Chesapeake Land Bank Authority Strategic Plan

Executive Summary

Since its founding in 2018, the Chesapeake Land Bank Authority (CLBA) has built a strong foundation through diverse, flexible, and mutually beneficial partnerships with City departments and agencies. In January 2025, CLBA engaged the Center for Community Progress (Community Progress) to help build on this foundation through the creation of a new, five-year strategic plan. The plan includes: 

• National and statewide overview of land banking 

• Brief history of CLBA and its most substantive accomplishments 

• Overview of CLBA’s mission, vision, and values 

• CLBA’s goals and strategies for the next five years 

• Implementation plan 

• Conclusion with recommended next steps  

Based on the above activities and our team’s extensive knowledge of the land banking field, our team identified the following goals for CLBA to pursue in the next five years:  

• Support the development of a citywide comprehensive approach to vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, deteriorated, and/or nuisance (VAD) properties. In Chesapeake, there is an inventory of tax-delinquent vacant lots (unimproved) and structures where the City’s code enforcement agency has identified violations. We encourage CLBA to work closely with its local government partners to assess this inventory and identify a path forward to stabilize these properties. Strategies span from compelling transfer of properties to responsible ownership to providing “equitable off-ramps” for owners who wish to repair their properties but lack sufficient resources.  

• Expand geographic priority areas and programs to serve more Chesapeake residents impacted by vacancy and abandonment. CLBA has built a strong foundation through its work in the South Norfolk Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district through the administration of the South Norfolk Residential Rehabilitation Grant Program (SNRRGP). The South Norfolk TIF district was one of six target areas identified in CLBA’s 2019–2024 Strategic Plan, along with Great Bridge Village, South Military Highway, Camelot, Dunedin, and Ahoy Acres. Moving forward, CLBA should continue to build on its successes in South Norfolk, while also identifying ways to expand its reach to other areas of the city, including through a potential acquisition pipeline in other target areas. 

• Develop more comprehensive acquisition mechanisms and disposition strategies. We recommend the land bank revisit and revise its Property Acquisition and Transfer Programs, Policies, and Procedures to clarify priorities for property acquisition, prospective buyers, and end uses. CLBA should also work with local government partners to identify opportunities for acquisition via tax and/or code lien foreclosure. 

• Increase funding, staff capacity, and partnerships. Successful implementation of this strategic plan will require additional staff capacity, new and diverse funding sources, and expanded partnerships with mission-aligned nonprofits and peer organizations to supplement current staff and financial capacity.   

• Strengthen relationships with residents in areas most affected by VAD properties. Interviewed stakeholders identified barriers to stronger community engagement including a lack of active civic leagues and similar groups in some planning areas and worries about raising resident expectations when CLBA’s funding is limited. We recommend that CLBA adopt a more expansive community engagement strategy with a focus on residents living in areas most affected by VAD properties and remain transparent about its limited resources.  

This strategic plan offers an opportunity for CLBA to build on its strong foundation over the next five years and beyond by leveraging new tools to address VAD properties, growing its staff and organizational capacity, and deepening its engagement with community residents, especially those most affected by vacancy and abandonment. Community Progress remains a committed partner and resource to the City as it pursues the goals outlined above. We thank all those who contributed to the success of this engagement.

Download the strategic plan »