Canton declares 400 homes blighted, adds them to demolition list

More then 400 homes deemed public nuisances by Canton City Council Monday may be torn down this summer, as the city spends $2 million on a massive demolition program.

Council unanimously approved on first reading the demolition list, which has been built over several months by the Canton Building Department, and gave permission to the administration to enter into contract with one or more wrecking company to complete the tear-down work.

It was yet another step taken by the city to move the program forward. The city received $1 million from the Moving Ohio Forward Grant fund, which requires it to contribute a match of an additional $1 million.

Property owners can appeal the decision and/or clean up their properties to bring them up to code. The number of structures the city tears down depends on the bids submitted by local contractors. Chief Building Official Angela Cavanaugh recently said that the average cost for demolition is $8,000, which means the city would be able to demolish 250 blighted structures.

Councilman Frank Morris, D-9, asked if all of the properties on the list would be torn down as part of the program, noting that it included a few commercial properties. The program is geared at residential properties only.

Law Director Joe Martuccio described it as part of another in a continuation of buildings already declared nuisances.

This ordinance was written to be the ordinance of the first 200 buildings to come down, Martuccio said.

Councilman Edmond Mack, D-8, said that while it was not the end-all, be-all list, it is indicative of the Herculean task it took to move the demolition program forward. Mack said Cavanaugh and her staff deserve recognition for their efforts

In other business, council extended the Downtown Canton Special Improvement District (SID) for another four years, from Jan. 1, 2014 through Dec. 31, 2017. Its the fifth time the city has renewed the SID, which is a non-profit agency that uses revenue on special assessments of downtown businesses for marketing, economic development and to improve aesthetics.

Among SIDs projects is an update to the 2003 downtown master plan, which is due out this spring. In 2012, the district added 2,100 feet of new street-scape sidewalks.

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Canton declares 400 homes blighted, adds them to demolition list