Land banking is an idea gaining attention for its positive impact on urban blight at a time when most cities are dealing with more foreclosures. Instead of selling abandoned or foreclosed structures at auction or just letting the properties sit, the city or county creates a land bank of properties. Some homes are fixed up and sold. Some are demolished, and the land is then sold to nearby homeowners or developers. One group is trying to expand land banking across Ohio.
Lien Forward Ohio hosted a meeting Monday in downtown Youngstown, trying to lobby state lawmakers about two bills in the Ohio House and Senate. A new land bank law took effect last December, but it applies only to Cuyahoga County, the Cleveland area, because of its large population. Lien Forward wants to ensure any new laws will allow Mahoning County and the rest of the state to set up land banks.
State Sen. Joe Schiavoni, (D) 33rd District, said, "It would be easier to get these properties and use them for more productive use than just sitting there. We can't have properties just sitting there. We need to clean these places up, either rebuild on them or just create gardens, green spaces, whatever we can do with them."
The new legislation would allow for land banks in any Ohio county with a population of 100,000 or more. Land banking would benefit 25 counties, including Mahoning and Trumbull.
