Land Banks & Brownfields

Across the country, land banks are emerging as entities with unique abilities to tackle brownfield sites and help communities reuse these properties.

A land bank is a public agency with unique powers granted by state laws to put vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties back to productive uses that align with community goals. A land bank’s primary purpose is to acquire properties that some call “blighted” and temporarily hold and take care of them until they can be transferred to new owners.

Brownfields are vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties that threaten community wellbeing. Brownfields are properties where the presence or likely presence of a hazardous chemical or pollutant makes it challenging, risky, and costly to redevelop. Communities struggle with brownfield properties because of these unique challenges, but land banking approaches can help. Read our step-by-step guide to redeveloping brownfields.

Note: Before buying, acquiring, accepting a property, or moving forward with a neighborhood revitalization project, a land bank should perform due diligence and determine whether the property is contaminated. Land banks should review EPA guidance on local government liability protections and consult with their legal counsel, appropriate state environmental agency, and EPA staff. Other helpful resources include local and state brownfield experts, environmental professionals, EPA’s Technical Assistance providers and EPA Regional Staff.

Examples of How Land Banks Have Helped Communities Address Brownfield Properties

Michigan’s Genesee County Land Bank used state and federal funds to demolish and remediate a former oil change business at a key entrance to downtown. Local partners used the property, and several other nearby parcels acquired by the land bank, to build the Center for Children’s Integrated Services, which provides comprehensive physical and mental health treatment to Genesee County children.

Suffolk County Land Bank on Long Island, New York was created in 2013 with a primary focus on tackling brownfields. They have acquired 39 brownfield properties in 10 years, completed nearly 100 environmental assessments, and helped return nearly $8 million in assessed value to the tax rolls with reuses that support neighborhood vitality and health.

Ohio has one of the most well-established and expansive land bank networks (70 land banks as of January 2024). The state views land banks as a key partner and allocated $350 million to a brownfield remediation program in 2023, relying almost exclusively on county land banks as primary recipients to carry out the program’s goals.

The West Virginia Land Stewardship Corporation (WVLSC)—a statewide entity that supports the 12 land banks in West Virginia—acquired a 2.1-acre former coal-fired power and water filtration plant in the Morgantown Industrial Park. “The Smokestacks” site was donated for cleanup in exchange for a property management fee paid by the industrial park owner. An EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant funded successful Phase I/II Environmental Site Assessments. WVLSC and partners used a Brownfields Cleanup Grant for site remediation to transform the property into a loading and storage facility that supports the entire industrial park.

---

Get Help for Your Community! If you’re struggling with vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties in your community, check out our free online resources, webinars, and publications. The Center for Community Progress also provides customized, expert guidance to state and local governments to draft state-enabling land bank legislation, local policies, and help land banks conduct strategic planning in service of equitable neighborhood revitalization. Contact us at [email protected] to learn more!