Greene County was once a hustling, bustling industrial center with multiple coal mines providing jobs, homes and security to its communities. With the closure of the mines many of these small coal towns suffered. Empty houses deteriorated and became community eyesores. These blighted homes need help through either rehabilitation or demolition and that’s where the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Greene (RACG) steps in to help.
RACG assists in providing both living opportunities and growth to the Greene County community through economic development, community revitalization, affordable housing initiatives, and home ownership opportunities. Their efforts help stabilize housing stock in vulnerable communities, put properties back on the tax rolls, repurpose unused properties, and assist those dreaming of home ownership the chance to fulfill that often hard-to-reach wish.
To assist in reducing blighted areas, RACG purchases homes or underutilized property in Greene County and then begin the long process of rehabilitating them. Once renovated, the homes are sold. “Our team is incredibly dedicated to helping with the blighted homes and other structures in our coal patch communities by rehabilitation or demolition,” says Dave Calverio, the director of RACG. “Research shows that home values increase by 3% within a certain distance once the blighted structure is torn down.”
For the last few years, RACG has had a strong focus on the town of Nemacolin. They’ve rehabilitated multiple homes in the town, and, through the demolition of homes past repair, have reduced community blight. One of the homes they’ve rehabbed, 29 Wood Street, is being leased to the Carmichaels Area School District and has become an after school center for local students.
RACG is instrumental in serving our communities and, in partnership with Blueprints, helping potential first-time homeowners make the jump into home ownership. Their available homes can be either purchased outright if the potential buyer qualifies for a mortgage or purchased through a Land Installment Purchase Contract. FMI on the Redevelopment Authority of County of Greene program, call 724-852-5306.
