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Small Counties Turn to Land Banks for Blighted Properties

photo by Annie Wu

The Cuyahoga County Land Bank has been buying, demolishing or rehabilitating blighted properties since the foreclosure crisis hit the region nearly a decade ago.  The idea is growing in smaller counties around Ohio.  Ideastream’s Annie Wu reports.

When Richland County treasurer Bart Hamilton tried to set up a land bank in his county, he faced a board room filled with tea party activists opposed to the idea. 

And they thought the world was coming to an end when we said we were going to do this. They were really afraid that the land bank was just going to take over the real estate market.

Speaking at a land bank conference in Cleveland yesterday, Hamilton says being open with meetings and records helped win over opponents.  He says his land bank helps deal with abandoned properties that piled up when the county lost residents after its big industrial employers shut down.  He supports demolishing properties that can’t be sold.  And he says clearing away those rundown buildings helps bolster the spirits of the remaining residents.

We’ve targeted main thoroughfares, primarily in the city of Mansfield.  People can see that and it changes the way you look at your city. Because when you drive by that every day, believe me, you maybe don’t think you see it but you see it and when it’s gone, it helps.  It just changes the way you think about where you live.

Hamilton says when people see a blighted house demolished in their neighborhood, it inspires them to invest in their own homes.

Annie Wu is the deputy editor of digital content for Ideastream Public Media.