Land Bank as Funding Solution for Local Entities

Large and small communities across the state struggle with a similar problem—they need to address blighted buildings, but lack the funding to do so. While there is certainly a difference of scale in the number of buildings the city of Detroit must tackle versus a smaller city like Ironwood, Detroit and larger cities like it, have greater access to funding sources at the Federal level to help address blight. In Michigan, land banks can be a vital partner to small communities, helping them tap into these federal and state funding sources. One such example is the Gogebic County Land Bank Authority. The land bank worked to partner with local communities in the county, like the City of Ironwood, to get much needed blight-elimination dollars to the region. By partnering with the land bank, the City of Ironwood was able to receive a $675,000 grant of federal Hardest Hit Funds which are administered by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. The land bank served as the pass-through agency, helping the City of Ironwood to secure the funding and manage the grant. As a result of the grant, 27 blighted properties will be demolished by the end of 2016. Click here for more details on the Gogebic County Land Bank.