former mayor. Neighbors would mow the lots and use them, but none wanted the costs of owning them.
Officials in other suburbs share Shaker's interest in alternatives to replacing razed homes.
Several Berea residents have bought private lots as side lots in recent years. In Lakewood, officials hope to turn a recently razed house, which lies on the border of residential and commercial districts, into a parking lot for shoppers.
Rick Wagner, housing manager for Cleveland Heights, said the city expects to tear down seven or eight homes this year. He said he would encourage a neighbor take over a razed lot or both neighbors to split it.
The Rev. Maxey Clarke, who preaches at Cleveland's Freedom Covenant Center and lives in Shaker Heights, said he would love to buy the lot next door to his home if its long-empty house comes down. He also praised Shaker's creativity.
"I'm not one for staying stagnant," he said. "I'm all for improvements."
Could something like this work in Lakewood? Remove some decrepit homes in foreclosure, and make the lots available for neighbors to buy, to add to their small lots, or make a "pocket park" or community garden for the street? Green space is a premium here, and having a small number of these lots open up could benefit the residents. Yes, I'm sure that the loss of taxes from the home would be bad ... but if a neighbor bought the property, then they'd have to pay taxes on it, so that would be offset to a degree. It might also increase the values of the buyer's home, or even make the street more attractive to buyers, if there is a community garden or neighborhood park/green space.
Or should we just keep pushing to fill up the empty homes, and filling any empty land with more homes? Is that a solution? Or is there something else out there that can be a unique solution for Lakewood??
Discuss amongst yourselves ...
Shaker Heights turns foreclosed home sites into public spaces
Shaker Heights -- The city has a new idea for some vacant residential lots: Don't build homes there.
Put a patio, a gazebo or a garden there instead.
Shaker Heights, expanding its public land bank this year by buying nine foreclosed homes, is encouraging neighbors to buy and improve some of the cleared sites as side lots.
Traditionally, officials welcomed new homes on empty lots to boost property taxes, income taxes and traffic at nearby stores.
But now, with foreclosures rising and real estate prices falling, Shaker is in the vanguard of a national movement to leave some cleared lots open.
A neighbor might benefit from a bigger deck for a party and a bigger lawn for football.
The city would benefit by the lot's return to the tax rolls, with a little extra revenue from the deck.
The neighborhoods in this densely built suburb might benefit from a little more open space. Besides, a few of the cleared lots are too small for modern zoning codes to allow new houses.
Shaker is getting one home for free from a bank and eight more for $1 apiece from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Contractors have razed five homes so far and should raze the four others this year.
In another new step, the city will improve landscaping on the cleared lots that it owns. Crews have always seeded the footpads of razed homes. Now they will add some bushes, fencing or both in front, to make the land look like a neighbor's side lot, not a missing tooth in a block's smile.
Jennifer Leonard, who runs the National Vacant Properties Campaign, said many older communities like Shaker are trying to let congested neighborhoods breathe.
"It slightly reduces the density and yet maintains people living in areas that are already built up," said Leonard.
She encourages landscaping, side lots, community gardens and other alternatives to new homes.
"There's an increase in value to the adjacent properties," she said. "Studies show even the seeding makes values go up. It's nice to go a step further."
Officials estimate that Cuyahoga County has 20,000 vacant or abandoned lots. But now, with the population and economy slipping, some officials say building new houses on all of them would depress the values of old homes around the region by raising the supply beyond the demand.
"We should have a countywide goal to tear down two houses for every new home," said Paul Oyaski, Cuyahoga County's development director.
A couple of neighbors have begun to talk to Shaker officials about buying recently leveled property for side lots.
"It would be basically for more yard space for my children to play," said Doug Thornton, a father of two, whose Avalon Road lot is 40 by 150 feet.
The city requires buyers to build something on the vacant lots. Thornton is thinking about a patio or a playground.
But not everyone wants an extra lot. One neighbor who withheld her name scoffed at the idea. She said she could barely afford her current property with the city's high taxes and strict exterior maintenance codes.
A few years ago, Euclid tried to interest neighbors in side lots, with no luck, said Oyaski, the city's former mayor. Neighbors would mow the lots and use them, but none wanted the costs of owning them.
Officials in other suburbs share Shaker's interest in alternatives to replacing razed homes.
Several Berea residents have bought private lots as side lots in recent years. In Lakewood, officials hope to turn a recently razed house, which lies on the border of residential and commercial districts, into a parking lot for shoppers.
Rick Wagner, housing manager for Cleveland Heights, said the city expects to tear down seven or eight homes this year. He said he would encourage a neighbor take over a razed lot or both neighbors to split it.
The Rev. Maxey Clarke, who preaches at Cleveland's Freedom Covenant Center and lives in Shaker Heights, said he would love to buy the lot next door to his home if its long-empty house comes down. He also praised Shaker's creativity.
"I'm not one for staying stagnant," he said. "I'm all for improvements."
Could something like this work in Lakewood? Remove some decrepit homes in foreclosure, and make the lots available for neighbors to buy, to add to their small lots, or make a "pocket park" or community garden for the street? Green space is a premium here, and having a small number of these lots open up could benefit the residents. Yes, I'm sure that the loss of taxes from the home would be bad ... but if a neighbor bought the property, then they'd have to pay taxes on it, so that would be offset to a degree. It might also increase the values of the buyer's home, or even make the street more attractive to buyers, if there is a community garden or neighborhood park/green space.
Or should we just keep pushing to fill up the empty homes, and filling any empty land with more homes? Is that a solution? Or is there something else out there that can be a unique solution for Lakewood??
Discuss amongst yourselves ...