Manny Fernandez of Sacramento, Ca Pride in home ownership is a big factor in the ongoing rebound of Oak Park, said Manny Fernandez, the young private developer who has played a key role in the turnaround at 39th Street."The great changes in Oak Park are occurring because many homeowners are moving in with pride in ownership," said Fernandez, 30, a former amateur. With a new era dawning, he said, Oak Park is discarding its old reputation as a neighborhood beset with criminal activity and neglected infrastructure. At least four of the homes were vacant when Fernandez bought them from their former owner in mid-2004 for about $600,000. Renovations, costing a total of more than $100,000, began immediately. "The homes were in good shape, but they had some deferred maintenance," said Fernandez, who noted that all but one of the reconditioned homes are now occupied. Because the houses sat on a single lot, he needed city approval to rezone the parcel into six individual lots. When his request went before the ...

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