Akron Mayor Shammas Malik wants to support new affordable housing in the city, help with minor home repairs and help fund needed demolitions, among other housing priorities in the capital budget City Council is due to vote on Monday.
The budget proposal includes new programs, like one that would provide downpayment assistance to new homeowners in the city and another that would help some homes in Akron get solar panels, reducing energy bills.
But it also includes the continuation of programs like a state-funded lead paint-remediation program, and the expansion of some that can benefit from additional funds. The $80,000 proposal for community gardens is a “slight increase” over what the city now provides to Let’s Grow Akron, Planning Director Kyle Julien said, because the group is doing good work with innovative programming to help make healthy food more available.
Increasing housing options in Akron
Efforts to increase affordable housing abound. The city is funding three projects City Council approved previously to the tune of $1.85 million — the multiyear contracts mean that the remaining $250,000 to subsidize the 43 apartments at 65 Nickel St. in West Hill will be paid this year.
That project, near the I Promise housing complex and with access to the towpath and a bus line, is a unique approach to building affordable housing, Julien said. It also includes a playground.
The other two projects are in earlier stages. The Collinson, an existing senior apartment building with 101 units in East Akron, needs to have major upgrades made to its electrical and other systems. Wintergreen Ledges, on Vernon Odom Boulevard, is a new-construction project with 120 units and a mix of affordability. Between the two, the city expects to contribute $480,000 in subsidies this year to move the projects forward.
The city is also partnering to help build houses in Summit Lake, where the government owns more than 100 parcels. Akron’s efforts are a “strategic opportunity to kickstart revitalization,” Julien said.
“We want to encourage housing there,” he said.
The city plans to put $350,000 toward subsidizing the cost of 10 homes in the area, so they will be affordable. Julien said he’d be “thrilled” if 15 or 20 houses were under construction this year in Summit Lake. The intention is to build a mixed-income community there.
The budget proposal also calls for $220,000 for new construction; that money is also intended to be subsidies for affordable housing projects like Habitat for Humanity’s Silver Maple Ridge development, Julien said. He said the city’s money can help enable some organizations to begin development by allowing them to recoup some costs.
“It’s an inducement to find other sources” of money, he said.
Repairing homes, or demolishing them
The city’s funds can also help make it easier for people to stay in the homes they’re in by making them more accessible. The $400,000 the city is proposing be made available for minor home repair would help add wheelchair ramps and make other small improvements for elderly and handicapped city residents.
It can also pay for furnaces, plumbing, electrical and other work that can keep homes habitable, said Eufrancia Lash, the director of neighborhood assistance.
And with $400,000 going toward demolishing vacant, abandoned and dilapidated homes, garages and buildings, Lash said the city has a list of about 90 properties that it would like to tear down this year — the majority are residential properties.
Last year, nearly 100 properties were demolished, he said. There’s still a substantial number in the queue, though, waiting to be torn down — more than 200, said Duane Groeger, the housing compliance division manager.
Tearing down the houses helps reduce community blight, Lash said.
“We’re going to make a huge dent in our overall list,” Lash said. “The number is going to be reduced greatly.”
