FIGHTING BLIGHT

The City of Hamilton the has rolled out new efforts and initiatives to help curb blight in the community.

 OVER THE PAST few years, the city has rolled out new efforts to help curb blight in our community. One of these programs requires that vacant commercial properties be registered because chronic and long-term vacant properties have a negative impact on neighborhoods. They often have maintenance issues, and occasionally attract vagrancy, illicit activities, and structure fires. A requirement to register these properties gives the city reliable contact information for the property owner and, in many cases, helps start a conversation about what reactivation of their property could look like. Additionally, in 2021, the City of Hamilton completed a comprehensive property inventory. Seasonal staff teamed with consultants from the Western Reserve Land Conservancy and evaluated every property in the city on a grading scale of A–F. With neighborhoods as a strategic priority, this data allows the city to better understand the unique challenges within our neighborhoods so that we can make informed, strategic decisions on future programs to improve our housing stock. The city is already making progress using this data. In just the first year, over 60 percent of the D and F properties have been improved or removed. The City has a goal to address all of the worst properties—those graded D or F—by the end of 2024.