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Greene County commissioners are still considering creating a land bank to help revitalize neighborhoods and are seeking comments from residents during two public hearings today.
If commissioners move forward with the draft plan, the land bank will have the ability to take possession of blighted properties, turn them into tax revenue-generating homes and potentially increase surrounding property values.
State law authorizes counties with populations of more than 60,000 to form land banks and gives municipalities the power to take control of vacant properties, erase any liens attached to the building or land, and pool properties to market them as a larger piece that could be used for redevelopment.
“We’re going to listen to the input from the people at the hearings and then see what kind of changes, or if we go forward with it, based upon their input,” said Greene County Commissioner Tom Koogler.
Ohio law requires the land bank to be overseen by a five-member board that would include the county commissioners, the county treasurer, and a representative appointed by Beavercreek City Council — the legislative body for the largest jurisdiction in the county. The land bank would be operated by a director who would report to the board.
Draft regulations for the land bank include a sunset provision that indicates the land bank will terminate five years from the date it was created.
The draft plan limits the land bank by taking away its ability to borrow money and the authority to exercise imminent domain.
Greene County Commissioner Bob Glaser said he is not opposed to the land bank and saw good things that the entity could accomplish.
“When you’re dealing with real estate, there’s always money to be made,” Glaser said. “Whenever there’s money to be made, government gets involved. Abuses develop very quickly. The question becomes how do you write a charter that prevents that.”
Representatives from Beavercreek, Fairborn and Xenia said they did not have a problem with the draft regulations for the proposed land bank.
“We’ve been generally supportive given the specific safeguards that need to be in place in the legislation,” said Jeff McGrath, the Beavercreek planning director. “We’ve been supportive as long as it is utilized the way it was outlined to us as more of a pass through to get clear titles for properties that are dilapidated and need to be taken down.”
The public hearings will start at 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. in the Greene County Administration building, 35 Greene Street in Xenia.
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