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Council urges continued focus on Old Hampton revitalization; staff says drug-blight property was addressed
Summary
Council members highlighted Old Hampton as a model neighborhood for targeted investment and asked staff to continue focusing attention there; the city manager said a previously cited Bethel Avenue drug-house was subject to a drug-blight action that the owner addressed.
Council members emphasized Old Hampton as a neighborhood to prioritize for revitalization and suggested combining incentives, small grants and other resources to create a model that could be replicated elsewhere. One council member said Old Hampton "is a good example" and urged continuing focus on that area.
Members pointed to recent private investment and said the city should try to "come alongside" those efforts. A council member raised a specific follow-up about a problematic property on Bethel Avenue and asked whether the city had demolished it. The city manager replied that staff "took a drug blight action" and believes the owner addressed the property when faced with that action, though the manager said they would double-check the record.
Council members discussed pairing public incentives with private investment and targeting assistance to residents who "can't afford to fix their homes up," including small grant programs and related measures to maintain neighborhood momentum. No new incentive program was adopted in this session; council direction was to continue focus and to have staff return with pertinent data and cost options.
