Neighborhoods
Building neighborhoods is a commitment to good homes, great parks, and a high quality of life for every Toledo resident.
Leading the way on affordable housing, strong parks, and fighting blight.
Whether you own or rent, Mayor Wade knows that a good home means everything. As the former Chair of the Lucas County Land Bank, he has worked to create affordable housing opportunities and put Toledo’s land assets back to work through partnerships with organizations like Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity. The pandemic brought real challenges to people’s well-being, including staying in their residence, but new programs like Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance are helping to make sure people keep a roof over their heads.
Neighborhood blight is not something that you can tackle reactively. That’s why Mayor Wade launched a proactive approach called Clean Toledo. The goal of Clean Toledo is to eliminate blight from neighborhoods, a move that will increase safety, property values, and livability. The Clean Toledo Crew, working out of the Streets, Bridges, and Harbor division, has already been clearing away illegal dumping on Toledo streets and in alleys. The team will be responding to complaints, but they are also proactively looking for debris dumped in areas where illegal activity occurs.
In a once-in-a-generation feat, Toledo’s 27,000 street lights will be fully converted by 2021 from conventional high-pressure sodium bulbs to energy-efficient LED fixtures. This follows through on the Mayor’s promise to make all Toledo neighborhoods safer, more illuminated, and do so less expensively over the long run. The switch will save $580,000 annually on energy costs. The Historic South End alone experienced a 57 percent reduction in major crimes since the installation of LED streetlights.
Just as critical is the ordinance passed under Mayor Wade’s leadership that requires every rental property in Toledo to be free from lead paint hazards. As a parent himself, Mayor Kapszukiewicz wants the best for his kids and every child in Toledo. Lead poisoning does permanent brain damage to a child, and too much of this is happening in Toledo, especially in African American communities where families are more likely to live in older and rental housing. Confronting this inequity with legal tools, along with the ongoing replacement of lead water service lines, will make a lasting positive difference in Toledo.
Parks are a feature of every Toledo neighborhood. Mayor Kapszukiewicz and his team have made many improvements to Toledo’s parks, including the installation of new signage at 106 locations to replace dilapidated and unsightly signs across the city; new playgrounds at Smith Park, Macelwane Park, Casey Jones Park, Feeback Park, and Goodwin Park; basketball court resurfacing at Goodwin Park, Pickford Park, and Clover Lane Park, and tennis court resurfacing Pine Glen Park and Crossgates Park. Park revitalization efforts continue in a five-year plan, replacing benches, picnic tables, and grills, and resurfacing or rebuilding pathways and parking lots.