Land banking is not a new practice and can be traced back several decades, but in the wake of the foreclosure crisis a new form of land bank emerged in Ohio. In 2009, legislation was passed for the creation of the first county land reutilization corporation, informally known as a county land bank, in Cuyahoga County. In 2010, with the success of the Cuyahoga County Land Bank, the state legislature amended the land bank legislation to allow any county with over 60,000 residents to create a land bank, and by 2014 the legislation was again amended to allow all counties in Ohio to create a county land reutilization corporation. This legislation established land banks as quasi-governmental agencies, a hybrid model that combines the efficiencies of nonprofit corporations with the public-purpose, powers and funding of a governmental organization. Land Banks would become a catalyst for community revitalization through the acquisition and productive, strategic disposition of vacant, abandoned, blighted properties that have plagued our communities.

In 2010, the Trumbull County Land Reutilization Corporation (TCLRC) was established, making it the third county land bank in Ohio. With significant disinvestment, decreasing population, and a deteriorating housing stock, Trumbull County created a land bank to address these issues by acquiring vacant abandoned property through the tax foreclosure process and returning these properties to productive use through renovation, demolition and vacant land re-use efforts. In 2013, the Land Bank contracted with Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, a local 501(c)(3) CDC serving the city of Warren and surrounding communities, for the management of the TCLRC.

This training will outline the effective collaboration between CDCs and land banks to allow for the highest impact in communities. While both CDCs and land banks are effective tools for revitalization, the collaboration between these organizations can create a larger impact in the communities most in need. TNP will use the training to offer best practices in approaching land banks to create strong successful partnerships, successes and failures in managing a land bank, and how land banks and CDCs can work together to ensure that residents are involved in the future of their neighborhoods.