JAMESTOWN, N.Y. (WKBW) — In Jamestown, a pressing need for safe housing has prompted city officials to develop a new plan to replace abandoned houses and vacant lots with modern homes.
"There's an opportunity here to do something that is really completely transformational," said Crystal Surdyk, Jamestown's director of development.
The problem isn't a lack of housing units, according to Surdyk.
"We have a lot of housing, but it is substandard," Surdyk said.
The city has launched a new infill housing plan targeting specific neighborhoods, including Cross Street and Johnson Street.
WATCH: Plans in Jamestown to replace vacant lots and abandoned houses with new homes
Cross Street has been particularly affected by disinvestment, said Surdyk.
Harold, who has lived on Cross Street for 45 years, remembers better times.
"It was nice when they had all the people here. And they had a lot of kids," Harold said.
Over time, the neighborhood changed dramatically.
"People died off, people moved away, the kids moved away," Harold said. "That's it. I mean, the houses were left. They've been abandoned for about seven years and we've been waiting for something to get done."
Disinvestment by landlords and real estate investors is to blame, said Surdyk.
"We see this quite often and it's a direct result of poverty," Kasie Foulk, deputy director of housing policy and development said.
On Cross Street, five houses at the end of one block are being torn down, with two already demolished. While Surdyk prefers renovation when possible, some structures, like the ones on Cross, cannot be saved.
"As a strategy, do not like tearing houses down. I think it creates holes in the urban fabric," Surdyk said.
But in these cases, demolition allows the city to modernize utilities in these areas by replacing electricity poles with underground wiring, for instance.
Johnson Street presents a different scenario, with lots that have been vacant for extended periods. Keith, a local resident, sees potential in the infill housing approach.
"I would like to see more homeowner housing," Keith said.
He believes homeownership is key to neighborhood revitalization.
"I believe that that's the secret to being able to get these neighborhoods back into place is by having actual ownership," Keith said.
Surdyk agrees there's potential for development that fits the existing neighborhood character.
"There's an opportunity here to build some single-family homes that would fit within the context of the neighborhood that's already here," Surdyk said.
The city's next step involves applying for grant funding from the state to build the new housing.
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