In violation More than one code violation can be found in the back yard of this Woodbine Place home. With the growth of one area frequently comes the decline of another. The northern part of town is being developed, and the southern part of town is dying.
Hard evidence supports that widely repeated lament.
While suburban populations are increasing, Wayne Township, located in the central city, has declined in recent decades. A study by John Stafford, the city's strategic planner, showed that the assessed value of property in Wayne Township lags far behind values in the rest of Allen County. Assessed values are not the same as an area's true market value, but Stafford said they show a general trend of development in the central city. The rest of the county grew 243 percent. And any new construction was counterbalanced by things taken off the property tax rolls through demolition.