Chillicothe & Ross County — The Ross County Land Bank is considering expanding a partnership and creating new ones.
The work of the land bank to get dilapidated properties demolished or renovated in Chillicothe, as well as the rest of the rest of Ross County, continues to progress and expand – as discussed in their bimonthly meeting on September 23rd.
Chillicothe Mayor Luke Feeney serves as president of the Land Bank. He summarized their discussion on Monday, and you can hear him in his own words in the interview video below.
Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (“ARPA,” in response to Covid) are available for home repairs, basic life skills, and affordable housing in the city and county.
The land bank hopes to use some of those to expand their work with Habitat for Humanity, which recently included two new builds on lots cleared by the land bank.
Two potential partners they discussed would givie experience to students in the Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center, and help the weatherization efforts of Ross County Community Action.
Out in the county, Feeney explained that when owners are behind in taxes, the Ross County Prosecutor and the Treasurer can threaten to foreclose, or sometimes just act on nuisances, “to shake those loose” and get action on abandoned properties. That also help towns like Bainbridge and Richmond Dale that are unincorporated or lack the city regulations and services that Chillicothe has.
The land bank is waiting on official confirmation of two significant grants to fund their two main efforts: housing demolition and revitalization, and brownfield remediation (cleaning up industrial sites).
Their workload has gotten busy enough that they now need to get accounting software.
Feeney also mentioned that the land bank is assisting with continued consolidation of city services and renovation of Bridge Street.
He said the city electrician’s shop on Bridge Street just outside the floodwall, a former gas station, was demolished September 9th. That was in anticipation of the state’s Bridge Street work next year, which will include a sidewalk on the east side that will connect to the recreation trail there. Feeney said the city will be compensated through the land bank for the demolition.
Their next meeting will be in two months, on November 18th. 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.
