[font=Verdana]The city of [/font][font=Verdana]Columbus [/font][font=Verdana]Ohio[/font][font=Verdana] plans to push for the renovation or demolition of 1,000 blighted residential properties during the next six years. [/font]

[font=Verdana]Mayor Michael B. Coleman will detail a $25 million plan against abandoned and often dangerous properties in the city's urban core in his State of the City speech Thursday, according to a press release. [/font]

[font=Verdana]The neighborhood program, dubbed Home Again, will be done in conjunction with the Columbus/Franklin County Affordable Housing Trust Corp., the Ohio Housing Finance Agency and the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing. [/font]

[font=Verdana]According to the city, the program has five primary goals: prevention; aggressive code enforcement; acquisition of abandoned properties; rehabilitation; and demolition when necessary. [/font]

[font=Verdana]Coleman launched the program earlier Thursday by helping demolish a home at [/font][font=Verdana]901 Miller Ave.[/font][font=Verdana] in the [/font][font=Verdana]Driving[/font][font=Verdana]Park[/font][font=Verdana] neighborhood. That abandoned home was damaged in a 2004 fire. Coleman joined Ransom Co. in the demolition of the home, which cost $5,000 to bulldoze. [/font]

[font=Verdana]Coleman's spokesman, Mike Brown, said funding for the initiative will come from the city's capital fund as well as federal grants. [/font]