In 2015, Western Reserve Land Conservancy, in collaboration with the City of Cleveland, surveyed every residential, commercial, and industrial parcel in the City – more than 158,854 parcels! That survey captured a snapshot of each property by ranking the current… Read more ›
In November, Fourth District Cleveland Police officers, residents and others gathered to officially dedicate the Officer Derek Owens Memorial Park. The inclusive neighborhood park was built on three vacant lots on Parkview Avenue in Cleveland encompassing the site where Patrol… Read more ›
On behalf of the entire Cuyahoga Land Bank team, I would like to thank everyone for making our 10thanniversary IMPACT! event such a success. On Thursday, October 17, we gathered with nearly 400 of our friends and partners in the… Read more ›
Friends, neighbors and volunteers gathered in September to celebrate the official opening of Bessie’s Place II, a permanent low-income housing opportunity for young ladies age 18-24 who have aged out of foster care. Bessie’s Place II is a collaboration between Bessie’s… Read more ›
Old abandoned gas stations dotting the corners of our cities can be eyesores and blight communities. Cities struggle with what to do about polluted, abandoned gas stations and other petroleum-contaminated properties, commonly called petroleum brownfields. Here’s a look at how… Read more ›
The Cuyahoga Land Bank regularly transfers blighted properties to local CDCs, which renovate and restore them into attractive, affordable housing opportunities. The Metro West Development Organization, which serves Cleveland’s Stockyard, Clark-Fulton, and Brooklyn Centre neighborhoods, is one of the most creative and productive CDCs in town, using a combination of strategic partnerships and grassroots efforts to ensure its neighborhood’s vibrancy. Read more ›
Community development stakeholders joined local civic leaders and elected officials June 26th to hear the findings of an independent 10-year Cuyahoga Land Bank economic impact study at a press conference and public forum at Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin… Read more ›
Members of the First District Community Relations team are making great progress on the home they are renovating for a mother and her children on Cleveland’s West Side. Read more ›
The Western Reserve Land Conservancy, Cleveland Tree Coalition member organizations, and community partners hosted an Arbor Day Block Party in Cleveland’s Slavic Village neighborhood on April 27. Read more ›
With his knowledge of the local market and expertise in negotiations, real estate agent Ryan DeLuca can spot a hidden-gem home with strong potential to grow in value. Read more ›
Elizabeth Baptist Church, a pillar of the Hyacinth neighborhood on Cleveland’s east side, has ministered to the spiritual and physical needs of its congregation for nearly a century. Read more ›
Meet the Team: James McGuire GIS and Research Technician Read more ›
We are excited to see the final touches being put on the Greater Cleveland Fisher House apartments. The final phase of the $3 million project has wrapped in preparation of a formal dedication and ribbon cutting in June. The Fisher… Read more ›
We are often asked about the day-to-day work of the Cuyahoga Land Bank from curious residents and community leaders. In this ongoing Behind the Scenes series, we take a look at the extensive environmental assessment work done on every residential and commercial property in the Cuyahoga Land Bank inventory. Read more ›
The Cuyahoga Land Bank is pleased to be a part of Opportunity CLE, a collaboration of public and civic leaders working together to attract local and national investment into Greater Cleveland’s Opportunity Zones, a new federal designation designed to spur development in economically distressed areas. Read more ›
Cuyahoga Land Bank President and General Counsel Gus Frangos presented an update on the new $30 million Cuyahoga County Housing Program to Cleveland City Council’s Development Planning and Sustainability Committee in early March. Read more ›
Chief Operating Officer Bill Whitney has announced his plan to retire in June. Bill’s leaving marks the end of an era for the Cuyahoga Land Bank, as he has been an integral part of the team since its creation in 2009. Read more ›
We had a great day of service April 6th as Cuyahoga Lank Bank staff joined in beautifying Cleveland’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood at Envision Cleveland’s Renew the City event. More than 300 volunteers invaded the area picking up trash, tearing down… Read more ›
Jason Knauer Land Reuse Program Manager Date of Hire August 2015 Education B.S. in Urban Studies, University of Cincinnati Describe yourself in three words. Caring. Helpful. Witty. What motivates you in your work? I love getting out and talking with… Read more ›
Over time, by assembling larger parcels of land for specific, new development or for the purpose of creating green space or urban gardens and farms, the Cuyahoga Land Bank is providing a second life for property that has previously been deemed undesirable by its owners and overlooked as too challenging by developers. Read more ›
In February, the Cuyahoga Land Bank bid farewell to Lilah Zautner who will be returning to her environmental roots to become the Property Acquisition Manager for Watersheds at the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD). Lilah has served as the Manager of Special Projects and Land Reuse at the Cuyahoga Land Bank since 2013. Read more ›
The Cuyahoga Land Bank is a national leader in strategic blight removal and community development. It is an essential partner in administering the Cuyahoga County Property Demolition Program, which has eliminated over 2,000 blighted structures in under two years. The… Read more ›
Cuyahoga County Council recently passed legislation to launch the Cuyahoga County Housing Program, a $30 million, six-year effort to stabilize home values, eliminate blight and to encourage renovation and construction of affordable housing. The program will expand the efforts of the Cuyahoga Land Bank to include rehabilitation and housing market stabilization. Read more ›
The Cleveland Housing Court will hold a free seminar for landlords (and aspiring landlords) on Wednesday, March 6 from 3-6 p.m. at the Cleveland Public Library Fulton Branch (3545 Fulton Road) in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood. Read more ›
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cleveland completed construction on two homes in January and held dedications at which the families received keys to their new homes. Read more ›
Members of the Cleveland Police First District Community Relations team and Councilman Brian Kazy welcomed a mother and her children to their new home on Cleveland’s west side in January. Read more ›
St. Francis School, a vibrant educational institution on Cleveland’s near east side, serves as a beacon of hope and a source of quality education for neighborhood families and children. In 2016, St. Francis’s Principal Scott Embacher contacted the Cuyahoga Land Bank for help in assembling four abandoned and blighted houses directly across the street from its campus. Read more ›
A Cuyahoga County Council committee on Monday approved changes to a proposed $30 million housing program that would allow cities to veto any rehabilitation or demolition of homes within their borders. Read more ›
Family, friends, volunteers and staff of several partner organizations came together in December to welcome Chanelle and her two daughters into their new home in Garfield Heights. Read more ›
Cleveland’s attractive, family-friendly West Park neighborhood continues to experience increases in home sale prices. However, West Park is not immune to tax delinquent blighted houses. Read more ›
For first-time homeowner Bridgette Newell, buying a home from the Cuyahoga Land Bank was a pressure-free experience. After extensive searches for homes on real estate websites, Bridgette, 49, found her two-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath fixer-upper on Lamson Avenue in Bedford on the Cuyahoga Land Bank website. Read more ›
Jessie Masters Information and Planning Specialist Date of Hire September 2016 Education B.S. in Architecture, Ohio State University Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning, Cornell University Describe yourself in three words. Persistent. Empathetic. Hungry. What motivates you in your… Read more ›
In 2017, the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation (CDC) purchased this 924 square foot home on Buechner Avenue and promptly sold it to Green Home Solutions in order to save it from demolition. Read more ›
Thanks to the Cleveland Chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (we continue to just call them angels!), many disadvantaged children in the Cleveland area will wake up to find shiny new bikes under their Christmas tree this year! Read more ›
The Cuyahoga Land Bank recently developed another new, modern single-family home. The 2-bedroom, 3-bath home on Hancock Avenue in Cleveland’s trendy Ohio City neighborhood stands on the site of a formerly blighted and abandoned property. “The development and sale of… Read more ›
Cuyahoga Land Bank staff recently rolled up their sleeves and lent a hand at a Thrivent Financial and Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity-hosted Pastor’s Build in the Buckeye-Shaker community Read more ›
The Cuyahoga Land Bank joined Thrivent Financial and Building Hope in the City as sponsors of the 2018 Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) national conference in Chicago in early November. Read more ›
Steve Billington Property Specialist Date of Hire July 2014 Education Master’s Degree in Public Administration, Cleveland State University What motivates you in your work? I’ve always been motivated by the desire to make a positive impact on my community. What… Read more ›
Our work does not end after the demolition of a blighted property. The Cuyahoga Land Bank works diligently to find new land reuses for the vacant land. Read more ›
