TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) - Toledo City Councilman Jack Ford says he wants the city to create a 'blight authority,' to place a greater focus on proactive measures to eliminate and prevent blight conditions in Toledo neighborhoods.
Ford says his concept is similar to one being put into action in Detroit. He says the city could leverage community development money to attract local sponsors to either donate money or volunteer hours.
With the Lucas County Land Bank focusing on revitalizing neighborhoods through vacant house demolition and home repair efforts, Ford says another component is needed to stay on top of conditions in Toledo neighborhoods, to take pressure off city departments which react when neighbors complain about nuisance issues.
"We still have illegal dumping, we still have stripping of homes, we have wild grass growing heavily in the spring and summer, so we got to get a better handle on that," he said.
Ford says he'll push hard for the concept to take off this year, especially when it's time for the city to allocate Community Development Block Grant funding.
