On August 20, local news media joined community leaders, including Cuyahoga County Executive Armand Budish, to see first-hand the progress the Cuyahoga Land Bank is making in removing blight from one East Cleveland neighborhood. As multiple crews demolished dilapidated houses along Northfield Avenue and surrounding streets, Cuyahoga Land Bank President and General Counsel Gus Frangos and East Cleveland Mayor Brandon King discussed the targeted demolition of 80 vacant blighted houses. The demolition work will increase safety and stabilize neighborhood streets.
The demolitions were completed in a 15-block area in the northwest portion of the city between Shaw Avenue, Manhattan Avenue, Scioto Avenue, and Hayden Avenue. More than $850,000 in Cuyahoga County demolition funds and nearly $270,000 in federal state of Ohio Hardest Hit Funds (HHF) were used to demolish the houses that have been vacant and abandoned for years. The City of East Cleveland selected the target area due to the high concentration of blight.
The Cuyahoga Land Bank demolished a mix of Cuyahoga Land Bank-owned and City-owned properties. Once the vacant lots are “greened,” the Cuyahoga Land Bank will transfer all lots to the City of East Cleveland’s Land Bank for future development.