The East Ridge Housing and Redevelopment Authority (ERHRA) is pulling back from a plan to take certain run-down homes in the city.
Bridgett Raper, a lobbyist for several local towns, said the group "has heard the strong directive from the East Ridge City Council to scale back the proposed boundary map and redraft the plan to concentrate on commercial properties and eliminate any reference to the taking of houses in the city."
She said, "Although the ERHRA's focus and intent is to identify only commercially blighted properties (i.e., vacant, abandoned, unimproved, or dilapidated), the ERHRA will not target or attempt to secure the ability to displace residents from their homes."
Darwin Branam, who heads the authority, said, "We understand the direction of the City Council and certainly are going to work to meet this objective of redeveloping the commercial corridor."
Ms.
Raper said, "The East Ridge City Council and the ERHRA believe that blighted and dilapidated commercial properties hinder the city's ability to stimulate economic development and create hazardous and otherwise dangerous conditions for the citizens and property owners of the city. Therefore, ERHRA will be concentrating on the commercial corridor of the city which will organically strengthen community neighborhoods with no need (or desire) of displacing residents.
"The East Ridge Housing and Redevelopment Authority (ERHRA) and the City Council appreciates the citizens' input over the past few weeks. An Open House Community Meeting is scheduled for Thursday at the East Ridge Community Center, 1517 Tombras Ave., beginning at 5:30 p.m., to further collaborate with the citizens to solicit input about the redevelopment needs of the City who are the stakeholders of the community.
"There is no statutory requirement for a community meeting but the ERHRA strongly believes and hopes that this event will facilitate the exchange of ideas and perspectives with the intent to harmonize the future commercial development of East Ridge."