Chillicothe & Ross County — After several years, the Land Bank has found its groove and has expanded beyond the city of Chillicothe.
The “Ross County Land Reutilization Corporation,” its legal name, was set up in 2016 in the wake of the national mortgage crisis “to reduce the number of vacant and blighted properties.” That is often through demolition of houses and other buildings, but nudging owners into action or foreclosing and then selling to new owners also happens.
The Land Bank met Monday with the Ross County Commissioners, with Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney as chair. I interviewed him afterward.
He explained they are waiting for two major recurring grants that largely fund the land bank: Demolition & Revitalization, and Brownfield Remediation. Those also give some some administrative funding, but the Land Bank hopes to become sustainable without grants in the long term. Feeney said the commission has proven to be viable and is worth continuing.
The Land Bank focused on three properties in their meeting:
They have funds to do Phase I testing on a disused gas station in Clarksburg. That will determine if there is any contamination, and need for further action and funds.
A dilapidated Bainbridge property was foreclosed upon. Feeney explained that the Land Bank is working with the Ross County Prosecutors Office and Treasurers Office to take action on significantly delinquent taxes on dilapidated properties.
They also voted to sell a vacant lot, where they had demolished a house, to the next-door neighbor. The Land Bank is not required to sell to the highest bidder, so even if a neighbor does not offer as much as someone else who wants to build there, they can use their own discretion on who to sell to. The offer to buy had to be reasonable, though, and the neighbor had show earnestness by putting effort into maintaining the vacant lot.
Their next meeting will be in two months, on September 23rd. Learn more in the Land Bank page of the city’s website, or call the Planning & Development department. Properties that they have for sale are listed online.
