Posts by Luke Telander
The state of land banks in 2015: An interview with Frank Alexander
The second edition of Land Banks and Land Banking, the ground-breaking book by Frank S. Alexander, was released earlier this month. It builds on the legacy of the 2011 first edition with fresh insights and resources for practitioners and policy-makers. With about 120 land banks and land banking programs now located around the country, we spoke with…
Read MoreTax Day: A look at tax lien sales in Cuyahoga County
It’s that time of year again. The time for digging out your W2’s and crossing your fingers for a big refund. That’s right — we’re talking about Tax Day! Last year, in honor of the day, we put out a crash course on delinquent property tax foreclosure. This year, we’re highlighting a new report from the Vacant and…
Read MoreSpring cleaning: Vacant lot maintenance through community engagement in Flint
Spring is here at last, and for many Legacy City blight fighters, that means one thing – lot mowing and maintenance season. Maintenance, which includes mowing, waste removal, and other activities to keep lots clean and green, can be costly and time consuming. In order to make sure lots are kept up, some cities rely on strong…
Read MoreSend your favorite revitalized lot some Valentine’s love with #LoveThatLot
Around the country, vacant lots and abandoned properties are being transformed into everything from new housing to urban orchards to pop-up beer gardens to go-kart race tracks. It’s time to show them some love! Between now and Valentine’s Day, use #LoveThatLot on Twitter and Facebook to share photos of your favorite formerly vacant lots that have been transformed into…
Read MoreHow the Cuyahoga Land Bank is helping refugees “Discover Home”
Land banks can work in concert with a whole host of private, public, and nonprofit partners, using those creative partnerships to help the communities they serve. An example of one such partnership is the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation (Cuyahoga Land Bank)’s Discovering Home program–described in Take it to the Bank: How Land Banks Are…
Read MoreEasy as A-B-C: The Chautauqua acquisition model
How should a land bank decide which properties to acquire? Researching our recent national land bank report confirmed it’s a major question that virtually all land banks grapple with. In Take it to the Bank: How Land Banks Are Strengthening America’s Neighborhoods, we found that “though the majority of land banks are practicing more selective acquisition…
Read MoreOmaha Habitat honors Community Progress with Nebraska leaders
There is much to celebrate in Omaha. Over the past year, the State of Nebraska passed a land bank statute, and a diverse group of businesses, nonprofits, community leaders, and elected officials in Omaha came together to champion the passage of the Omaha municipal land bank ordinance, creating the first land bank in the State.…
Read MoreWhat does a successful land bank look like?
What does a successful land bank look like? It’s one of the questions our new report, Take it to the Bank: How Land Banks Are Strengthening America’s Neighborhoods, explores. Based on our research, there are a number of common characteristics critical to successful land banking. The following is a breakdown of these five key characteristics as laid…
Read MoreHow Marquette County Land Bank took on property at an abandoned air force base
Land banks can be useful in communities of all sizes. While land banking has been established as an important tool in the urban revitalization toolbox, our new report, Take it to the Bank: How Land Banks Are Strengthening America’s Neighborhoods, also shows how land banking works in more rural areas. Marquette County is located in…
Read MoreAdvice for land banks from Cuyahoga Land Bank’s Gus Frangos
Our new report, Take it to the Bank: How Land Banks Are Strengthening America’s Neighborhoods, takes an in-depth look at how the Cuyahoga Land Bank serves the community in and around Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 2009, has nearly 30 staff members and, as of March 2014, had more than 1,150 properties in its inventory. The Cuyahoga Land Bank’s operations…
Read More