Columbus Reports One Thousand Fewer Vacant Homes Since 2012

Columbus city officials say the effort to demolish or rehabilitate abandoned houses has reduced the number of vacant buildings by one thousand since 2012. Columbus code enforcers say there are 53 hundred vacant structures, down from nearly 63 hundred four years ago. The city says former Mayor Michael Coleman's goal of demolishing 900 "worst-of-the-worst" properties in four years has been reached. The city's land bank administrator says Columbus has torn down 44 houses this year and plans to demolish 160 more.