beersie1
Weinland Park
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Just curious of what CU members live in Weinland Park.
Who owns/rents a place or has been considering looking in the area?
What street do you live on? How do you like it?
I've been renovating a house there the last 2 years (way too long!) between 5th and 6th on Summit. I have really fallen in love with the neighborhood- the good and the bad, however I haven't personally met too many others that are doing the same. Just thought I'd give a little shout out to see who my neighbor's are!
mrsgeedeck
Castle of Lions
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The husband and I have looked at several places in Weinland Park (I think 3 on Hamlet alone)but haven't been able to commit to anything. Currently we live in Vic Village (5th and Forsythe) and thought WP might be a cheaper alternative to buying in VV while keeping the same architectural details we like.
jimbach
Short North (WP division)
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We've owned a house in Weinland Park, on Summit, for a decade. We moved in almost exactly 10 years ago.
The good - nice housing stock, proximity to OSU and other urban amenities (a nice grocery excepted, of course), easy access to freeways and other major throughfares.
The bad - noise, crime, drunken college students, social leeches like the Godman Guild, and having your neighborhood treated like a garbage dump/parking lot by alumni and random asshole suburbanites on OSU football Saturdays.
Personally, unless you can stomach being in close proximity to thousands of college students on a daily basis, I'd stay away. I'd dearly love to move to some other part of town.
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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I've lived in WP for ten years with my husband, just a few blocks up from you, between 8th and 9th on Summit. It's a challenging neighborhood as you've probably gathered.
There has recently been an influx of students which means that the area is being perceived as safer and that's good, but the students bring a whole different set of problems than the area had being dealing with previously (drugs, gangs, and associated effects of poverty). the rate of owner-occupied housing is about 10%.
There are a lot of people who see the area as nothing more than a paycheck: the property owners who allow mental health orgs to rent entire buildings that then operate as treatment facilities, the "investment realty" people (aka slumlords), social service orgs who want to maintain the status quo and build relationships for political gain, the university that knows they can do whatever they like without any neighborhood opposition.
OTOH, I totally and absolutley love my neighbors and my house. I can walk to a grocery (now with acceptable beer), the library, and a movie theatre. There is good draft beer, Chinese and Mediterranean food, and now art at the Gateway. Bento and Adriatico's deliver as does 291-BEER.
mrsgeedeck
Castle of Lions
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jimbach wrote >>
The bad - noise, crime, drunken college students, social leeches like the Godman Guild, and having your neighborhood treated like a garbage dump/parking lot by alumni and random asshole suburbanites on OSU football Saturdays.
This is the first I've heard of the Godman Guild, their website seems pretty positive, have they changed their mission in the past few years?
rory
Weinland Park in the Historic Short North
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I've owned a house in the WP for three years and I like it. You can walk/bike to about anything you can think of. And unlike a few years ago you can actually get pizza and some other stuff delivered. My end of the street is largely owner occupied so I know all my neighbors. It's much quieter than living in Italian Village and a fraction of the cost.
There's a slight gang problem that seems to be getting better over time. The police don't always seem to take crime seriously. There's an attitude of "what did you expect when you moved here" although that's certainly not the case across the board with all the officers I've spoken to.
It does seem that social service agencies and the university view Weinland Park as a grand social experiment which would be somewhat easier to stomach if the interested parties actually lived in Weinland Park. On the other hand Franklinton and OTE get the same treatment. As for neighborhood involvement there's a little, it's building and I'm not sure I would characterize the neighborhood as having a lack of opposition. The green light isn't on any more for whatever comes along.
In fact if anyone is interested in the brand new Weinland Park Civic Association Historic Preservation and Design Review Committee PM me. In addition, the civic association revamped all their committees and more people are turning out and becoming involved.
Aunt Madge
Clintonville
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Whereas I remember when this used to be a delightful area, and still has the potential to become just as delightful as it was in days past, I have to admit, if I'm going north out of downtown I avoid N. Fourth Street. Can something be done with that area just north of 5th and south of Chittenden Avenue?? If you could clean that up, being one of your major gateways, I think you'll be well on your way. I just feel kind of threatened every time I go through there like I have to be ready to duck and cover. I feel the same way in some west and south side neighborhoods too, and even more so in some parts of the east side, so I'm not picking on you. It's just a shame there's a strip like that which can paint the reputation of what otherwise probably is a nice area.
beersie1
Weinland Park
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That's interesting about the mental health organizations. There don't seem to be too many property's ever for sale in the area, likely for the reasons you listed. There are even 3 or 4 vacant places right down from my place that apparently the owner refuses to sell.
Do you know who owns the rowhouses between 6th and 7th? I heard OSU.
Hopefully the Wagenbrenner development / new Kroger, etc. will jump start some activity and get some of these slum lords to cash out. There are a lot of beautiful houses sitting vacant that just need some love.
I will say that the neighborhood has improved a lot, even in the last 2 years. I think the police precinct helps. I enjoy the newly renovated park (have a great view of it from my front porch) and even get free 6 packs from Sam's in exchange for cutting his weeds. My neighbor's have all been very friendly (including their dog, Satan).
And +1 on the Adriatico's delivery!
jimbach
Short North (WP division)
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laChewla wrote >>
jimbach wrote >>
The bad - ...social leeches like the Godman Guild.Could you please explain this sentiment?
I think Berdawn alluded to it pretty well, but essentially, look at it this way: The Godman Guild (and organizations like it) are committed to serving the needs of the urban underclass. They provide assistance in learning job skills, finding jobs, connecting the poor to social services, etc. That's all fine, but they are at their core a bureaucratic organism, and like all organisms, their main imperative is survival. And for them to survive, there must be a large contingent of poor people in the area for them to serve. They provide no service to someone like me. I'm educated, employed, and have job skills. Therefore, the more people like me who move into Weinland Park, the less need for an organization like the Godman Guild. It's vital for them to maintain a high level of poverty and low percentages of owner-occupied housing in the area.
It's a sad fact, but one that's replicated in poor neighborhoods all across the country. The very organizations that are supposed to help poor people improve their lives have an investment in maintaining high levels of poverty.
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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laChewla wrote >>
jimbach wrote >>
The bad - ...social leeches like the Godman Guild.Could you please explain this sentiment?
I think I can. When the neighborhood plan was written (and during when OCCH took over Broad St properties), the Guild (which does many good things for the residents of the neighborhood) was vehemently opposed to including changes in the housing goals to reduce the number subsidized units. There was an opportunity to set a target for maintaining subsidized units (my suggestion was 30%--twice what is usually found in "healthy" neighborhoods). The organization has already moved once when it's neighborhood gentrified (harrison west).
Aunt Madge
Clintonville
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berdawn wrote >>
laChewla wrote >>
jimbach wrote >>
The bad - ...social leeches like the Godman Guild.Could you please explain this sentiment?
I think I can. When the neighborhood plan was written (and during when OCCH took over Broad St properties), the Guild (which does many good things for the residents of the neighborhood) was vehemently opposed to including changes in the housing goals to reduce the number subsidized units. There was an opportunity to set a target for maintaining subsidized units (my suggestion was 30%--twice what is usually found in "healthy" neighborhoods). The organization has already moved once when it's neighborhood gentrified (harrison west).
I do agree that churches and social assistance places totally work against making a bad neighborhood good because of what they tend to attract to the neighborhood, but what is the end plan here? Do you want to move all of these people out en masse, like maybe to a nice bungalow east of I-71 or something, or perhaps south of Marion Village somewhere? I've just never heard of a "neighborhood plan" expressly saying something like that before. (Not that I am opposed to moving people around ... but what if some of them had already lived there their entire lives, including their parents and grand parents. I don't remember that area ever being a really wealthy part of town ... mostly working class and poor.) Just asking! :)
joev
Merion Village
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berdawn wrote >>
laChewla wrote >>
jimbach wrote >>
The bad - ...social leeches like the Godman Guild.Could you please explain this sentiment?
I think I can. When the neighborhood plan was written (and during when OCCH took over Broad St properties), the Guild (which does many good things for the residents of the neighborhood) was vehemently opposed to including changes in the housing goals to reduce the number subsidized units. There was an opportunity to set a target for maintaining subsidized units (my suggestion was 30%--twice what is usually found in "healthy" neighborhoods). The organization has already moved once when it's neighborhood gentrified (harrison west).
I wonder if they'd thought of building planned obsolescence into their strategy. Seems like once Weinland Park became a better neighborhood (and it's well on its way), they'd be smart to move shop to Linden or east of Parsons.
laChewla
Victorian Village, The Heart Of It All
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As Berdawn mentioned, The Guild has moved twice already. It was founded in "Flytown" in the 1910s. Moved to a Harrison West location shortly after, then moved to its current location in the early 1980s after identifying the area east of High Street as an emerging area of social and economic distress.
Do you really think they would be unwilling to move again if their ultimate goal is to improve the neighborhood? Furthermore, they not only service Weinland Park, but also Milo-Grogan, Italian Village and Linden. I can understand that they aren't directly helping YOU. But there's a lot more to the neighborhood than your personal needs...clearly you have it together. These people don't.
Next summer, go enjoy some vegetables from the free portion of their community garden, or go volunteer your services instead of bashing them.
jimbach
Short North (WP division)
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laChewla wrote >> I can understand that they aren't directly helping YOU. But there's a lot more to the neighborhood than your personal needs...clearly you have it together. These people don't.
My point isn't that I don't want the Godman Guild in my neighborhood, it's that they don't want me there. Or, more accurately, they don't want more people like me to move in. Their desire is to maintain the status quo, either by keeping the current residents dependent on them or by keeping a 'poverty stream' flowing through the neighborhood.
Look at the organizations that run Weinland Park. Their boards are populated by people who have no ties to the neighborhood. They don't live there and some don't work anywhere near there. Their idea of community involvement is to keep the community dependent on their beneficence.
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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laChewla wrote >>
As Berdawn mentioned, The Guild has moved twice already. It was founded in "Flytown" in the 1910s. Moved to a Harrison West location shortly after, then moved to its current location in the early 1980s after identifying the area east of High Street as an emerging area of social and economic distress.
Do you really think they would be unwilling to move again if their ultimate goal is to improve the neighborhood? Furthermore, they not only service Weinland Park, but also Milo-Grogan, Italian Village and Linden. I can understand that they aren't directly helping YOU. But there's a lot more to the neighborhood than your personal needs...clearly you have it together. These people don't.
Next summer, go enjoy some vegetables from the free portion of their community garden, or go volunteer your services instead of bashing them.
I have not bashed their services nor any of the staff. I very clearly stated they provide much needed services to many of the residents. Their refusal to see that mandating all current subsidized housing remain so that they can maintain their client base (obviously, they are familiar with this scenario) only condemns their clients to live in a neighborhood with very significant problems. Godman Guild is only one of many social service organizations that feed on the poverty of WP.
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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beersie1 wrote >>
Do you know who owns the rowhouses between 6th and 7th? I heard OSU.
Hopefully the Wagenbrenner development / new Kroger, etc. will jump start some activity and get some of these slum lords to cash out. There are a lot of beautiful houses sitting vacant that just need some love.
Not sure which one's you mean. do you have an address?
berdawn
near that stretch of N. High Street in the Short North
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beersie1 wrote >>
They are right across from the school on Summit. Address's are in the 1300's I believe. Was just curious as to whether or not they are section 8, or what the deal is with them.
Hey Rory- where abouts in WP are you? On Summit?
If they're the ones that face summit, they are owned by OCCH (Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing). They are site specific subsidized units. OCCH owns all the site specific subsidized units (all the similar buildings through out the neighborhood, a huge chunk of the housing). Private landlords can choose to accept section 8 vouchers and additionally, their are several buildings that are rented on a master lease to a mental health org who in turn pays the rent for those coming out of rehab.
coolbuckeye
South Clintonville
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It is so interesting to hear the challenges you guys face in this neighborhood. I have been thinking about buying my first home in this area (hamlet?). I would move into a home on 4th or summit but the traffic volume is so high on those streets. If we had some traffic calming in that area I think it would greatly improve the neighborhood. Its really good to go into this with eyes wide open. When is the next civic association meeting beersie?
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