Canton focused on removing blighted homes and buildings

In an effort to prioritize revitalization, Canton City Council approved plans for a new program meant to help property owners develop on blighted properties.

The Demolition Assistance Program, funded with $100,000, will help cover up to 50% of the cost of residential or commercial demolitions to grant recipients. Residential demolitions could be allotted up to $15,000 and $30,000 for commercial properties.

"These grants are available, geared toward demolition or geared toward spurring development," Canton Mayor William Sherer II said. "We’re developing and finalizing a plan to start investing in Canton’s neighborhood one block at a time."

News 5 has covered extensively the ongoing push to tackle blighted buildings in Northeast Ohio, including $150 million from the state so far as part of a neighborhood revitalization program to make room for what’s next.

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This program would add to the city’s already $750,000 yearly budget to tackle the issue of clearing out dilapidated properties.

On top of that, Sherer hopes to see another $500,000 added to the annual budget to address blighted homes and the problems that come with them.

"We need to save what we can save because housing issues in this country are a major problem," Sherer said. "[But] you can have one house on one block that’s going to bring a whole neighborhood down, so we need to take an aggressive position on that."

Chris Hardesty, Canton's director of cconomic development, told News 5 the grant applications are scheduled to open to the public beginning Monday.

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