March 10, 2012 [Michael K. McIntyre, The Plain Dealer]
The Cuyahoga County Land Bank reached two milestones last week: It acquired its 1,500th property and it demolished its 750th.
The Land Bank takes over distressed and abandoned properties and either rehabs or demolishes them.
The nonprofit land bank, known officially as the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corp., is funded up to $7 million per year through delinquent property taxes, interest and late fees.
Cuyahoga County has 27,000 vacant houses, with 16,000 of those in Cleveland, according to NEO CANDO, a data-analysis service at Case Western Reserve University.