That old house is 255 North Third Street, which is being "rehabbed" as part of a joint effort among the Columbia Housing Steering Committee, the Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership, and IMPACT! Missions.
At a recent walk-through of the property, LHOP Program Development Director Jim Shultz said he sees the program as "a catalyst for change." The plan is to use donated and low-cost materials, and volunteer help, to fix up the house, starting with a work rally scheduled for this coming Saturday, September 6. The property, originally purchased at $32,000 will be fixed up to the tune of about $35,000 and will enter the market in the $70-80,000 range. Proceeds from the sale will be used to purchase another property in the same area, which will then be rehabbed and sold, and then another, and so on in the 200, 300, 400, and 500 blocks of Third Street, to provide affordable housing in the north end of town, as part of the Historic North End Project.
Renovations will include exterior painting, upgrades of heating, plumbing, and electrical systems, and kitchen and bathroom remodeling.
Matt Beakes of IMPACT! Missions will lead the work crew.
Volunteers can contact coordinator Justin Evans at ColaHSC@gmail.com.
A Historic North End community meeting will be held at the Colonial Metals Conference Center, 502 North Third Street on Wednesday, September 10 at 7 p.m.
Some interior shots of 255 North Third, showing the need for renovation:
Jim Shultz, LHOP program development coordinator
Matt Beakes, IMPACT! Missions executive director
The front of 255 North Third
Wow, judging by the pictures, it looks like a lot of work! Thanks very much to all those helping to make this happen for Columbia. So many great projects are going on simultaneously. We're getting there :)
ReplyDeleteWhen they had the meeting for this project a while back they said the 5th block was not included. I mentioned that the 4th block also should not be included. The 4th and 5th blocks should be made into commercial business which would be a better use for the boro. Businesses would produce jobs which Columbia needs. Some of these homes do have some children but if they are rehabbed and sold, most likely all of them will be turned into family owned which will cost the rest of us more taxes. Each family with a student attending school costs 15k a year in taxes. No residence in Columbia currently pays 15k a year in taxes which means the rest of us have to pay it. If instead these homes in the 4th and 5th blocks were converted into businesses they would produce more jobs and have less of a tax burden on the rest of Columbia. I think some people don’t like this idea because they think of things like the burger king would not be a good entrance to our town, however this does not have to be that kind of businesses. What if these new buildings in the 4th and 5th blocks had some shops on the first floor and office space on the second floor.
ReplyDeleteChris I agree with you. However, I am suspicious of why the 500 block is NOW included, especially when I just found out Craig Friedman owns them.
DeleteThis is great for landlords. They buy it and make section 8"s out of them!!
ReplyDelete