is Cleveland America cheapest city to live? (Lorain, Lakewood: apartment complex, rent)

[Unicorn hunter]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

I'm not talking about Baltimore or St Louis or Detroit etc. I'm just pointing out that to a lot of other cities, Cleveland blight is incredible. Nor did I claim it was the leader. Cllearly, Cleveland has a blight problem that is one of the worst in the country though. We can nitpick places here and there, but any honest person realizes this.

So this is undoubtedly a stupid question, but why doesn't the city knock these old buildings/factories down if they are not going to be repurposed to apartments or put back into use? Is it that expensive to take a wrecking ball to these monstrosities?

[Natural510]

Originally Posted by Unicorn hunter

So this is undoubtedly a stupid question, but why doesn't the city knock these old buildings/factories down if they are not going to be repurposed to apartments or put back into use? Is it that expensive to take a wrecking ball to these monstrosities?

Unless it’s on government owned land, they’d either need to get owner permission or have it deemed a public nuisance or threat to the public.

[TBideon]

Demolition runs thousands of dollars per property, never mind any ecological/pollutant issues that need to be resolved, which would raise costs.

Cities' budgets are tight enough already; even if they seize properties via eminent domain or own them outright, demolition just isn't always on the top of the budget's pecking order.

Wish it were.

[216facts]

Originally Posted by TBideon

Demolition runs thousands of dollars per property, never mind any ecological/pollutant issues that need to be resolved, which would raise costs.

Cities' budgets are tight enough already; even if they seize properties via eminent domain or own them outright, demolition just isn't always on the top of the budget's pecking order.

Wish it were.

Agree. And some of the bigger blight, like the old factories and some of those 3 & 4 story apartments, like
https://www.google.com/maps/@41.5351...2!8i6656?hl=en
are not eligible for federal funding because they're not traditional single family houses.

In a perfect world, we'd scratch back some of the lost money from the great financial scandal of the 2000s to pay for all this, tearing it down and at least creating some development opportunities, perhaps some small city parks.

On the subject of blight though, the west coast cities have their own problems with homelessness.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by 216facts

On the subject of blight though, the west coast cities have their own problems with homelessness.

That's true. I don't have a ton of experience on the west coast, but I was absolutely shocked by the homeless situation in Seattle when I was there in October. Never seen anything even remotely like it anywhere in Cleveland or the entire easter US.

[TBideon]

It's too cold to be "outdoor" homeless in the Midwest, and drying city budgets have not provided that many shelters. Seattle, Portland, St. Francisco, LA - the homeless aren't moving there for the taxes.

[Unicorn hunter]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

That's true. I don't have a ton of experience on the west coast, but I was absolutely shocked by the homeless situation in Seattle when I was there in October. Never seen anything even remotely like it anywhere in Cleveland or the entire easter US.

Yep, even when I moved from there in 2018, the situation was pretty bad, and since the pandemic, at least according to the Seattle threads here, it has really exploded. One of the pleasant surprises of moving here...I haven't seen homeless at all, although there undoubtedly are some.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by Unicorn hunter

Yep, even when I moved from there in 2018, the situation was pretty bad, and since the pandemic, at least according to the Seattle threads here, it has really exploded. One of the pleasant surprises of moving here...I haven't seen homeless at all, although there undoubtedly are some.

When persons complain about the level of taxation in Cuyahoga County, they are oblivious to some of the public welfare programs that exist here, but not in many other cities in the nation. Ditto, for parks and even taxpayer-funded support for the arts.


Downtown Cleveland's homeless problem used to be much worse. What changed?


https://www.city-data.com/forum/clev...long-term.html


Note that this program to provide long-term housing for the homeless actually is extraordinarily cost efficient, and perhaps morally just, if we consider that many of the homeless are veterans.

[SlideRules99]

Drug addiction and mental illness are rampant amongst the homeless communities on the west coast. A large percentage do not take advantage of free shelters due to the rules associated with such shelters (no drugs, dogs, etc.). I’ve seen quite a number of interviews confirming this.

More favorable weather is part of the draw. But so are the non-existent / unenforced drug laws, along with generous handouts provided in those progressive districts.

The homeless tent cities lining once charming streets and parks are, arguably, worse than the post industrial blight of Midwest cities. Picture downtown Willoughby lined with ramshackle tents, pallet shelters, tarps, and the associated waste and refuse. That’s what is happening.

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by SlideRules99

Drug addiction and mental illness are rampant amongst the homeless communities on the west coast. A large percentage do not take advantage of free shelters due to the rules associated with such shelters (no drugs, dogs, etc.). I’ve seen quite a number of interviews confirming this.

More favorable weather is part of the draw. But so are the non-existent / unenforced drug laws, along with generous handouts provided in those progressive districts.

The homeless tent cities lining once charming streets and parks are, arguably, worse than the post industrial blight of Midwest cities. Picture downtown Willoughby lined with ramshackle tents, pallet shelters, tarps, and the associated waste and refuse. That’s what is happening.

Pioneer Square in Seattle was truly astonishing to me.