"A study about vacant properties in Ohio released earlier this year said vacant and abandoned properties cost Toledo taxpayers at least $3.8 million in 2006 in demolition, boarding-up, grass-mowing, and trash-removal costs.
In fact, Toledo's problem with vacant properties "is poised at the proverbial tipping point," according to a draft report of a study its authors plan to release later this week.
The study was conducted by the National Vacant Properties Campaign and was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Local Initiatives Support Corp., and the city of Toledo.
The study, titled "Toledo at the Tipping Point," states the city has moderate levels of abandonment and vacancy when compared with other cities, but warns "powerful market forces could bring on a vacant property crisis."
While city and county programs have helped keep the number of vacant properties somewhat in check, "without aggressive action and political commitment, the number of vacant properties could quickly increase beyond the reach of local programs," the study states."
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080805/NEWS16/808050319
