Blight Elimination Program

Program Facts

• There are estimated to be approximately 50,000 blighted or abandoned properties within Indiana.
• The US Department of Treasury initially approved the usage of $75 million for Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority’s Hardest Hit Funds allocations (HHF).

Hardest Hit Funds (HHF)

• Federally-funded in 2010
• Provided $7.6 billion to 18 states hit the hardest by the economy/housing market.
• Fund local foreclosure prevention and neighborhood stabilization efforts

Properties eligible for Blight Elimination Program

• Residential
• 4 units or less
• Vacant
• Score high enough on a site evaluation matrix
• Not on any historic register (local, state, federal)
• Not mixed-use

Eligibility

• Application was released in 2014
• Wayne County part of Division 4 (Bartholomew, Boone, Dearborn, Floyd, Grant, Hancock, Howard, Kosciusko, Morgan, Warrick, Wayne Counties)
• Division 4 initially allocated $8.7 million for all awarded applicants

The City of Richmond’s Target Area

• From 2008-2014, properties in foreclosure or those assessed as being in poor or very poor condition were mapped and became basis for identifying scope.
• The identified neighborhoods were Fairview, Baxter, Elizabeth Starr, Starr Parkside, Old Richmond, and Vaile.

Initial research highlighted that within the identified target area

• 66% of homes were in poor condition or worse condition (as categorized by the Wayne County Assessor's Office)
• the total quantity of foreclosures totaled 48% of the total foreclosures within the City of Richmond
• 54% of the properties were identified as having their Richmond Power & Light meters removed (often indicating vacancy)

Process

• A licensed contractor on contract with the City was required to handle all demolition.
• The municipal landfill handled all waste disposal.
• Site clean-up required basement and cellar back filling as well as regrading, seeding, and strawing.
• The City of Richmond maintained responsibility for land upkeep until the end user received the property.
• By the end of 2019, 203 blighted properties will have been demolished.

End-User Process

• Any interested adjacent property owners interested in taking on ownership of sites had to complete a letter of interest, and properties were then divided based on how many adjacent property owners were involved.
• Habitat was given right of first refusal for all lots that were suitable for infil housing.
• Those lots with no interested were offered to Sprout of Control for Community Gardens.
• Timeline for transfer of ownership depended on title status and court processes.