May 2023

ISSUE 19

Computer rendering of Hilltop homes.

News Bites

New Development Area

The COCLT is working with WJ3 Enterprises to build three homes in the Hilltop. You can see the home details on our website HERE.

COCLT Spring Cleanup Update

On April 22nd, the COCLT and neighborhood residents participated in an Earth Day cleanup in the South Side. We would like to thank Community Development For All People for the use of their parking lot and for all the area community groups that helped us publicize the event.

Welcome Home

Please join COCLT in welcoming homeowners who have recently closed

on their new homes.

Happy Birthday &

What's New?

The COCLT turns 5 this month! Whether you bought your home last week, last year, or back in 2019, you have been a huge part of our story. Houses without owners are just bricks and mortar. You all have made them homes.

Here is a summary of the last 5 years and what we have coming up.

As of April 30th, 67 homes have been sold in the South Side, Near East, Franklinton, Whitehall, Urbancrest, and Linden. We anticipate 52 homes being completed in 2023/Q1 2024, and we are close to being in contract for 50 more homes. We are currently in the planning process for 55 additional homes. Let's add that up. We are on track to have close to 225 homeowners in the next year.

And just where are all of these new homes being built? We will soon have homeowners in Milo-Grogan, Weinland Park, the Hilltop, Mifflin Township, Clinton Township, and Franklin Township. Plus, we are building more homes in Franklinton and Whitehall. Continue looking for new development projects in the News Bites section of the newsletters or go to our website.

Our buying process may have changed since you purchased your home, but everything still starts with attending an orientation class. If you have family or friends interested in homeownership, please consider referring them to us.

The Best Things in Life are FREE

Click on the links below for more details.

Columbus Museum of Art - Sundays with reserved date/time

COSI Science Festival - May 3rd - 6th

Mother's Day Tea in the Topiary Garden - May 13th -14th 2 pm registration required

Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks - Daily

Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum - Tuesday -Sunday 1- 5pm

The Carousel at Columbus Commons - Daily 11am - 7pm

Homeowner Tips

If You Don't Love It or Use it - It's Clutter

We all have a few lingering mementos that we keep as reminders of a person or event. Tucked safely in a drawer. Not disrupting the flow of our lives. And then there are the things we use on a fairly regular basis that serve a purpose.

But the things lying around the house in an untidy mess - that is clutter. Here are some tips to help declutter your home:

Place junk mail immediately into a recycling bin.

Remove 10 articles of clothing from your closet that you have not worn in the last year.

Fold clean clothes and store a laundry hamper in a closet for dirty ones.

Have kids pick up their toys each evening.

Wash dishes or place in the dishwasher right away.

Leave room in your coat closet so you do not have an excuse not to hang up your coat.

Keep flat surfaces - kitchen and bathroom counters, bedroom dressers, and tabletops - clear.

Immediately recycle a magazine or newspaper when finished reading.

Foodscaping -

It's a Thing

You have most likely heard of landscaping; planting flowers and trees is a pretty standard practice. Landscaping's main purpose is mostly to to beautify your yard.

There is an alternative to traditional landscaping that is gaining in popularity: foodscaping.

Instead of only using plants that merely look pretty, you can utilize edible plants (e.g., vegetables, fruit trees, and herbs) to create beautiful landscaping that is also functional and beneficial to the environment.

Foodscaping has benefits over landscaping alone. You are growing food! This saves money at the grocery store, and you know how the food was grown. No worries about pesticides. Your environmental footprint will be lessened by reducing food packaging, and less water is used to water a garden than your lawn and other landscaping.

If the idea intrigues you, but you don't want to bite off more than you can chew, you can start small. Add some lettuce as an edible edging. And cabbages and kale have beautiful colors to add to your existing landscaping.

Plants that grow as vines, like melons or even tomatoes can be used on fencing to create beautiful barriers. Artichokes grow fairly tall and have pretty flowers, making them a great choice to add color. Strawberries can be a great choice for ground cover.

Save Some $$$

Part 3

Here are more ideas to save some money.

Use a countertop toaster oven or air fryer when you are cooking a smaller food portion. This can save 50-70% less energy than turning on your full-size oven.

Keep your refrigerator full. Solid items snuggled together retain the cold better than air and help keep one another cold, which requires less energy overall.

Clean your lightbulbs. A dirty bulb emits 30% less light than a clean one. Dust off both the bulb and fixture, and you might be able to cut back on the number or brightness of lights in each room without noticing any difference.

Replace dryer sheet (about $7 for 240 loads) for wool dryer balls (about $6.50 for four, which can last for up to 1,000 loads each). It saves money and is better for the environment too!

Set a timer for the shower. The average American takes an eight-minute shower and uses about 17 gallons of water. It's easy to linger, so set a timer for five minutes. It will save you money and might even get you out of the house faster.

Community Resources

If you live within the City of Columbus, there are neighborhood resources available to you.

Neighborhood liaisons act as a direct link to city services. Liaisons work with residents, city officials, and organizations to help your neighborhood thrive. From reporting a neighborhood issue, to starting an Area Commission, neighborhood liaisons are ready and committed to accepting your questions, calls, and emails to best serve your neighborhood. They are located in Neighborhood Pride Centers in each region of Columbus.

Pride Centers are one-stop-shop for city services and are dedicated to protecting the health, safety and welfare of the families living in the area. Pride Centers are open to the public, and residents are encouraged to come to the office to ask questions, receive help and talk with city representatives.

The 21 Area Commissions are resident-based, recommending bodies that review certain projects and serve as a voice for the community. Commissioners are elected by neighbors, and each commission can make its own bylaws and regulations. Area commissions are distinct from other resident groups, like civic associations and block watches.

The hundreds of Civic Associations throughout Columbus are made up of groups of residents that seek to improve the quality of their neighborhood or area. Civic associations are non-public, volunteer, organization made up of the residents and other stakeholders of a geographically defined area of the city of Columbus establish for the purpose of providing a holistic approach to improving the quality of life in the aforementioned area.

The 311 Customer Service Center is the single point of contact for requesting all non-emergency City services and is available to residents, City businesses, and visitors. You can call 311 for neighborhood issues such as