This week, Greater Ohio Policy Center presented at a Heritage Ohio workshop, “Combating Vacant Property” that provided ideas and strategies to local communities on ways to manage vacant properties. Heritage Ohio, Inc is Ohio’s official historic preservation and Main Street program organization. Greater Ohio outlined the costs of vacant residential and commercial properties and discussed successful strategies that have overcome common barriers to sustainable property management and redevelopment. Other presenters included a lawyer who has worked with community development corporations and municipalities to bring nuisance abatement actions against problem properties in Cleveland and city officials from the city of Sandusky and city of Painesville, which both have vacant property registries.
The problem property crisis impacts every community in Ohio. Greater Ohio continues to measure the impact of vacant properties, and research policies and programs that can mitigate the effects of these properties by turning them into assets for redevelopment opportunities. Check our website regularly as we update our research and policy recommendations.