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June 22, 1998 <br />Council/Plan Commission <br /> <br />maintenance of public recreation activities is as far as it should go. Ms. Peniston said <br />that she feels strongly about this book telling the community at large about the City's <br />cultural places. She says if it is deleted, then it would seem as if it is not important to <br />the City. Mr. Solodar said that the Plan lists the parks, library, etc. and that this <br />information should stay, since the City does have influence over them. Mr. Ollendorff <br />said that this section is basically an inventory. Ms. Peniston said that she feels that <br />keeping this in the Plan, points out that we are interested. Mr. Ollendorff feels an <br />inventory would not be a bad idea, but that details could be left out. Ms. Peniston said <br />she thinks this should be addressed in some way as a statement of our values. Mr. <br />Sharpe wants to include the schools in this inventory. This is agreeable to everyone. <br /> <br />Ruth Park: <br />Mr. OIlendorff said that this was listed as a development area in the last Plan and will <br />be deleted in the new one. <br /> <br />increasing Diversity: <br />Mr. Ollendorff said that it has been an unstated policy of Council of encouraging more <br />of a racial mix north of Olive, south of Delmar. Mr. Ollendorff asked if this is something <br />that should be continued and if it should even be addressed in the Plan. Mr. Solodar <br />asked if anything was ever done or if anything could be done. Mr. Ollendorff said that <br />twenty years ago, the major action was to counteract and defeat the negative real <br />estate practices and believes it was successful. He is not sure how big a role the City <br />can play in this. Mr. Lieberman suggested supporting UCRS. Mayor Adams said that <br />there should be a statement, as a goal, to maintain an integrated community that is <br />open to all economic and racial statuses. <br /> <br />Rehabilitation of Buildings: <br />Mr. Ollendorff said that the policy has been, over many years, to try to rehab and renew <br />buildings rather than demolish. Lately, he has been hearing more and more residents <br />ask for buildings, in poor shape, to be demolished. He asked if we should be more <br />open to strategies to demolish and rebuild and move away from the policy pushing <br />rehab. Mr. Wagner said that it was alright to tear down abandoned housing with remote <br />landlords who do not take care of the property. He asked if Mr. Ollendorff was including <br />occupied housing. Mr. Ollendorff said that it would include occupied. Mr. Solodar <br />asked if the lots where these buildings were torn down are being bought by developers. <br />Mr. Ollendorff said no, most of the time we are left with a forty foot, unbuildable, vacant <br />lot in an neighborhood where no one would want to build. The only exception being <br />Habitat for Humanity and they only do five a year. In the northeast part of the Third <br />Ward, there are about forty County lots, from the tax sale, sitting on thirty or forty foot <br />wide vacant lots which the City has to maintain. Nobody will buy or build on them. The <br />Mayor suggested land banking enough lots to attract a developer. Mr. Ollendorff said <br />that there were not enough lots together to do this effectively. Mr. Sharpe suggested <br /> <br /> <br />