2026 Growth Report: Land Bank Builds Momentum for Housing & Redevelopment
View this story published in the Business Journal’s special edition Growth Report here.
The Mahoning County Land Bank is growing the county’s appeal, vitality and economic strength by applying its unique set of tools and services to strategic redevelopment. It continues to build on its expanded role in 2025 in new housing construction, residential and commercial property rehabilitation, industrial cleanups and greening projects.
After more than a decade of addressing blight through the demolition of more than 2,000 units, the Land Bank increasingly redirected its resources toward creating opportunity on cleared and underutilized land.
“Our work demonstrates our belief that every property has promise,” says Debora Flora, executive director of the Land Bank. “With our inventory of vacant properties and our access to grants and other resources, we are in a very good position to contribute to economic development opportunities.”
One visible sign of the Land Bank’s shift in 2025 was the construction of 17 affordable new homes across the region, with 14 in Youngstown and one each in Struthers, Sebring and Campbell. All were built on formerly vacant lots that had been acquired by the Land Bank. Seven of those homes were constructed on a single-block stretch of Mineral Springs Avenue, bringing new life to a section of Youngstown’s Idora neighborhood. The construction of eight more new affordable houses also neared completion and are expected to hit the market early this year.
Through property acquisitions and partnerships with local governments and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, the Land Bank also helped return four vacant and abandoned houses to productive use in 2025, transforming them into quality, move-in-ready homes. Renovation of two additional vacant houses carried over into the first quarter of 2026.
“Renovation and new construction are now central to our mission,” says Flora. “We’re creating pathways for people to live in quality homes while strengthening neighborhoods block by block.”
Commercial and industrial redevelopment also gained momentum in 2025 as the Land Bank expanded its brownfield remediation efforts. Building on previous cleanup successes, the Land Bank advanced and completed multiple projects through competitive grant funding designed to remove environmental barriers that prevent reinvestment.
The largest project to date was the completion of the industrial cleanup of the former Royal China factory in Sebring. The 20-acre site sat inactive for decades before the Land Bank acquired it through tax foreclosure in 2020 and secured a $1.5 million cleanup grant in 2022. Remediation work was completed in early 2025, and the property awaits final redevelopment approval from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
Another notable project completed in 2025 was the cleanup of the Youngstown Flea’s industrial building. That included the removal of approximately 4,000 panes of glass and the installation of new windows, a critical step in removing asbestos-contaminated caulking and properly sealing the building’s exterior to enable future interior improvements.
“These large brownfield grants fund work that communities simply can’t afford on their own,” Flora says. “By cleaning up these sites, we’re making it possible for businesses to invest, create jobs and bring new life to underused properties.”
Greening initiatives also continued in 2025, with expanded cultivation of native perennial plants at Youngstown CityScape’s Greenhouse at Briel’s and transplanting efforts throughout Mill Creek MetroParks. These initiatives improve neighborhood appearance while reducing long-term maintenance costs and supporting environmental sustainability.
“People are seeing real change,” Flora says. “The focus has shifted from removing what’s broken to building what’s next. Our goals for 2026 center on expanding affordable housing opportunities and unlocking more ‘stuck’ residential and commercial properties, then restoring them to productive use through our unique capabilities.”
The Land Bank, founded in 2011, is a Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) that restores and repurposes land and promotes sustainable neighborhoods. It has eight employees.