Pineview Partners with Land Bank to Strengthen Dayton Neighborhood

Pineview Neighborhood 

Pineview is a neighborhood of more than 400 single-family homes, perched atop one of Dayton’s highest points and has long been a symbol of pride for its residents. Historically an African American community, it was built block by block in the 1950’s and 60’s, providing a haven during times of redlining and housing discrimination.  At this time, restrictive covenants prevented homeowners from selling to black residents and banks refused loans to them, so a group of African American men approached R.L. Pine, a developer known for taken chances on new projects. Pine found a company that would finance it, and also subcontracted to black owned construction companies.  

Karen DeMasi with CityWide, a non-profit organization which focuses on community development, works with the west side residents and says, “It has always been a pretty stable middle class neighborhood with lots of home ownership for a city neighborhood.”  She describes the homes as an eclectic mix of long ranches, bungalows and some two-stories.    

Attracted to the reputation of low crime and friendly neighbors, Julia Capers moved into Pineview in the late 70’s with her two children and recollects, “The neighbors know each other, we look out for each other, and that has continued to this very day.”   

Lakeside Lake Galvanizes Community Action  

Today, Capers takes great pleasure in the views of Lakeside Lake from her porch but that wasn’t always the case. In the mid-1990’s, the construction of Highway 35 across from the Dayton Veterans Center traversed Lakeside Lake, a recreational spot for the community. For many Pineview residents like Lisa Rucker, the Lakeside Lake evokes many fond memories, “I remember when people would fish and picnic and paddleboat in the lake before the highway came.” 

Pineview resident Yvette Smith remembers when the lake was part of the Lakeside Amusement Park, “It was a mini–Kings Island or mini–Disney World to us.”  

But over time the neglected body of water became unrecognizable. “It was kind of like an eyesore because there was so much undergrowth and old trees and we had a lot of activity down there on the lake because they could hide among the brush and do whatever it was that they did,” recalls Capers who was the first president of the Pineview Neighborhood Association.   

In 2016, the residents – leading the way as key advocates – started raising funds and volunteers for the Lakeside Lake cleanup and partnered with Citywide to restore the lake to its former glory. Julia Capers exclaimed, “It’s like a new facility and we appreciate it. The neighborhood appreciates it.” 

Concern over Deteriorating Homes Prompts Land Bank into Action  

At the same time as the lake cleanup project, many of the aging Pineview neighbors expressed concern to CityWide about safety and property values with some abandoned and deteriorating homes in the area.    

 “When you see vacant houses, that means that the yard is not taken care of, and you get trash. And some of the houses, the younger drug dealers started, you get all types of negative things that you don’t want, don’t have control over,” remarked Capers who was the first President of the Pineview Neighbor Association.  

“We were seeing an increase in squatters coming in, which could potentially have led to fires.” expressed resident Yvette Smith.   

Citywide’s Karen DiMasi heard the community’s concerns and consulted Montgomery County Land Bank, whose mission is to temporarily acquire distressed properties and put them back into productive use. 

In conversations with the residents the land bank’s executive director, Paul Bradley, found,  “A lot of homeowners who’ve been there for a very long time, and they have seen their home values kind of slowly drop to a point where you might’ve needed a new roof or you might have, as your aging need to build a ramp on your home, but you weren’t able to pull out a line of credit or have any equity in your house to accomplish that.” 

Montgomery County Land Bank Pilots the Thriving Neighborhood Initiative 

The Montgomery County Land Bank partnered with the city of Dayton, Citywide and other community groups. They shared their Thriving Neighborhood Initiative, a comprehensive approach to stabilize the housing market, with members of the Pineview community.    

“And so we were like, yes, we’re wanting to work with you on that,” expressed Lisa Parker Rucker.  

According to Paul Bradley, “In these tipping point neighborhoods, there’s plenty of properties that are strong. That’s what you want, a good mix of that already happening and then actionable properties that we can have some sort of positive benefit on.”  

The first work was demolishing seven vacant blighted properties on the main entrance into the neighborhood and another five in the neighborhood. Lisa Parker Rucker, who was President of the Pineview Neighborhood Association at the time, welcomed this removal. “People were glad to have the ‘eyesore’ taken down, and it actually spruced up the entryway for the neighborhood. “  

The land bank pinpointed three homes that could be rehabbed and sold to raise values for the whole area.  Three of the homes’ initial values were at $19-$27 per square foot but after rehab were selling from $50 to over $90 per square foot.  And for Bradley, this significant rise in comps or comparable properties values shows banks that there’s value and a strong stable neighborhood.  

Also, abandoned or vacant homes have a direct correlation to mental health and crime rates in neighborhoods.  “According to our counterparts at the city of Dayton, Pineview saw the greatest increase in home values and one of the greatest reductions in crime” remarked Bradley. 

Columbus Cotton, current president of the Pineview Neighborhood Association, purchased his home in 2016 for $30,000 but today finds the value three times that amount.   

These multi-pronged efforts have refortified the neighborhood and market confidence, which helps the whole neighborhood, enhancing the quality of life for residents. In 2020 the Pineview residents created a neighborhood plan of their vision for the future and have been working toward fulfilling them.  

Julia Capers acknowledges, “And it’s helpful when we have outsiders like Citywide and the Land Bank who are willing to come in and make some contributions because we like where we are. It’s why I’m still here.” 

And Lisa Parker Rucker also affirms, “I just love the neighborhood. I love the pride, I love togetherness. And it is just a warm place to live. Everybody supports one another when it needs to be done. I feel this feels like home.”  

What are your thoughts on the work of land banks in communities? Do you know areas where they have made a difference? If so, please let us know. Just click on the big green button below.

Emiko Moore – Multi-Media Journalist

Emiko Moore is a graduate of Ohio State University has been a freelance producer for NBC News for the last 20 years, covering stories in southwest Ohio and in the tri-state area. She also hosted The Lebanon City Show and was a print journalist for the Western Star, focusing on Warren County. Prior to moving back to her hometown of Lebanon, OH, she worked in NYC for NBC TODAY and NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation. As a volunteer with Building Bridges Community Conversations, Ishinomaki Playground Project, and Miller Ecological Park, she believes it takes continuous work to strengthen communities. She is excited about journalism that explores the issues while highlighting solutions to bring about positive change.