The Revitalization of Eastlake, Ohio
Eastlake started off as a small village and in 1951 it officially became a city in Northeast Ohio. Home to the Lake County Captains minor league baseball team, which brings in most of the city’s tourism. The population as of 2013 was 18,418, a 9.1% decrease since 2000 (Kamenov). In Eastlake, there are many buildings that have been abandoned by the owners and left to build up dust. Some examples of these buildings are the old Wal-Mart on Vine Street and the old Sears also located on Vine Street. These buildings can be turned around and begin taking in revenue to benefit the city and its people. Vacant and abandoned buildings is a large problem in Eastlake due to the negative effects that they bring into the …show more content…
Homeowners tend to go into foreclosure because they sometimes owe more than what they are able to sell their homes for, and in turn cannot repay their mortgages. As Marissa Weiss, author of “Attack of the Zombie Properties” explains, the title owner often assumes that the beginning of a foreclosure process signals that the lender, often the bank, is assuming responsibility for the property and that they must immediately vacate the property (Weiss 491). This assumption fails to account for the fact that foreclosure processes are rarely timely and often take years to complete by obtaining a judgement of foreclosure and sale; some foreclosure processes are never complete. She goes on to explain that while the process moves along, the bank which holds the lien on the property will normally pay the taxes on the land to stop municipality from regaining title to the property. This is often where their involvement ends. As the property continues to degrade, representing potential safety concerns as well as surrounding property value depreciation, this lone property stands in a limbo between life and death being owned and cared for and being completely ruined (Weiss 492). These foreclosed on homes need to have a better upkeep. Many improvements can be made to give the homes the “curb-appeal” that they need to …show more content…
“The oft-cited broken windows theory posited by J.Q. Wilson and Kelling (1982), suggests that mirror crime and incivilities such as public drinking and neighborhood blight invite predatory crime because they are a cue for potential criminals that the neighborhood is indifferent and unwilling to intervene in crime” (Teixeira 250). Citizens living on these blocks with abandoned homes and buildings feel unsafe. They fear for not only their safety but for the safety of their children. Parents do not want their children walking to school and passing by these homes where drugs are sold. During a five-year study period, the majority of block groups in Philadelphia County had aggravated assaults and vacant properties; 89% of the block groups experienced one or more aggravated assaults (Branas 3). More tests were done in the same block groups to see other connections in reason for crime. Overall vacancies showed the strongest association. Not only has crime been a big factor, but countless health problems have also been found to be related to people living in areas of vacancy and abandonment. Children can be introduced to many hazardous chemicals in the dirt and objects that they pick up and play with. “Additional physical hazards associated with abandoned homes comes from the presences of rodents and vermin, due to the environmental conditions of abandoned housing, including
Eastlake started off as a small village and in 1951 it officially became a city in Northeast Ohio. Home to the Lake County Captains minor league baseball team, which brings in most of the city’s tourism. The population as of 2013 was 18,418, a 9.1% decrease since 2000 (Kamenov). In Eastlake, there are many buildings that have been abandoned by the owners and left to build up dust. Some examples of these buildings are the old Wal-Mart on Vine Street and the old Sears also located on Vine Street. These buildings can be turned around and begin taking in revenue to benefit the city and its people. Vacant and abandoned buildings is a large problem in Eastlake due to the negative effects that they bring into the …show more content…
Homeowners tend to go into foreclosure because they sometimes owe more than what they are able to sell their homes for, and in turn cannot repay their mortgages. As Marissa Weiss, author of “Attack of the Zombie Properties” explains, the title owner often assumes that the beginning of a foreclosure process signals that the lender, often the bank, is assuming responsibility for the property and that they must immediately vacate the property (Weiss 491). This assumption fails to account for the fact that foreclosure processes are rarely timely and often take years to complete by obtaining a judgement of foreclosure and sale; some foreclosure processes are never complete. She goes on to explain that while the process moves along, the bank which holds the lien on the property will normally pay the taxes on the land to stop municipality from regaining title to the property. This is often where their involvement ends. As the property continues to degrade, representing potential safety concerns as well as surrounding property value depreciation, this lone property stands in a limbo between life and death being owned and cared for and being completely ruined (Weiss 492). These foreclosed on homes need to have a better upkeep. Many improvements can be made to give the homes the “curb-appeal” that they need to …show more content…
“The oft-cited broken windows theory posited by J.Q. Wilson and Kelling (1982), suggests that mirror crime and incivilities such as public drinking and neighborhood blight invite predatory crime because they are a cue for potential criminals that the neighborhood is indifferent and unwilling to intervene in crime” (Teixeira 250). Citizens living on these blocks with abandoned homes and buildings feel unsafe. They fear for not only their safety but for the safety of their children. Parents do not want their children walking to school and passing by these homes where drugs are sold. During a five-year study period, the majority of block groups in Philadelphia County had aggravated assaults and vacant properties; 89% of the block groups experienced one or more aggravated assaults (Branas 3). More tests were done in the same block groups to see other connections in reason for crime. Overall vacancies showed the strongest association. Not only has crime been a big factor, but countless health problems have also been found to be related to people living in areas of vacancy and abandonment. Children can be introduced to many hazardous chemicals in the dirt and objects that they pick up and play with. “Additional physical hazards associated with abandoned homes comes from the presences of rodents and vermin, due to the environmental conditions of abandoned housing, including