Community Properties celebrates demolition of problem property

September 21, 2004— Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, City Attorney Rick Pfeiffer and other community leaders participated in a public celebration on Sept. 21, 2004, to mark the beginning of demolition of the apartment building at 228 E. Eighth Ave. at Hamlet Street. Community Properties of Ohio owns the building, which was part of the former Broad Street Portfolio of Section 8 housing. The property has long been a problem with numerous police runs and reports of criminal activity. The building’s design makes it difficult to manage and it is out of character with the rest of the neighborhood. Community Properties of Ohio Management Services (CPOMS) worked with Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority to obtain Section 8 vouchers for the remaining building residents.

Before he mounted demolition equipment to strike the first blow against the building, Mayor Coleman held up a thick stack of papers which detailed 753 calls to Columbus Police since 1998 reporting criminal activity, violence and other problems involving this property. “We are here to make sure that violence and crime are not a part of this Weinland Park neighborhood,” Mr. Coleman said. Property manager Josh Martin coordinates CPOMS’s “Eliminate the Elements” crime prevention program. He told the audience that the demolition was only one part of the crime prevention program. With support from a federal grant secured by Congresswoman Deborah Pryce, CPOMS leases a Columbus Police cruiser and employs 24 police officers on special duty 72 hours per week to follow up public safety matters affecting CPO properties. CPOMS also carefully screens housing applicants, requires residents to abide by terms of their leases, and encourages residents to participate in block watches, neighborhood civic associations and crime prevention programs. CPOMS doesn’t have specific plans for the future use of the lot at 228 E. Eighth, although one temporary use may be a community garden. CPOMS welcomes suggestions from neighbors for future uses.

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Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment, Inc.
1824 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43201
(614) 294-7300; fax (614) 294-7333