SESSIONS

LEGISLATIVE AND LEGAL UPDATES

The land bank movement has been very successful in Ohio and throughout the country, but has been subject to legal challenges on a number of fronts. Gus Frangos, the author of the land bank bill and the CEO of the Cuyahoga County land bank will be discussing these challenges along with attorneys who have been involved in litigation around the land bank movement at the state and federal level. CLE credit has been applied for.

SMALL COUNTY LAND BANK SUCCESS STORIES IN APPALACHIAN COUNTIES

Much attention is paid to the work and success of County land banks in larger counties like Lucas, Hamilton, Franklin and Cuyahoga. However, considerable success has been achieved in smaller land banks like Lawrence County in South Central Ohio and one of the newer land banks in Athens County. We will be focusing in on the work of these two small banks as well as the work of the land bank in Van Wert County in Northwest Ohio on the Indiana border.

MAHONING VALLEY SUCCESS STORIES

One of the more distressed areas in the state of Ohio and one that has received considerable national attention is the Mahoning Valley which includes Trumbull and Mahoning Counties. These communities, which include the cities of the Warren and Youngstown, have worked closely with their land banks and in the case of Trumbull County has actually engaged a well-established community organization, Trumbull Neighborhood Partners, to run their land bank. The relationship between the Mahoning County Land Bank and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation is also especially close.  We will be looking closely at the two land banks and how they have worked so effectively in their respective counties.

HOW LAND BANKS CAN ENGAGE IN LAND CONSERVATION

Land banks are in a unique position to take vacant and abandoned land, some of which appears to be hard to develop (in that it may be wetlands or other challenged property), and take advantage of land conservation opportunities by using various tools that are available in Ohio for land conservation. Western Reserve Land Conservancy and other land conservation organizations have been conserving land throughout the state for many years now. We will look at some of the opportunities that might be available and use Trumbull County as an example of a partnership between a land conservancy and a county land bank.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Because land banks deal with many older properties it is inevitable that historic properties enter our portfolios. While much attention has been paid to demolition, there is considerable work being done in the area of historic preservation. We will be looking at examples of historic preservation efforts around the state and helping land banks to understand what tools might be available to save a property rather than demolish that property.

CREATIVE WAYS TO USE LAND BANKS WHEN FUNDING SOURCES DRY UP

With HHF dollars all but spent and no new revenue streams yet available to county land banks, it is important to remember that there are other creative ways to use the land Bank tool without demolition dollars. We will be looking at examples all over the state of what creative measures are being taken to use the land bank tool.

WHAT DOES THE COVID 19 CRISIS MEAN FOR LAND BANKS

What does the COVID-19 crisis mean for land banks? A new real estate crisis is imminent, not only around mortgage delinquencies but increasing evictions. How can land banks get ahead of this crisis what can they do to take advantage of opportunities, while also helping the communities that they represent?

CAN LAND BANKS ENGAGE IN WIND AND SOLAR POWER

This session will focus in on private sector efforts in the wind and solar energy areas and focusing on what land banks can do to take advantage of these opportunities.

HOW TO CLEAN UP ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

We will be focusing in on environmentally contaminated properties that are often made available to land banks, but also resources that are available to clean these sites up. We will be looking at specific examples around the state of how these efforts have worked.

CASE STUDY ON KNOX COUNTY AND THE SIEMENS CORPORATION DONATION OF 47 ACRES AND 25 BUILDINGS

Siemens Corporation has just donated this large site to the land bank and we will be looking at the property and not only the opportunities that the land bank has to redevelop the site, but also the many challenges the property presents to the land bank.  We hope this session is interactive and that participants will not only ask questions, but offer ideas to Knox County.

HOW CAN LAND BANKS LEAD ON HOME REHABILITATION

Over 40,000 properties have been taken down around the state of Ohio since 2011 by land banks, cities, villages, and townships throughout Ohio. More and more often land banks are being asked to find creative ways to lead on home rehabilitation and home repairs.  We will be focusing on creative efforts around this area throughout the state of Ohio.

HOW VACANT LAND IN DISTRESSED AREAS CAN BE REPURPOSED INTO PARKS THAT HAVE ADDED SIGNIFICANCE

In the St. Luke's neighborhood of Cleveland five different parks are being created, each with its own significance and meaning for that community. One of the parks is being developed on a site where a serial killer murdered 11 women, and another on a site where a policeman was shot and killed responding to a complaint around a vacant property.  We will look at these efforts and how your community might engage in efforts like these.