Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office has not held its regular forfeited land sale for nearly two years. As a result, the number of forfeited properties in Cuyahoga County has ballooned to almost 1,000 properties. Instead… Read more ›
The Ohio Land Bank Association, an organized voice for Ohio’s county land banks, met virtually in March with fellow county land bankers, municipal governments, community development groups and those interested in county land bank work. More than 100 participants joined… Read more ›
Abandoned Property Reimagined into Lakefront Eatery After sitting abandoned nearly eight years, and more than two years of design and renovation work, the Summer House restaurant opened its doors in March. The lakefront eatery is quickly earning a reputation as… Read more ›
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 ›
Friends and supporters of Building Hope in the City (BHITC), a Christian mission organization focused on the renewal of urban Cleveland, gathered on Saturday, June 29 for prayer and dedication of its new faith-based home for soldiers journeying together in… Read more ›
A big crowd of supporters gathered June 11th for the ribbon cutting and official opening of the Greater Cleveland Fisher Houses. A big shout out to the Fisher House Foundation and all those in our community who helped make this… 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 ›
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 ›
As part of the 100th-anniversary celebration of Poland regaining its independence, the Polish American Cultural Center in Honor of Pope John Paul II hosted a ribbon cutting and grand dedication ceremony for their newly created Polish Heritage Garden November 11.… Read more ›
East Cleveland city leaders and the Cuyahoga Land Bank have been working on a possible city revitalization plan for nearly two years. See NewsChannel 5’s coverage of the story HERE.
Working Together for Solutions From case studies in community redevelopment to rehab strategies for vacant properties, the annual Western Reserve Land Conservancy’s 2017 Ohio Land Bank Conference offered up timely and essential information for land bank board members and staff,… Read more ›
In September, the seven-story, 168-room former Ramada Inn (and later Red Roof Inn) on Rockside Road in Bedford Heights was demolished by the Cuyahoga Land Bank after months of pre-demolition work. The site of the long-vacant hotel will soon be… Read more ›
It was a long road to demolition, but we are happy to have been a part of another terrific land reuse opportunity as Amazon will bring more than 2,000 jobs to North Randall on the former site of the Randall… Read more ›
Community Development Corporations in Cleveland are buying, renovating and selling vacant homes and making an impact in their neighborhoods. See the NewsChannel 5 story HERE.
One of Lakewood’s newest homes is about to go on the market. The 1,425-square-foot, two-story house was built by Prairie Stone Group on a vacant lot at 1427 Scenic St., in the city’s West End. Ian Andrews, executive director of… Read more ›
From East Cleveland to Rocky River, demolition of abandoned, blighted houses is giving the local housing market a boost. Read the full article in The Plain Dealer HERE.
By Sue Botos, WestLife About eight years after the last tenant moved out of the Executive Club complex, the abandoned and deteriorating Center Ridge Road buildings finally met the wrecking ball last week, much to the joy of city officials.… Read more ›
By Sue Boros, West Life After being turned down earlier this year, city officials will again try to secure a county grant for turning vacant land at the corner of Wooster Road and Shoreland Drive into a neighborhood park.… Read more ›
By Jenna Siffringer, YNN The Allen County Land Reutilization Corporation is making progress with demolishing pipeline properties. Land Bank Treasurer Rachael Gilroy says Ohio received $94.5 million through the Ohio Finance Agency’s Neighborhood Initiative Program to demolish residential structures. Continue reading… Read more ›
By Community Common On Tuesday the Scioto County Commissioners passed a resolution designating the Scioto County Land Reutilization Corporation the authoritative body to handle the counties blighted housing stock, with the goal of eventually putting it back on the tax… Read more ›
By Shawndrea Thomas, Fox 2 Now ST. LOUIS (KTVI) – St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay joined Aldermen Cara Spencer (20th Ward) and Chris Carter (27th Ward) in announcing the St. Louis Land Reutilization Authority’s ‘Mow to Own’ program as a means to restore… Read more ›
By Spencer Remoquillo, Lancaster Eagle Gazette LANCASTER – A number of the city’s dilapidated homes known for decreasing surrounding property values and creating vermin havens have come toppling down over the past six months. Neighbors, who have endured the eyesores in some cases for decades, stood… Read more ›
By David Malloy, Herald Dispatch IRONTON – Lawrence County could establish a land bank program that would buy up residential and commercial abandoned and dilapidated properties with the goal of getting them back on the tax rolls. County Treasurer Steve… Read more ›
By Jen Kinney, Next City Public art installations in Albany, Schenectady and Troy will illuminate hundreds of vacant buildings across the three New York cities to draw attention to urban blight,reports the Troy Record, and to encourage potential buyers to invest… Read more ›
By Matt Sanctis, Springfield News-Sun Champaign County leaders are researching if it makes sense to start a land bank, part of a growing trend in which rural counties across Ohio are looking for ways to deal with a glut of vacant… Read more ›
BOTKINS — During Tuesday night’s Botkins Village Council meeting, the village agreed to be a part of a county wide effort to take control of and clean up abandoned properties. Shelby County Commissioner Bob Guillozet presented to council how this… Read more ›
By: Wayne Allen, Portsmouth Daily News Earlier this week, the Scioto Foundation held its annual meeting. At the meeting, Jason Kester, Executive Director of the Southern Ohio Port Authority (SOPA), updated those in attendance on the formation of the Scioto… Read more ›
By: Cecelia Fox, Troy Daily News WEST MILTON — Faced with a growing number of abandoned properties, the village of West Milton is taking the first steps to establish a land reutilization program. Following in the city of Piqua’s footsteps,… Read more ›
By Matt Martin, Trumbull County Partnership on Cleveland.com Decades of disinvestment and job loss, suburban sprawl, and more recently the profound impacts of the foreclosure crisis have left Northeast Ohio with a glut of derelict vacant properties that litter our… Read more ›
By: Wayne Allen, Portsmouth Daily Times Recently, the Scioto County Commissioners acted on a couple of measures aimed at improving the county. First, the commissioners passed the first of two resolutions necessary to establish a Scioto County Land Bank. Then,… Read more ›
By: Michelle Jarboe, Cleveland.com A homebuilding program set to launch next month in Ohio City aims to make new construction swifter and simpler for people hoping to live in one of Cleveland’s most popular neighborhoods. Nonprofit neighborhood group Ohio City, Inc.,… Read more ›
By Staff, Sidney Daily News SIDNEY — The Shelby County Commissioner’s meeting room was crowded with representatives of townships, villages and the city of Sidney for the initial discussion of the steps necessary to create a county land bank. The… Read more ›
By: Leah Thorsen, St. Louis Post-Dispatch Forty-two vacant lots in St. Louis will become tree farms, urban agriculture and green infrastructure projects through a partnership between the city and Chicago-based development firm Fresh Coast Capital. Mayor Francis Slay hailed the… Read more ›
By: Wayne Allen, Portsmouth Daily Times An organizational meeting of what will be the Scioto County Land Bank Board of Directors was recently held. At the meeting the urgency of forming a corporation, for which the land bank would operate,… Read more ›
by House Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Thomas Caltagirone HARRISBURG, March 15 – Democratic House Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Thomas Caltagirone, D-Berks, said Tuesday that the committee reported out two bills that he authored to rehabilitate blighted properties while fighting homelessness. The… Read more ›
By MINews26 Several condemned buildings and another obsolete eyesore in Cadillac will be torn down with help from the Michigan Land Bank. In October of last year the Michigan State Housing Development Authority made a $1 million grant to the… Read more ›
By David Garrick, The San Diego Union-Tribune SAN DIEGO — Aiming to boost access to healthy food while sprucing up blighted properties, the San Diego City Council unanimously approved a new community garden incentive program on Monday. The incentive is expected… Read more ›
By Chris Burbach, Omaha.com The Omaha Municipal Land Bank Board named an interim executive director Monday and took a step toward its first acquisitions of vacant lots and rundown houses. The board voted to approve a contract with Marty… Read more ›
By Mark Todd, Star Beacon CONNEAUT — Bucking tradition, government officials gathered Monday morning in Conneaut to celebrate a building’s destruction, not construction. The occasion was the demolition of a house at 316 Woodworth Road, the first in the city… Read more ›
