Florence city council to vote on block grant - WAFF-TV: News, Weather and Sports for Huntsville, AL

Florence city council to vote on block grant

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By Marie Waxel - bio | email
The city council will vote on whether or not to approve funding to allow those structures to be taken down. The city council will vote on whether or not to approve funding to allow those structures to be taken down.
FLORENCE, AL (WAFF) -

Some eye-sores in Florence will soon come down thanks to the city's block grant.

Tuesday night, the city council will vote on whether or not to approve funding to allow those structures to be taken down.

It's part of a federal entitlement program which provides government funding for the city to allow dilapidated business or residential structures to be torn down.

The project is a win-win for both the city and property owners.

It allows the city to remove buildings that are considered eye-sores to neighbors and visitors.

It also helps the owners to move forward and further develop or sell their property without any fines or fees attached.

"When you have derelict properties that are around you, it brings the neighborhood down. It invites in elements that you wouldn't want there, and it just looks bad and so if we can use some of these dollars to remove those eyesores, it in turn gives the neighborhood a new spirit encourages redevelopment," said Melissa Bailey with Florence Community Development.

The city said the program allows them to demolish about a dozen structures a year.

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