Fighting "vacant housing crisis" in Utica

[dgriffin]

By SUSAN CAMPBELL
today: WKTV News
www.wktv.com/news/local/16861556.html

Senator Charles Schumer in town today to talk about legislation that could bring millions of revitalization dollars to our area to reverse the trend.
There are nearly 5,000 homes in Utica that are vacant, dilapidated, and a potential breeding ground for crime….Senator Charles Schumer came to the area Thursday to pump millions into revitalization projects…. "Community Development Block Grant," … a tool to fight neighborhood blight.
Roefaro : "We can rebuild more neighborhoods. Put more houses back on the tax rolls. We could do so many things to increase our tax base and increase the look of the city. That's what brings back the city, when you revitalize the homes."

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Could this really be helpful? Who will move into the homes? Could this possibly be a form of welfare for developer/builders? Would such housing attract families or otherwise? Would other alternatives to rebuilding neighborhoods be better? For example, just off the top of my head, the city could simply mow down all the housing on Cornhill and replant it with oceans of poppies like the Afghans and really make some money.

[thelma]

Not a bad idea. THe drug dealers in that part of town could manufacture their own form of heroin!!!!!

I can't see using this Federal money to renovate and remodel these old abandoned houses, and expect decent people to move into them right in the middle of a crime infested neighborhood.

I would rather see them bulldoze ALL these abandoned houses which are just havens for the homeless and drug dealers, and potential fire hazards endangering the rest of the neighborhood. Then use these vacant lots for parks or even community type gardens.

If they want to rebuild - then build houses in other parts of neighborhoods that are NOT infested with the PIS scumbags like Rivera and sell then to low income families. Just look at the Pride of Ownership the Bosians have in the property they have bought and fixed up on their ownl They have literally turned run down neighborhoods into nice areas to live in now.

[Swimmy]

I find it odd that Schumer allegedly secured grant money to revitalize Utica during Julian's tenure but never delivered the funds. Now, he's working to try and secure more federal monies with Roefaro in office. What's going on?

[dgriffin]

Say ... I have a capital(ist) idea! Why not let the market work its course. Why not have the government clear out of this completely and see what happens. In fact, if you removed police and fire, whatever happens would happen a lot faster and you'd have more ashes than debris....easier to clean up. Then whoever has money ... their own money .... could buy the land and do what they want with it, just like it was America.

[thelma]

That would NOT be the way it would happen. I thought the same thing when Utica was having all those fires and an Arson Team was organized to stop houses from being set on fire.

I said to a friend of mine that was a Fireman at the time - "Why not just let these houses burn until all the slums are gone". His answer was "These people have to live some where; do you want them moving to YOUR neighborhood"!!!!!!

How much would you be willing to pay for a vacant piece of land and the cost of building a house on James Street?

[frankcor]

Because of all the gun turrets required, I could afford to build only a very small home on James St.

[Ralph]

I find this interesting, mainly because all he is mentioning is boosting the amount of CDBG funds we already receive.

What we get now isn't going to revitalize the housing stock, so what makes anyone think it will if it increases?

Unless the increases are SPECIFIC for what they can be used for, they will go no farther than they do already.

[denise]

I think it is a nice thought to rebuild or renovate dilapitated homes, but who is going to buy them?

When I lived in Utica, I worked for a company who bought dilapitated homes, renovated and then sold them to buyers who had somewhat less than stellar credit. Sometimes it actually worked out and the buyers were happy to have the chance at homeownership. They kept up on property maintenance, insurance and property taxes. However, a lot of the time, it just didn't work out. They didn't understand the concept of property maintenance or paying their bills for that matter. Eventually, they would either default on their mortgage or not bother to pay their property taxes or both. The company I worked for would wind up with property again and starting from Square 1.

Some people are just born tenants.

[Swimmy]

Denise brings up an important point: who do we get to move into the renovated homes? With the local economy the way it is, the animosity toward business, the hatred toward anything that might improve our situation, etc., you will not attract the type of people that will foster economic growth. Start voting competent candidates into office who don't like the status quo. Get rid of the corrupt officials -- everyone in new hartford for example! Start putting people who CARE about the community and will ACTUALLY work in the community's best interests. Several changes need to be made to attract the right people. Create a demand before undergoing the expenses of creating a supply. You'll make more that way too.

[frankcor]

For the most part, it's immigrants buying houses in blighted areas. They borrow a little money, pour a lot of sweat equity into it and they have a nice home in an improving neighborhood.

An article I read in the Rome Sentinel this week shows that Oneida County's population held steady over the past year, but only because nearly 700 immigrants counteracted our ongoing population loss.

[Swimmy]

frankcor said:

An article I read in the Rome Sentinel this week shows that Oneida County's population held steady over the past year, but only because nearly 700 immigrants counteracted our ongoing population loss.

Something that the government and the od don't like us knowing. But it's because we don't tax OIN. No other reason.

[thelma]

frankcor said:

For the most part, it's immigrants buying houses in blighted areas. They borrow a little money, pour a lot of sweat equity into it and they have a nice home in an improving neighborhood.

An article I read in the Rome Sentinel this week shows that Oneida County's population held steady over the past year, but only because nearly 700 immigrants counteracted our ongoing population loss.

...............................................................

And they do it all without crying "Poor me" and playing the Race Card!!!!!!!!!

[bobbbiez]

Ralph, you probably know more about that program where the city built houses and sold them to lower income people. Is that program still in effect?

I drove past those homes the last time I was in Utica and they look pretty sorry. What a waste of taxpayers money that was.

[Ralph]

That wasn't the "City" per say, but Hope VI that built them.

Don't get me going on that, I can recite it all chapter and verse and it was one of the biggest BS washes in history.

They didn't build all the homes they promised, no community center, none of the improvements they said would be done have come to fruition, etc, etc, ad nauseatum.....

They built some new homes, some new multi-family dwellings, and re-habed a few places........end of story.

The places they did are/or soon will be in pretty much the same shape as the ones they tore down here in Cornhill.....at least the rental units will be. The ones they did in West Utica, with all do respect to the folks over there, should never have been built with from same money pot as Hope VI as they were way outside of the target area.

This was a pet project of mine that I stood behind and it went south . I could write a book on it!

[thelma]

Ralph - Someone told me that these Hope homes were suppose to only be rented to people that had to pass income and other criteria set in place by the Hope Program which was to insure that they would take care of these properties.

I was told that if the City did not comply with these criteria and the properties were not taken care of, ALL the money given to the Hope Program would have to be REPAID by the City back to the Hope Program.

Is this true?

When I was talking with the Property Manager at Parkedge Townhouses a few months ago, he told me that Section 8 clients would NO LONGER be eligible to rent these beautiful townhomes because of all the damages that previous Section 8 renters did. (the tenants paying their own rents had to pick of the costs of the damages!).