Land Bank Transforms Vacant House From Neighborhood ‘Nuisance’ to Move-in-Ready Home
The Mahoning County Land Bank recently completed an exhaustive renovation of an Austintown house once deemed a “nuisance” and placed it up for sale.
Austintown Township had declared the 1,864-square-foot, split-level home at 4942 Signature Circle a nuisance long before a sheriff’s sale drew no interested buyers, and the township zoning inspector suggested transferring it to the Land Bank for renovation.
“We’re glad the township thought of us as a helpful resource in restoring this home,” said Debora Flora, executive director of the Land Bank. “Years ago, we did a small handful of these rehabilitation projects, but in more recent years, we’ve been focused on demolitions and greening projects. This renovation marked our return to this kind of work – referred to as our Market Rehabilitation Program.”
The Land Bank staff and contractors replaced the ceilings, installed new flooring, replaced the cabinets and hardware in the kitchen, restored and added onto the walk-out deck, added a new heating, ventilating and air conditioning system and more.
“We were able to see the transformation firsthand from start to finish,” said Roger Smith, director of planning, acquisition and disposition. “Typically, we acquire properties and then our qualified owner-occupants or investors rehab them. With our Market Rehab Program, we’re the ones doing the renovation and can see it through each step of the way.”
The Land Bank expects to renovate more houses in the years ahead as funding for housing demolitions becomes less available. Ohio’s Neighborhood Initiative Program, which has supported 1,100 demolitions in Mahoning County and tens of thousands across the state in recent years, is expected to end next year.
The Land Bank finished its last NIP-funded demolition earlier this fall.
“We expect to see a shift from demolitions to more renovation work and greening strategies,” says Debora. “Our mission has always been to acquire vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent properties and make them productive spaces again through restoration and repurposing efforts, and what better way to do so than making a house a home for another family.”
For more information on the Land Bank’s Market Rehab program, or to view additional details on 4942 Signature Circle, visit https://mahoninglandbank.com/buy-renovate-a-house/.
Read the Mahoning Matters story Mahoning County land bank would rather revitalize than raze and the Vindicator story Land Bank transforms vacant house to learn more about the renovation.
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