Residents of a promising wedge of WestEnd homes are taking an aggressive stand to promote the integrity of homeownership in the area.

A band of citizens has formed anorganization called the West Seventh-Smith Avenue Neighborhood Task Force.Spearheaded by Marit Brock and her husband Tom, the group involves some 200residential properties roughly located between West Seventh Street, Interstate35E, Western and Smith Avenues, and includes Banfil Street west of Western. Todate, the group includes about 50 residents and concerned citizens.

“When my husband and I bought our homein 1999 some residents referred to our neighborhood as ‘Sesame Street,’ meaningthat it is safe and ethnically diverse, with neighbors caring about neighbors,”she has said. “We have seen steady improvements to the area and found it to bean excellent place to raise our children.”

However, a significant number of thesesame neighbors have had a growing concern about absentee ownerships and anincreasing number of mortgage foreclosures and speculative real estatetransactions. These can be detrimental to the progress and well-being of thearea as an established residential neighborhood.

They discovered that their neighborhoodhad been identified as a target area for the city’s Invest St. Paul program.Funds had been allocated by the city for the acquisition and redevelopment ofthe vacant properties in the area. In order to ensure that residents had avoice in the process, the group of residents founded their association inFebruary 2009 and has worked in cooperation with the West Seventh/Fort RoadFederation. Surveys and analyses have defined the nature of each property inthe area regarding conditions, uses and ownerships. Of particular concern hasbeen the high number of problem rental properties, their sudden sale atinflated prices, and the neglect and eventual abandonment of the homes. “Insome cases,” Brock said, “the properties went vacant and into foreclosure veryearly in our current economic crisis.”

The West Seventh-Smith AvenueNeighborhood Task Force now strives to work with government agencies and areaimprovement organizations to promote owner occupancy and to upgrade propertiesin the area. Using funds from the Invest St. Paul program, the Fort RoadFederation has been able to acquire approximately 20 homes in thisneighborhood. The neighborhood task force is working closely with the architectassigned by the Federation to develop a plan to renovate these properties intoquality housing that fits with the character of the neighborhood. Byeliminating vacant buildings and revitalizing existing homes for family use,the group hopes to reinforce the “Sesame Street” imagery and to stimulate aprogressive real estate environment.

The area has had a long history as aconvenient “St. Paul neighborhood.” It is within easy walking distance ofdowntown and the revitalized West Seventh Street retail community. It isconvenient to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, United/Children’sHospitals, and schools and to freeway access serving the entire metropolitanarea.