To the City of Cleveland Heights,

R.A.T.H. (Residents Against Terrible Housing) is escalating its efforts to organize the Randolph/Yellowstone neighborhood with the support of RATH captains Eric & Debbie G. to demand action on 3631 Randolph Rd. Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

The more we learn about this house, the more it correlates to other problem houses we are seeing in this area.

Here are the facts:

-This house burned down in Sept ‘24
-It's been an eyesore and a safety hazard for kids and adults in the Randolph/Yellowstone community. Vacant houses breed rats and other vermin.
-It took the City over a year to file for nuisance abatement
-The owner was ordered to demo the house but appealed the order.
-The owner was granted an additional 90 days to submit plans/secure permits to repair the property while owing over $100,000 in property taxes.
-The owner has changed ownership and LLCs multiple times.
-Repair plans were submitted and still await approval from the city while this house continues to sit

We are now closing in on two years and the house rubble still sits polluting the quality of life and impacting property values. Why are we waiting for housing plans? Why not raze the rubble and clear the lot, and THEN come up with a housing plan? Did the City not conduct due diligence into the owner's background?

With an owner that has property tax and lien bills of over $100,000 and has switched identities of ownership with various LLC's, anybody with sense would know that the owner has NO intention or financial capability of building a property.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood suffers. The property values plummet and this house, along with another vacant and neglected house the City actually owns a few doors away, adds to the deterioration of the Noble Neighborhood.
 
This property has become a symbol of inaction and prolonged neglect in this neighborhood, as well as a dysfunctional housing system in Cleveland Heights and Cuyahoga County. It'd be no great shock if situations like these contributed greatly to the $248 million in unpaid property taxes in the county.

Because of the property's severe condition and the continued delays, neighbors are actively organizing, passing out flyers and collecting signatures to apply increased public pressure on both the City and the property owner. At this point, many residents no longer believe additional extensions, reviews, or procedural delays are justified given the history and condition of the property.

The Randolph/Yellowstone neighborhood has waited long enough.

Tear down this house now! This will be one of many victories to come on housing when residents stop accepting the status quo and demand more from their City!