FAIRBORN — The City of Fairborn is preparing for another round of residential property demolition as part of its blight removal efforts.
Five properties — including one on the 300 block of Mann Ave., one on the 600 block of Fairfield Avenue, one on the 1500 block of Miami Avenue and two on the 1000 block of Columbia Ave. — are being taken down in the coming weeks. The city most recently took down the Wright Motel on Broad Street.
“As a person in the neighborhood, you don’t see a lot happening,” Code Enforcement Supervisor Jon Moeggenberg said. “But a lot is happening behind the scenes.”
Before the wrecking ball hits the wall, the city must do its due diligence in ensuring that utilities, such as gas, are turned off and that asbestos is re-mediated under the direction of the Regional Air Pollution Control Agency.
For a property to be considered blighted, it must have reached the point of being uninhabitable and unsafe. Neighbors living nearby may complain about the property being a nuisance or local police officers may alert code enforcement officers of the hazardous facility.
“Nuisance and blight detract from property values,”Moeggenberg said. “It’s not fair to the people who have to look at it.”
Block grant funds
If funds are holding citizens back from making necessary home repairs, the city is offering a solution.
“The Community Development Block Grant can be used for multiple things,” Neighborhood Betterment Director Missy Frost said. “We target using it for code enforcement and improving our housing stock by assisting low-to-moderate income persons with rehabs and repairs to their properties.”
Housing repairs can fund items impacting the structural integrity of the home, such as the roof, plumbing, doors, windows, electricity, siding — essentially the “main components of the house,” she said.
Individuals wishing to receive assistance can start the process by calling Frost at 937-754-3060 and undergoing an application process. A city official will inspect and assess the home for the needs and the repairs will start there. Timing for the entire process typically takes four-to-six months, but can vary depending on the type of repair and weather conditions.
“Typically, the amount of assistance we give can become a second mortgage on their property, but that becomes totally forgiven over a five-year time span. So 75 percent of it is forgiven after five years, the remaining 25 percent is due and payable when the deed transfers or whenever they sell the house,” Frost said. “There’s no out-of-pocket money for the homeowner to get these repairs for their home.”
