EPA policies doubling cost of housing demolition.
One federal agency is permitting the city to use a bulk of its Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds for housing demolition, but another federal agency is causing the demolition costs to almost double.
City officials say that means Youngstown will be able to demolish only 140 vacant houses when the $1,096,328 in NSP funds would have knocked down about twice as many structures last year.
“It’s a waste of money,” said Councilwoman Janet Tarpley, D-6th.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency started enforcing a policy at the beginning of the year requiring communities using federal money, including the NSP funds awarded to Youngstown by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to test for asbestos and clean it up, if it exists, for every structure it will demolish.
It typically costs the city about $2,500 to $4,000 for each housing demolition, said Sean McKinney, Youngstown’s buildings and grounds commissioner. With testing and abatement, that cost increases to $4,000 to $6,000 a house, he said.
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