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Reinventing Dayton and the Miami Valley Assessment Report (June 2005)National Vacant Properties Campaign
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SECTION FOUR
Use Rehabilitation and Housing Assistance Resources to Prevent and StabilizeSubstandard and Vacant Properties within the Region’s Core Communities
 Immediate steps should be taken to prevent the region’s vacant property problems from gettingworse. The Miami Valley’s core communities should deploy staff and resources across political jurisdictions to help stem the rising tide of mortgage foreclosures, stabilize substandard occupied properties, and abate abandoned buildings. Developing such inter-governmental partnerships would be especially important for the inner-ring communities (e.g., Kettering,Trotwood, Fairborn, Riverside, Harrison Township, and West Carrollton) that still havemanageable levels of abandonment. Such a multi-jurisdictional approach requires a blend of compliance and code enforcement strategies, along with housing rehabilitation resources
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 The assessment report discusses prevention and stabilization into two sections: (1) ways to better coordinate and expand existing rehabilitation resources and housing-assistance programs for landlords and single-family home owners (Section FOUR) and (2) the three types of codeenforcement strategies to prevent and stabilize vacant properties (Section FIVE). The regionshould adopt and then coordinate the implementation of the recommendations contained in bothof these sections as part of a comprehensive approach.
 Like other regions throughout the Northeast and Midwest, Dayton and the Miami Valley mustsimultaneously address two primary fronts in their battle against vacant properties: (1)transitional neighborhoods with substandard properties and habitable vacant homes and (2)distressed neighborhoods with increasing numbers of vacant and abandoned properties. Eachtype of neighborhood demands different strategies. Distressed neighborhoods require moreaggressive actions, such as the revitalization and reclamation of abandoned properties by landbanks, consistent with neighborhood-driven reuse plans (see Section THREE of this report).Transitional neighborhoods often need a balance of code compliance and enforcement strategies,along with rehabilitation resources and repair programs. From the assessment team’s perspective,a top priority is to ensure that abandonment does not spread to more neighborhoods; this can bedone by preserving existing housing and preventing vacant properties in the region’s corecommunities.
Coordinate and Target Community Development Resources to Preserve andRehabilitate Vacant Properties
Dayton and its core communities have a myriad of public and nonprofit programs that facilitatethe preservation and rehabilitation of homes and multi-family dwellings. Led by COUNTYCORP and CityWide, these and other community development organizations counsel new home
 
Reinventing Dayton and the Miami Valley Assessment Report (June 2005)National Vacant Properties Campaign
 2owners and landlords, give repair- and rehabilitation-assistance grants, and develop affordablehousing. Montgomery County and the cities of Dayton and Kettering also have housing-assistance programs, along with public-housing agencies that manage federally and state-subsidized housing efforts.With the exception of the Montgomery County Housing Trust,
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most of these geographicallybased programs rely heavily on federal housing funds (e.g., HOME, CDBG, and Weed ‘n’ Seed)and foundation grants, which they allocate to particular projects within their respective jurisdictions. Many concentrate on one particular aspect of housing, such as first-time homebuyers, home repairs, or affordable-housing construction. Long-term effectiveness of theseindependent efforts could be improved by more regional and local coordination of all resourcestargeted to certain neighborhoods and communities. The goal is to get the right mix of resourcesto address the relevant vacant property problems in those neighborhoods with the greatestrevitalization potential.
POLICY RECOMMENDATION: Inventory and map the region’s community andeconomic development resources and programs as a way to leverage and coordinateresources.
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ACTION ITEM: Compile all programs listed in HUD’s consolidated plans forMontgomery County and Dayton, and then work with the region’s community andeconomic development organizations to ensure a complete inventory of the region’spublic, nonprofit, and private sector resources and programs.
 
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ACTION ITEM:
 
Create a GIS map to determine the existing and the ideal locations forthese public, non-profit, and private resources.
 
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ACTION ITEM:
 
Share the GIS map with economic and community developmentpolicymakers throughout the region.
Preserve the Region’s Traditional Housing Stock and Reclaim ObsoleteHousing
The region’s traditional housing stock is an important asset worth preserving. Many of theneighborhoods that are adjacent to downtown Dayton include a mix of historic homes andMidwestern designs dating back to the 1920s. The inner-ring suburban communities generallyhave the 1940s ramblers and the typical single-story subdivision homes from the 1950s and1960s. With few exceptions, the majority of the region’s housing stock appears to be in goodshape. A concerted rehabilitation initiative could direct resources to the homes and
 
Reinventing Dayton and the Miami Valley Assessment Report (June 2005)National Vacant Properties Campaign
 3neighborhoods with the greatest reinvestment potential. Beyond providing home owners withrehabilitation resources, successful housing-preservation programs often need special zoning andbuilding rules as well as design guidelines and technical assistance.Bungalows that were built during and right after World War II also present a host of policychallenges for the region’s core communities. Scattered throughout the Miami Valley, thesesmall homes (less than 1,000 sq. ft. in area) seem obsolete for most of today’s housing market;they are often more difficult to market and rent, and thus are more likely to become vacant.Moreover, they were not built to last for fifty years, and many are in desperate need of repair oreven demolition. Yet many of them provide moderate- to low-income residents with a goodsource of affordable housing. The region’s housing and real estate leaders should determinewhether a market exists for these small-lot homes and, if so, work with neighborhood residentson innovative ways to repair and redesign them. In regions of the country that have strongerhousing markets, such bungalows have become attractive housing for certain residents.While the Miami Valley’s housing markets and economic prospects are much different thanthose in Chicago, many detached structures in Chicago resemble those in the Miami Valley.Thus, it seems certain that further study of the Historic Chicago Bungalow Initiative couldprovide relevant insights for those dealing with the Miami Valley region’s traditional andobsolete housing stock.Dayton’s Rehab-a-ram
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program is a good local example of a housing preservation-rehabilitationprogram that could be expanded to other neighborhoods and other housing types within theregion. This approach could be applied to obsolete, small-lot housing that is worthy of rehabilitation.
Chicago’s Bungalow Initiative
In 2000, the city of Chicago launched the Historic Chicago Bungalow Initiative, acomprehensive program designed to support the preservation and upgrading of one-and-a-half-story detached brick structures concentrated in an inner-ring area known as the“bungalow belt,” adjacent to the city’s downtown area. To promote these bungalowneighborhoods, Chicago’s initiative includes a certification process and design guidelines forrehabilitation, as well as access to technical assistance and financing for bungalow-renovationprojects. More information about the initiative can be found athttp://www.chicagobungalow.org/index.html. 
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