Homesteading: Let’s give the land away to young families

Columns

July 24, 2010

By Michele Deluca Niagara Gazette The Niagara Gazette Sat Jul 24, 2010, 10:37 PM EDT

NIAGARA FALLS — Every day, when I leave the parking lot of the Niagara Gazette, I drive the streets through the neighborhoods and see the remnants of a once vigorous section.

The neighborhoods around the downtown area are a mix of untended vacant lots, abandoned homes and ragged rentals. But interspersed throughout the decline are carefully tended homes with potted flowers and gardens. People live in those homes who care deeply about their properties and tend to them carefully.

Let’s call them the good neighbors. I really care about the good neighbors. I wrote a story about some of them a few weeks ago, noting that between the abandoned houses on Elmwood Avenue, homes were tidy and loved, including one with sweet white wicker furniture on its porch. The same day the paper hit the streets the furniture was stolen.

Don’t get me started on how the criminals in this city read the newspaper to get ideas on who to rip off.

The good news is that the city is doing more than they’ve ever done to bring the good neighbors some relief.

They’re committing more money than ever to demolish vacant buildings, about $1.6 million this year.

Mayor Paul Dyster already has had several conversations with my very favorite non-profit, Buffalo Reuse, which employs and teaches people to carefully deconstruct abandoned houses and then resells the best parts of what is left in a resale/reuse store on Buffalo’s east side. The concept is brilliant and I have long been wishing for someone to create Niagara ReUse. It looks like the mayor is working to do just that.

The mayor told me he also was watching state lawmakers who are trying to create a land banks bill. The law would follow the lead of cities like Cleveland and Atlanta that would allow the city to act quicker against vacant and tax delinquent structures. The bill would give the city more power to act quickly and better manage vacant properties according to Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, the Buffalo Democrat who sponsored the bill.

I think we should be giving away the abandoned lots and structures. Give them for free to the young and energetic families with good credit histories who can show they can get money to fix or build. Make them commit to five years.

What we get out of the deal is exactly what this city needs, young families who homestead a property, investing their own sweat and energy until the property becomes a home too precious to leave.

Their kids will go to city schools. Their incomes will pay city taxes. And Niagara Falls will get fresh new energy to help it come alive again.

Contact reporter Michele DeLuca

at 282-2311, ext. 2263.

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