The Dayton Daily News reported on the program and the state of nuisance properties in the city.
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“I would definitely love to see them knocked down,” said Marquita Johnson, 33, who lives on a street with multiple nuisance structures in the Westwood neighborhood. She calls them “abandos.”
“There’s been so much commotion about people going into abandos and sitting on abandos and I would love for them to be gone,” she said.
Johnson, 33, has lived on the 100 block of Huron Avenue in the Westwood neighborhood for about six years. During that time multiple decaying homes around her have been torn down.
One blighted home was used for drug activity, she said, and shady characters regularly hung out on the porch.
Johnson said she does not let her young children play outside too often because of safety concerns.
A couple of nuisance properties still remain on her block, including a home at 110 Huron Ave. Johnson said she has seen people enter the home, presumably for illicit reasons.
Johnson said eliminating the remaining nuisance structures could boost interest in the area.
Once they are gone, developers might consider building new homes or property owners might decide to spruce up their properties, she said.
“And it would be way better on the eyes,” she said.
Johnson’s 70-year-old neighbor, Johnnie Webb, lives one lot over from a nuisance property at 125 Huron Ave.
Webb said the property is infested with critters that sometimes find their way into her yard and home.
About a year ago, a raccoon got inside her house and attacked her dog, which she said resulted in trip to the vet.
“I’m glad it didn’t bite me because I was in the middle of it,” Webb said. “I didn’t know what to do, so I took off my shoe and started beating it.”
Webb, who has lived on Huron Avenue since she was in the fifth grade, said getting rid of the nuisance properties on her block would be very beneficial.
“It would help a great deal,” she said. “It would make things look better, and people won’t be scared to come into the neighborhood.”
Westwood has more nuisance structures than any other Dayton neighborhood (141).
Southern Dayton View has the next most (105), followed by Residence Park (77), city data shows.
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