Many homes sell on Dayton Street without even needing to go to a realtor.

 

In a way, because of private sales, that is a problem for getting comps for some people, but the fact people are willing to take the financial risk to invest 250-750K of their own money in properties is a VERY good thing for all of us.

This is very interesting to me.  If you're talking about pocket listings and sales, the deed transfers are still recorded with the auditor so that's where the comps come from. 

 

I looked up Dayton St. and see the only sales since 1999 were:

850 in 2004 for $234k

 

823 and 825 on 8/21/06 for $80k

and

 

845 on 12/4/08 for $56,600

 

and then 2 in 2009:

811 bought by Deutsche Bank on 2/27/09 for $34k

and

812 by CPA for $10, yes ten dollars, on 7/28/09

 

Are there other deed transfers I'm missing because they are "private"?  What is a "private sale"?

 

*EDIT: Wow, all my images just died, that sucks.

The first one sold for 234,000 and is a Model property, multi unit rental. Model doing a lot of market rate rental in the West End? I will ask Mr. MacDonald tomorrow.  I can't even find on Paul's site anything about the B&B just yet either. He does talk about a 99,000 listing though

http://victorianantiquitiesanddesign.blogspot.com/2009/12/historic-dayton-street-mansion-for-sale.html

The first one sold for 234,000 and is a Model property, multi unit rental.

$234k in 2004 like I said right? Or am I missing something?

I missed it when I originally looked at it.  Sorry.

No problem. Do you know what "private sale" really means?

The transfer amount still has to be recorded at the recorders office which would show on the auditors site. If the dollar amount of the transaction is not shown, you can back into the number by looking at taxes paid. The MLS is only showing info on transactions involving agents and is what most appraisers will use as comps but the auditors site and the recorders office shows everything. Even improvement amounts have to be recorded on there because the new value will be taxable.

The transfer amount still has to be recorded at the recorders office which would show on the auditors site. If the dollar amount of the transaction is not shown, you can back into the number by looking at taxes paid. The MLS is only showing info on transactions involving agents and is what most appraisers will use as comps but the auditors site and the recorders office shows everything. Even improvement amounts have to be recorded on there because the new value will be taxable.

My thoughts exactly, that's why I was confused...because if it's outside of a realtor or MLS that's fine but to dodge the auditor would be a sticky wicket that I wouldn't want to try.

815 Dayton is coming up for sheriff auction.

 

A0906451 DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST CO OLDHAM, MARYLYN 815 DAYTON ST CINTI JOHN CLUNK 330-436-0300 $78,000.00 $52,000.00 1/21/2010

I'm only vaguely familiar with the area but I'm astounded at the impressive quality of the exterior architecture.  What more do you know about Dayton St. MLR?

 

Do you know anyone that might bid on it?

That is a mortgage foreclosure and the bank will probably be bidding on it to the amount they are owed.  Here is the link to the full list.

http://www.hcso.org/PublicServices/ExecutionSales/ExecPropertySales.aspx

 

scroll to the bottom and hit agree.  The very bottom of the next page is tax foreclosures and those only give parcel id numbers that you will have to match up on the auditors site.  Sometimes you can get the real steals off the tax foreclosures but it takes more work.

^thank you!  I wonder how they could streamline the system to make it easier and more conducive to a positive outcome for the neighborhood/city.

The 10.00 transacrion was a "Hauck House museum House" and it was a transfer from one non profit preservation group to CPA . CPA put out an PFP (Request for Proposals) last year and I understand it is supposed to be operated as another Museum. These transaction between non profiits do not reflect "market value' because clearly Hauck House is work more than that . The auditors site says 160K I believe and thats probably unrealistically low. Market for that house would likely be over 300K if it ever sold publically.

 

Several of the homes are under restoration over there and permits (I believe) take some time to kick in (probably after final inspections) and then there would be a transfer of that information) Some of those houses may be under tax abatement 10yr tax abatement 15 for LEED. I know alot of people got some pretty hefty equity lines a few years back ( when you could get equity lines) and spent it well on restoration

 

Here are some links to photos I have taken on Dayton:

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/victiques/DaytonStreetHistoricDistrict#

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/victiques/SecondEmpireTownhouse#

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/victiques/824DaytonStreet#

 

 

811 Dayton

^Yes!  Someone else who calls it the Nolibs!  Holy crap!

^^But really, I'm not surprised that it feels dangerous there on Elm.  And I don't see it getting better there for another five years.  At least.

I don't really consider it dangerous like west philly or the the tenderloin

 

GFI,

It's a relative thing. To people from Cincinnati, OTR and West end seems lilke a dangerous place.

 

I've been restoring in urban neighborhoods for 20 plus years now. More than once I was the only owner occupant on the block, or several blocks. I've had to stare down drug dealers, prosititues and I even had someone empty a gun clip at a house I was restoring while I was in it.

 

I bought one house that had a murder two days before closing on the front porch. My first official project when I closed was hosing the blood off the porch.

 

I guess it depends on what you've seen. OTR and West end seem like the burbs compared to some neighborhoods I've restored in. I guess its just your perspective.

 

I like Dayton St too and we almost bought there, but we needed more space and the place in Knox Hill is on 2 lots and gives me room for carriage house. Of course the Fairmount area is a 'dangerous' place too! I thought people on city data forum were going to have coronary when I told them I bought there, but those people are afraid to get off the freeway when they come downtown.

RestorationConsultant and everyone else on here who does the kind of work you just described, there's a special place in heaven for you. 

 

I think the first thing that must be done in Cincy and OTR especially is to stop all 'nuisance demos' or at least save the facades.  How can I help make this happen?  Please, I want to help.

Seth,

 

I think the best thing anyone can do who wants to save Cincinnati architecture is to talk about it. Of course, on here, we are all preaching to the choir.

 

I mean other forums, other cities, anywhere architecture, particularly Victorian architecture, is discussed.

 

I am currently working on a book about Second Empire Architecture of Cincinnati that will hopefully be out later this year, I still have some things to get to my publisher becasue I keep locating more houses. People, if they know anything at all about Cincinnati, tend to know it for it's Italianate Architecture, yet Cincinnati may have the largest collection of Second Empire Architecture in the midwest yet few know about it.

 

The first time I came to Cincinnati I was absolutely blown away.  there are 12 Second Empire in my neighborhood alone yet some cities the size of Cincinnati may have only 1 or 2.  Cincinnati may have close to 10,000 remaining.

 

In fact, when I have preservationists I know, coming in from out of town, I warn them that they are not prepared for what they are about to see and bring extra memory drives for the camera because you will fill it in nothing flat. Cincinnati has some of the best architecture in the nation.

 

So promoting our architecture to anyone who will listen, is, in my opinion, the best way to save it. That will bring Out-of-State people in and there simply are not enough preservationists in Cincy to restore it all.

 

Of course if you win the lottery I can make you a list of things to buy!

YES!!! I'm so glad that the "NoLib" designation is catching on for the area of Over-the-Rhine north of Liberty.  But why the added s on the end from some of you?

YES!!! I'm so glad that the "NoLib" designation is catching on for the area of Over-the-Rhine north of Liberty.  But why the added s on the end from some of you?

 

The "Northern Liberties"

 

http://www.findlaymarket.org/north_liberties_otr.htm

^Oh, ok.  So NoLibs it is then.

I don't think it was a mistake, I proudly live in the nolibs part of OTR.

From the CPA Coordinator's picasa photo page: Lonely Buildings - http://picasaweb.google.com/CPAcoordinator/LonelyBuildings

Yeah, see my thread from 2 years ago, when I argued that OTR north of Liberty should be designated as a separate neighborhood.  I listed my reasons.

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,16374.0.html

^ Brewery District.

 

Though I do love Northern Liberties, enough of this "NoLibs" crap.

I find it somehwat ironic that people argue about what to call an neighborhood that is in serious danger of being bulldozed by a city government who lives for "demo monies' from the Feds.

 

However it brings up a interesting point. OTR is a huge area as a historic district. Yet there are distinct neighborhoods within it. Gateway is a pretty cohesive neighborhood, Findlay Market is a neighborhood, Pendleton is a neighborhood. Some areas however are essentialy block clubs or 5 or 6 people on an otherwise abandoned block who are in the same boat together and organized based on a common need. Others are still a wasteland devoid of any life at all.

 

That may be part of the problem with OTR from a preservation standpoint and may point to a larger problem that holds preservation back. Cincinnati has 52 official "neighborhoods" Most of them are so large as to make any sort of effective governance or consesus building impossible. Other cities Cincinnati's size may have 200-300 neighborhoods and they have their own specific issues . Those smaller neighborhoods and block clubs generally act under the umbrella of a larger neighborhood usually a Not for profit "development' group that funnels the monies into the specific areas.And it works pretty well in those cities. But the neighbrohoods that know their own issues best fight the battles, and other neighborhoods will join them on key issues.

 

I think one of the things holding back OTR is the lack of neighborhood building. By that I mean "small organizations" at the local block levels feeding up to one larger organization that can act as unified voice for the entire area and more effectively lobby city officials on the 'big picture' items.

 

We had to form our own neighborhood organization of Knox Hill because it was impossible to get things done at the community council level of South Fairmount or North Fairmount, both of whom "cringe" at the idea of historic preservation.

 

In one year we have brought new people in who are restoring. Set up a neighbrohood website and crime watch, actively taken on the city over its demo policy and "VBML redlining" and will make our application for National Historic District this year. That would never have happened under the community council model which I view as very "political" and "tightly controlled" by the city, which doesnt like "loose cannons groups" , highly motivated neighborhood groups and residents, not beholding to city handouts, that are willing to fight to save their neighborhoods from a city government they see as part of the problem, not the solution. We are an track to go somewhere and frankly in an area the city "wrote off" a long time ago as expendable.

 

I think Cincinnati's Preservationists need to stop "begging" the city to "let them save buildings"' and start saying "hey we are going to fix this and you can help if you want, but please get out of our way. We are tired of the roadblocks to turnaround."

 

There is a reason that Convington and Newport are turning around while OTR struggles. Its the attitude of their local government there who seem to see Preservation/restoration as an economic opportunity.

There is a reason that Convington and Newport are turning around while OTR struggles. Its the attitude of their local government there who seem to see Preservation/restoration as an economic opportunity.

 

Once again, the dynamics at play here are much more complex than that.  None of us like the fact that historic structures are being torn down throughout Cincinnati, but the reality is that local governments function off of the allocation of scarce resources.  There are a dozen or so historic neighborhoods in Cincinnati that are well preserved and easily out number the amount of preserved properties in both Newport and Covington.  It's simply a numbers game...so can we stop this "well Newport/Covington are doing so much better" crap?

^Agreed. Why doesn't anyone point to Mt. Adams, Hyde Park, East Walnut Hills or Clifton and talk about how well Cincinnati has done? These areas account for probably about the same area as the preserved sections of Newport and Covington.  Also, I recently got hopelessly lost in Covington, and there were definitely areas that were in terrible condition, and pock marked with demolitions. 

 

^^

I think its a little hyperbolical to claim that Cincinnati will look like Detroit in 10 years unless the demolitions stop.  There are large swaths of Cincinnati that are already preserved, and thus not in danger of having a Detroitesque situation happening.  The main battle ground neighborhoods for preservation are OTR, whatever is left of the West End, Northside, some of the near West Side communities (Price Hill, Westwood, LPH, etc), and some of the Uptown neighborhoods, like Avondale and Evanston.  OTR is undergoing massive investment, and if the streetcar becomes a reality, I think OTR will see investment on a far greater scale.  Northside is getting a lot of love these days, the West End saw the huge City West development, which has yet to build out.  Price Hill and Westwood I believe have started to stabilize.  Avondale and Evanston present challenges, but really I think that does not point to a doomsday scenario.  Maybe the reason Restoration Consultant is so alarmed is because he is focusing his efforts in an all but forgotten part of the city.  Fairmount, South Fairmount, and Knox Hill are way off the beaten path, and I'd be willing to bet the vast majority of Cincinnatians couldn't even tell you where they were located, let alone anything about them. 

Before we start 'congratulating' ourselves how far we've come. Points to consider

 

http://cagisperm.hamilton-co.org/cpop/vacantbuildings.aspx

 

There are 2430 properties on the keep vacant and condemn list as of today. The city is adding between 25-40 properties per month to the nuisance list and they just upped the hearings to twice a month! Not to mention the VBML orders they are passing out like candy all over town, the minute a property hits foreclosure. A very high number of the VBML's are on prepros meaning they are headed to nuisance

 

Facts to consider:

The city alone has demoed 613 properties since 2004

City will get additional 2.4 mill in stimulus for demo plus the 1.1 M in CDBG funds this year alone.

At its current rates the city Nuisance Board is on track to add 3000-4800 MORE properties to the Nuisance list in the next 10 years.

 

The city demoed 179 properties just last year. (a record) Extrapolate for 10 years that is minimum 1790 structures and those are just City demoed. There are hundreds of demo permits pulled every year by property owners and Banks, once they get the nuisance declaration.  Meaning we could see the loss of between 3-6000 structures this decade. Loss of structures means loss of property tax base meaning property taxes will go up to cover shortfalls and we will see more levy requests.

 

Higher taxes=slower growth and reinvestment.

 

Some partial breakdows by neighborhoods on the list right now: E. Walnut Hills 20, Walnut Hills 126, Clifton 16, Avondale 117,Bond Hill 32, Hartwell 27 , Columbia Tusculum 17, Camp Washington 21. Over the Rhine 319. East End 19,Corryville 19, East Price Hill 221, Hyde Park 4, Lower Price Hill 50, MT Auburn 126, Mt Adams 4, North Avondale 36, N Fairmount 68, Northside 158, Oakley 8, Pendleton Arts 22, Sedamsville 45, S.Cummingsvile 45, South Fairmount 199, West End 138, West Price Hill 129, Westwood 72. Either ordered kept vacant (VBML) or condemned

 

In some of the smaller neighborhoods even small numbers represent huge gaps in the streetscape. Some blocks of Avondale will be delpeted by 60-70 percent. Go on google earth and look at some of the neighborhoods from aerial. We have lost huge chunks of neighborhoods. Every VBML property means it will likely sit there since you can't get loans on them and adjacient property values are reduced when you have vacant houses OR empty lots.

 

At OTR's current rate of Building Permits it could take 75-90 YEARS to rehabiltate all the property. Most of it will be lost by demo by neglect.

 

Also Note: Historic District ONLY protects a property from demo using Federal Funds. The city can use Local funds for demo  in Historic Districts and there is no recourse under current city ordinance to stop it.

 

The City is in "escalation mode" and with more stimulus money comes more demolition.

 

No bank will loan on a VBML or condemned property meaning most will need be restored with private funds, if at all. There are only so many Prservation minded people in Cincinnati, we need to attract another 20000 people just to make dent in what needs to be restored. Hard to do when  you are demoing 100-150 year old houses every other day.

 

I am doing restoration cost estimates right now on a building I am considering, a relatively small commercial building in OTR and I will spend between 350-400K of my own money in restoration costs "just" to get it  up to code and ready to put my business in. Not to mention the mountain of red tape with city officials which adds about 10-15K to the cost.

 

No denying, some progress has been made, but we are losing the battle right now.

 

A Detroit Scenario is not that far fetched if you look at those statistics.

 

I too agree that the Detroit comparison is sensationalist.  It took far more than an "escalation mode" in city policy towards demolishing properties in Detroit to get it where it's at today.  It P&G, Kroger and 5/3 all shut down or moved out then I might be more willing to agree, but our economy hasn't been obliterated in any way remotely comparable to Detroit's.  To that end, I even find it ridiculous to compare Cincinnati to Cleveland in terms of demolitions and lost urban fabric.  It's just an absurd correlation to try to make.

 

Lets focus on what Cincinnati could be doing better based on its specific conditions instead of making these outlandish comparisons and belittling the work that has been done by investors, city leaders and community activists.

Don't the numbers kind of speak for themselves though? 

The house two doors down from our house restoration was turned in for open window on 08/13/2009. The house is going through foreclosure, the owner has abandoned it to the bank and the bank is delaying initiating foreclosure because they dont want to be stuck with it. The city boarded it and the former owner informed the city he let it go back to the bank. They escalated it TO him to VBML same month ( he already relinquished it) in December it was condemned!

 

4 Months from a open window, to VBML, to condemn? I am sure they will schedule it for nuisance and demo hearing soon.

 

The house has no structural issue. It does have 1 bad rear porch post. The guy spent 40 grand having new windows and siding put on it.His mistake was he tried to convert it to triplex illegally. Anyone could come in and easily restore it. Sure it will need a furnace and copper. The first things they steal BUT there is NO REASON for this house should be condemned.

 

It would be a contributing structure to our Historic registy nomination for the district. 1895 Queen Anne Victorian with two story bay window owned by people of note in Cincinnati history. Likely eligible for individual listing. I have been in the house NO STRUCTURAL ISSUES you do not condemn a house for bad porch post!

 

My question is who is getting a kickbacks to fast track this stuff to demo ?  BEFORE the bank even initiates foreclosure? Since the VBML is enforceable as a lien for failure to pay, why wouldn't the city file suit (which they are suposed to do under the ordinance )and notify the mortgage holder unless their goal is that Federal demo money?

 

There are serious problems going on. I only hope HUD decides to yank the city's NSP and CDBG funds for lack of Section 106 review. Maybe if the city gets it's Federal funding yanked it might be willing to start following Federal Law?

Let us all be united in saving as much as possible.

 

Is anyone here a member of CPA?  Is that a good thing to be a part of for the good of OTR?  Is there a way to donate money just for use in OTR?  Is anyone in CPA/City Hall awake and listening to the people who are involved with taking OTR into an urbanist future?  Is 3CDC a viable choice for support of preservation/restoration?

 

Is anyone from CPA here?

^The Over-the-Rhine Foundation or Cincinnati Preservation Association would be great organizations to give your money to help save and restore OTR.

This one in West Price Hill/ Covedale is no more!

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&hq=&hnear=Cincinnati,+Hamilton,+Ohio&ll=39.125422,-84.60401&spn=0,359.997573&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=39.125498,-84.604062&panoid=5YDbQbALWCxpa6-uz1ykog&cbp=12,214.45,,0,-1.46

Thanks Rando.

 

Oakiehigh, that's too bad.  Maybe it'll be replaced with something like the Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken like the lot next door.  Highest and best use, yippee!

I think our concern should be that our city doesn't recognize the significance of what it has compared to most cities. Architecturally Cincinnati has the largest collection of Italianate structures in the midwest. It also has one of the largest colection of Second Empire Houses in the United States, estimated at slightly over 10000. Some cities the s1ze of Cincinnati has just a handful of Second Empire homes. For example Indianpolis a city 3 times Cincinnati's size has 3! We do not think twice about demoing one of these here.

 

My point is CIncinnati was a fully developed  MAJOR city long before many of the other midwestern cities were even developed. There is  quality of early housing we are losing 1850-1880 that isn't being lost in other cities because they were not even built yet.

 

After Katrina I donated a lot of my time to the rebuilding effort down there. I was writing restoration plans and specs for houses that people here wouldn't give a second glance too. Small shotgun and creole cottages (600-800 sq feet)that were very simple. The 'shacks" in Price hill are mansions by comparison. BUT that city in the face of one of the greatest Modern disaster was trying to save EVERYTHING they could. We tear down potentially nationally eligible property here every other day at the current rate.

 

Cincinnati's economy has faired better than most but a 10 yr high in vacant office rates is troubling for the future. During the first nine months of 2009, foreclosures in the seven Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky counties rose 5.6 percent - outpacing statewide growth in foreclosure in both Ohio and Kentucky.

 

In most cities those foreclosures would be 1960's 3 bedroom tract homes, In cincinnati it's 1870's Italianates and Second Empires. Thats the big difference. True, Cleveland ,Dayton, Columbus are losing older houses but its what we are losing here that is the big problem. We do not have a land bank, we do not have an active dollar house program. The city owns property that suffering from demolition by neglect.

 

Indianapolis GREW its downtown by 40000 people over just the last few years. Cincinnati gained a few hundred people downtown. We are not making an effort to actively recuit people to move to Cincinnati (which certainly does  have alot going for it) to buy our Historic homes. We do not even advertise what we have nationally. Most people outside of Cincinnati  would decribe the citys main attraction  as Kings Island or the zoo not its' Architecture.

 

We do not have regional market ads that show a packed Findlay Market, Grand manions of Avondale and West End. I've given alot of tours last year to Preservationists from out of state and they are completely blown away by thr architecture we have and shocked we are letting it fall down.

I think RestorationConsultant has a lot of great things to say and we (those with a Cincy frame of mind) should consider what he has to say.  I've heard too much talk like "Well, what do you do with the old buildings if no one moves into them and they aren't fitting into the economic model?"  That's garbage and should not be the way we look at revitalization in OTR. 

 

The more we lose, the more we lose.  Get it?

I agree, but we've got to create an economic structure that has the people and businesses there to move into these buildings.  This is capitalism and in the end there has to be a user for the space in order to make a strong argument to preserve it.

 

I'm saying this to play devil's advocate here, because inevitably we must answer these economic questions (beyond simply stating that tourism dollars will follow) in order to move our cause forward.

Yes, but as we see real revitalization coming into OTR (mostly from the CBD/south), we should hold off on demolitions since it is feasible these buildings that are currently economically obsolete may not be for long.

Is it legal to place a demolition moratorium on a designated area?

I think we have to, as much as this is an odd comparison,as parts of OTR are like a shopping mall. For example take the area around Findlay Market. The city holds title to several properties

near the market. You need "anchor tenants."

 

Why not sell those for a dollar to pre-screened people with strong Business Plans who have financial resources? Right now they generate NO REVENUE. Why are they holding them?

 

Let's create a Findlay Market Redevelopment Zone, two blocks in each direction. All property sold in that zone would have ALL Back Taxes Forgiven to any "Qualified Buyer" who submits to review process. Eliminate VBML fees to all new buyers (No waiver process). No City of Cincinnati PERMIT FEES for restoration. All current VBML and Condemn orders are converted to repair orders.

with a specific list of repairs that each building needs.

 

Combine that with a 25,000.00 Facade grant using CDBG funding for new owners. Offer a 15,000.00 PaintUp/Fix up grant to any current owner who wants to sell to paint his Building in Preservation Colors and repair storefronts. These grants would be outright grants and only repayable if the owner sells within 5 years of completion of the project. The city would retain a lien until the property is developed.

 

Create an URBAN Homestead Program to encourage owner occupancy for Mixed use retail/residential space and set up a consortium of local banks to create a loan pool combined with a 25,000 Homestead Grant (CDBG funded) for downpayment assistance.

 

Create an Adopt a Block program bringing in local key business partners to adopt a block in the area and do neighborhood cleanups, tree planting, creation of Thumbnail parks.

 

Utilize college students pursuing careers in Architecture, construction management and Historic preservation to create Education work projects in the area. Students would work in the field and gain valuable hands-on experience and credit towards their degree.

 

Use High school students as part of a Construction Trades

training program to restore houses in the area. Student earn credits and possibly a small stipend.

 

City Small  Parking Lot Cooperative, secured neighborhood parking lots for area residents so street parking is available for business.

 

Eliminate ALL Parking meters in OTR north of Liberty street for the next 7 Years.

 

Partner with a developer to take the surface parking lot North of Findlay  Market and develop it into a two level Underground parking garage with Street Level Retail (restaurants, nightclubs and boutiques) with low rise 2 story townhouse condos above that will compliment the architecture of Findlay market.

 

Create a Findlay Market Main Street Program with the

National Historic Trust Main Street Program to regionaly market the Findlay area to a surrounding 7 state area. This would take the form of Print and Television Ads in regional marketplaces.

 

A CPD Crime Reduction Squad to target known hotspots, with foot patrols, and area monitored survelience system

 

Addition of street level lighting and sidewalk repairs throughout the development area.

 

Almost all of this can be done with Federal program money. Letting go of property the city already owns and converting demolition funding to development uses along with key business partnerships.

Great, realistic ideas. 

 

:clap:

Is it legal to place a demolition moratorium on a designated area?

 

Courts have generally held that as far as private property goes owners may do whatever they want, including demolition.

 

You can control demolition by dramatically raising fees, requiring the demolition ONLY be done by a license demolition contractor who must post appropriate bonds with the city and you require a zoning review process which adds greatly to the cost. Change the current ordinance so that as part of demolition the owner is required to maintain a 12 foot landscaped 'buffer zone at fromt and back of lot and further require that all lots be fenced to prevent dumping. OTR, being a historic district, that would mean a period appropriate wrought iron or aluminum fencing. You also deny Demolition Permits to any owner who has orders against other properties AND require all delinquent taxes be paid prior to issuance of permit.

 

 

In short you can create a 'dis-incentive' to demolish.

 

^What is the rationale for getting rid of the parking meters?

^ I would imagine it would remove a (psychological) roadblock to people coming to the area. First they come to the area to patronize the shops and Findlay Market. Then, for the new residents who still have cars, they will have somewhere to park their cars for free, at least temporarily.

Other cities that have attempted to revilize business districts routinely remove parking meters from underutilized areas as a way to spur economic development and patronage. People circle the Findlay Market Area on weekends for example trying to park in one of the "free lots at Findlay Market.

 

It doesn't help to have the meter patrols out there writing tickets on Saturday. Ive had people tell me they would go to Findlay but the free lots are always full and they won't pay the meters.

 

There is at time a serious parking shortage when the market is busy. The best use of the North Lot would be underground parking with retail/residential above and you would eliminate the visual "hole' in the area

 

 

The removal of parking meters in that area probably wouldn't be a bad idea.  You could also remove the meters and post signs of 2hr limits which seems to work well in Midtown Atlanta (far more dense and far more active).  You could also transition the streets (not around Findlay necessarily) into residential permit parking zones to help further encourage residential investment.

 

With that said, it can be a political impossibility to remove parking meters that transportation departments claim are bringing in huge revenues even when they're not.

Yeah, there are some parking meters in NoLibs that can't make but $1.00 per month, max.  How about just free parking on Saturdays in addition to Sundays? That's when most people who are driving into the area for retail would be coming, anyways. 

 

Although people might not notice; I'm surprised how many times I've seen people park their cars and put money in the meter at midnight, completely ignoring the "meters active 8am - 6pm" they stare right at.