Weinland Park Community Civic Association

Housing Committee
Minutes of Meeting of February 11, 2014
Rory Krupp, co-chair of the Housing Committee, called the meeting to order at 5:34 p.m.
Michael Wilkos explained that The Columbus Foundation has made a number of philanthropic
investments in housing in Weinland Park over the past three years. The foundation last year
engaged the Greater Ohio Policy Center (GOPC), a non-profit research organization, to study the
impact of the housing investments by members of the Weinland Park Collaborative on the
housing market in Weinland Park. The full report of the housing study will be completed and
released publicly in March.
Lavea Brachman, executive director of GOPC, distributed a draft executive summary of the
housing study and narrated a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the results. She said the
study addressed three questions: How is neighborhood health defined for Weinland Park? How
far along is Weinland Park in becoming a healthy neighborhood? What additional investments,
programs, or tools could contribute to Weinland Park achieving neighborhood health?
The draft executive summary offers three findings:
1. Weinland Park is exhibiting increased stability.
2. By standard data, Weinland Park does not yet constitute a sustainable, healthy neighborhood;
however, unique neighborhood factors complicate the analysis.
3. Weinland Park is not exhibiting signs of gentrification and inherent factors are likely to
prevent gentrification over time.
The draft executive summary also makes seven recommendations:
1. To maintain a positive trajectory, the Weinland Park Collaborative or a new neighborhood
organization should continue to facilitate investments and programs.
2. Investments should be made to attract residents, such as strengthening Weinland Parks
public image, improving curb appeal, and fostering social connections among residents.
3. Monitor the balance between affordable and market-rate housing options.
4. Increase the homeownership rate from 9% to 17% overall.
5. Improve rental properties through incentives for property owners and through regulation.
6. Decrease the vacancy rate to 10% or lower.
7. Pass new policies at the state level that expedite moving properties into productive re-use.
The following questions and issues were raised during a question-and-answer session with Ms.
Brachman and Christina Burke Cudney, projects coordinator with GOPC:

How is a healthy neighborhood different? Response: Youd feel safe walking to the grocery;
you see investment in your house continue to go up.
A resident commented that the removal of something negative doesnt necessarily change the
market. Crime rates going down doesnt necessary mean people will move to Weinland Park.
People move to a neighborhood because of something positive. The market in Weinland
Park has been moved by subsidy.
On my block, rents have gone up at least 50 percent in last three years. That is alarming to
me. Response: Its difficult to get rental rates from the neighborhood. There are large
differences in rental rates in different parts of Weinland Park. The rental rates are still well
below other benchmark neighborhoods.
Rents are going up and thats needed to increase investment in the neighborhood.
There is a wide variety of housing options in Weinland Park.
The minute safety looked better in Weinland Park the interest in student housing increased.
Students create a more mobile rental neighborhood. OSU is planning for freshman and
sophomore students to live on campus. Long-term renters can add to neighborhood stability.
How do you see the recommendations affecting actions of the Weinland Park Collaborative?
Mr. Wilkos responded: This was an opportunity to look at what has happened in last few
years. The recommendations in the report are those of the Greater Ohio Policy Center. The
Weinland Park Community Civic Association and the Weinland Park Collaborative must look
at those recommendations and see which ones are right for this community.
Many landlords rent properties to students. We should work on finding out who those
landlords are so we can track the impact of their properties.
Are persons choosing to live in Weinland Park longer now than 10 years ago? Response: We
found that people are staying longer in Weinland Park, but that also is true in neighborhoods
across the country.
The neighborhood survey conducted in 2010 found that two-thirds of residents would prefer
to live elsewhere.
GOPC researched creative ways to deal with duplexes. A long-time resident said families
bought duplexes with intent of passing them on to family. Extended families lived on both
sides. Another resident noted that Western Europe and Australia commonly have duplexes.
Do you have data on the number of market-rate units in the neighborhood?
One resident suggested that the Housing Committee should have a process to digest the
report. The committee should reconvene in March and April to discuss this report and to
consider each of the recommendations.
One resident asked for data on the distribution of ages in the neighborhood.

Omar Elhagmusa, co-chair of the Housing Committee, adjourned the meeting at 6:38 p.m.

Notes prepared by Stephen A. Sterrett, committee secretary