DaytonDailyNews.com

Washington — More than 10 percent of the housing units in Springfield are vacant, according to Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is pushing a bill aimed at creating a grant program to demolish vacant housing units, find new uses for old structures and create green space.

The proposal is broader than the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, a new federal program administered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development that allows cities and counties to demolish or rehab vacant properties.

This proposal, he said, is focused on encouraging cities and communities to develop plans to redevelop vacant lots.

The proposal, which Brown is pushing with U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, would target cities that have seen at least a 20 percent increase since 1970 or have experienced population, job and income loss resulting in high levels of housing vacancy.

Springfield, for example, has seen a 23 percent population decline between 1970 and 2000.