A city program designed to refurbish abandoned properties is under scrutiny.
The Abell Foundation says the city should not scrap the Vacants to Value program, but in her research Joan Jacobson of the Abell Foundation says city officials have overstated its success, when they claimed the program has refurbished nearly 1,600 homes in its first four years.
The Abell Foundation says the city should not scrap the Vacants to Value program, but in her research Joan Jacobson of the Abell Foundation says city officials have overstated its success, when they claimed the program has refurbished nearly 1,600 homes in its first four years.
Jacobson said her research found the city had not issued building permits for 200 of the properties to allow the renovations to take place, and another 300 properties were bought by investors not involved with the program.
The report found the city did not offer enough financial assistance to homeowners looking to purchase and renovate properties, and the the program was not producing enough affordable housing.
Jacobson told WBAL NewsRadio 1090, the program has ignored whole sections of the city that has abandoned houses, but she notes the program has had a very positive impact in Oliver, McElderry Park, and Greenmount West.
Jacobson says the city's next mayor should continue the program, but make improvements to it.
This morning, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake told WBAL's Bryan Nehman that the program while "not perfect," the program has helped remove blight in the city.
Source WBAL
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