Land Bank Leaders Present Strategies on Greening, Housing Rehab at Ohio Land Bank Conference
Leaders of the Mahoning County Land Bank discussed promising approaches to post-demolition greening and housing rehabilitation as part of a land bank conference with more than 300 participants in Columbus recently.
Debora Flora, the land bank’s executive director, and Roger Smith, its director of planning, acquisition and disposition, presented during panel discussions on the two topics at the Ohio Land Bank Conference in October.
“The demolition of a vacant house is just the first step to what we do as land banks,” said Flora. “But our mission as a whole is to establish how we can make these spaces productive again. Whether that is working with community groups to install bus stops or create flexible parks where children and neighbors can gather for games, picnics or reading books from the little free libraries located there – we work with individuals in the communities to find out what those neighborhoods need.”
As part of a panel titled, “Beyond Blades of Grass: A Comprehensive Approach to Greening,” Flora and others discussed approaches to greening, with projects ranging from side lot expansions, community spaces, tree plantings, storm water infrastructure and even farmland preservation. During another session titled, “Land Banks and Code Enforcement,” Flora talked about how land banks can collaborate with local housing code enforcement partners to restore housing markets in deteriorating neighborhoods.
Smith presented on a panel titled, “Housing Rehab for Smaller Land Banks,” and explained how land bank leaders determine which houses should be saved and refurbished and which should be demolished.
“Not every abandoned house that we acquire needs to be demolished,” explained Smith. “But it requires resources to be able to renovate a house and get it back on the market. That’s why we work with different groups so we can stabilize the property for the long term, and then we’ll transfer it to the new owners.”
Participants included board members and staff from 54 county land banks, as well as county and municipal officials, community and economic development officers and business leaders.
