63-67 Necessity of urban renewal in blighted areas

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ORDINANCE NO. 63-67 '2eltey~ Ushs~ : 'a~c~ and 1~ ~endlin~ AN ORDINANCE recognizing the existence of blighted, deteriorated and deteriorating areas; determining the necessity of urban renewal for the pur- pose of redeveloping and rehabilitating such areas; authorizing and establish- ing standards, procedures and administrative acts for such renewal; defining terms; and declaring an emergency. WHEREAS, based upon previously prepared studies and surveys of the City of Lakewood, and based upon Council's general knowledge of the City, there are areas of the City which are today blighted or deteriorated areas as defined herein and there are areas which are deteriorating and will become blighted or deteriorated areas unless effective public programs of blight prevention are instituted; and WHEREAS, it is necessary and in the public interest to carry out co- ordinated programs and projects for renewal, including redevelopment, rehabili- tation and conservation to eliminate and prevent the occurrence or recurrence of blighted or deteriorated areas in furtherance of the public peace, property, health, safety, morals and general welfare; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LAKEWOOD, STATE OF OHIO: Section 1. NECESSITY OF URBAN RENEWAL It is hereby found and determined that there exist within the City blighted, deteriorated and deteriorating areas of the nature defined in this Ordinance which constitute a serious and growing menace injurious and inimicable to the public health, safety, morals and general welfare of the residents thereof; that the existence of such areas (a) contributes substantially and increasingly to the spread of disease and ~rime, and to losses by fire and accident, necessitating excessive and disproportionate expenditures of public funds for the preservation of the public health and safety, for crime preven- tion, correction, prosecution and punishment, for the treatment of juvenile delinquency, for the maintenance of adequate police, fire and accident pro- tection, and for other public services and facilities; (b) constitutes an economic and social liability; and (c) substantially impairs and arrests the sound growth of the community; retards the provision of housing accommodations, aggravates traffic problems, and substantially impairs or arrests the elimina- tion of traffic hazards and the improvement of traffic facilities; and that this menace is beyond remedy and control solely by regulatory processes and exercise of the police power, and cannot be dealt with effectively by the ordinary operation of private enterprise without the aids herein provided; that the elimination in whole or in part of blighted, deteriorated and deteriorating areas, the prevention of occurrence or recurrence of such areas by redevelop- ment and by the conservation, rehabilitation and reconditioning, to the extent feasible, of the salvageable portions of such areas, and by other activities pursuant to urban redevelopment or urban renewal as defined herein, are public uses and purposes for which public money may be expended and private property acquired by purchase, by donation and by eminent domain and are governmental functions of concern to the City, and require the exercise of the powers of government granted to the City by the provisions of Article XVIII of the Ohio Constitution and that the necessity in the public interest and general welfare, for the provisions of this Ordinance is hereby declared as a matter of legis- lative determination. Section 2. COUNCIL POLICY ON URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND RENEWAL It is hereby declared to be the policy of the Council of the City of Lakewood to promote and encourage the sound development, including renewal and redevelopment where necessary, of the entire City, in accordance with the General Plan for the City. Council realizes that the City Government will be unable to carry out coordinated and effective programs for renewing the City without the cooperation and support of the public as a whole. Therefore, the Council stands ready to cooperate with private enterprise, civic groups, neighborhood agencies and governmental agencies in developing and carrying out urban renewal programs and projects to promote the sound development of new areas, to prevent the spread of blight and to eliminate blighted, deteriorated and deteriorating areas in the City of Lakewood.