Syracuse to build 50 affordable single-family homes

Home HeadQuarters and the Greater Syracuse Land Bank are already taking preliminary steps for the building process, Quaglia said.

The Greater Syracuse Land Bank is seeking lots to build on that are close to schools or parks, said Katelyn Wright, executive director of the land bank. Not only will this increase the value of surrounding homes, but it will also boost the desirability and safety of the neighborhood, she said.

“Syracuse is covered in vacant lots and abandoned buildings that bring down the value of homes in surrounding neighborhoods,” Wright said. “Adding something like the new construction will not only increase neighbors’ home values, but the value of what you are selling will go up as well.”

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New rules result in more tax foreclosures

OSWEGO — A 2017 change to the county’s tax foreclosure rules is likely to lead to an increase in the number of foreclosed properties compared to previous years, and the Oswego County Land Bank is positioning itself to deal with the influx.

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Syracuse to revive neighborhoods with 200 new homes for low-income buyers, renters

Syracuse, N.Y. – The city plans to build 50 new houses for first-time, low-income homebuyers in the next two years, according to Syracuse housing officials.

A second part of the plan would add another 75, two-family rental homes to the city. The total plan would create 200 new, street-level homes throughout Syracuse in the next few years.

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Land bank seeking developers for 'neighborhood-scale' project in Albany's South End

The Albany County Land Bank Corp. is taking the next step to redevelop a four-block area of vacant land and abandoned homes in Albany's South End neighborhood.

The land bank wants to partner with developers interested in building new or renovated housing and retail shops in an area from Broad Street to Elizabeth Street and from Second Avenue to Third Avenue.

The area covers approximately 4 acres and includes 86 parcels. Of those parcels, 67 are owned by either the land bank or the city, representing about 3 acres. They're mostly vacant lots and a handful of empty buildings.

"What we’re really striving for here is to do a neighborhood-scale development," said Adam Zaranko, executive director of the land bank. "A whole, thought-out development project with mixed use, mixed income, rental and owned."

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Falls receives state grant funds for blight fight

In an effort to help curb blight and enhance Western New York neighborhoods, the New York State Attorney General's Office on Friday announced the award of $2.7 million in grant funding to three cities, including Niagara Falls. 

Attorney General Letitia James visited Niagara Falls City Hall on Friday where she announced the local award, which is part of the state's Cities for Responsible Investment and Strategic Planning (Cities RISE) program, which was established in April 2017 in response to the foreclosure crisis. Of the total $2.7 million, Niagara Falls will receive $882,625.

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The ‘Notice’ Starts A Sad Process

Today, there is another alternative which can help rejuvenate old housing stock — the property can be put into what is called a “Land Bank.” Sometimes this enables a potential buyer in purchasing and restoring a house. It also might enable a non-profit organization, like Habitat for Humanity, come in, take ownership and make needed restoration and repairs. If the County gives property to the Land Bank, County taxpayers eat all of the back taxes.

What the whole issues highlights is that property taxes, especially in a State like New York, are high. They are a major revenue source for both local governments and school districts. When somebody fails to pay them, that underlying cost doesn’t go away. It just gets shifted to everyone else already paying their own property taxes.

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Novel deal could mean new life for 138 polluted properties in Syracuse and suburbs

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The former Winkelman Co. property on Syracuse’s East Side was apparently abandoned by its owner years ago. And no one else wanted it. The potential liability for cleaning up asbestos, discarded tires or other pollution made ownership too risky.

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Land Bank plans to acquire up to six delinquent properties

WATERLOO — The Finger Lakes Regional Land Bank plans to acquire up to six vacant and abandoned properties from Seneca County’s final foreclosure list this spring.

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Governors Motor Inn has a buyer at $150K

Governors Motor Inn — once a swank gathering spot but a boarded-up eyesore since a fire in 2010 — has a buyer at last. The Albany County Land Bank announced this week that it has reached an agreement with the owners and operators of Store Away Self Storage to purchase the building on Western Avenue near Carman Road for $150,000. 

The buyer plans to open a self-storage building there, to include indoor temperature-controlled units as well as drive-up units, said Adam Zaranko, the land bank’s executive director. 

To read the full article via the Altamont Enterprise click HERE

An eyesore finally gets demolished in Schenectady

The broken-down apartment building at 16 Jefferson St. was demolished by the Capital Region Land Bank on Monday, ridding Schenectady's East Front Street neighborhood of a major nuisance. 

Vacant for years, covered with vines, with piles of garbage piling up in the back of the property, the building was a good example of the dispiriting blight that afflicts almost every neighborhood in the city of Schenectady. 

It was also, I learned, a good example of the challenges involved in addressing derelict properties. 

To read the full article via the Daily Gazette click HERE

Ogdensburg eyesores come tumbling down

They’re coming down in different parts of the city. Finally. Derelict properties that haunt almost every neighborhood. Neighbors have a front-row seat. The buildings are being taken down by the Ogdensburg Land Bank. Ten are coming down this month. It has a $600,000 grant in hand to do the work.

To read the full article on wwnytv click HERE

Fighting blight in Schenectady a sustained effort

Derelict buildings pose a chronic problem in Schenectady.  Slowly but surely, the city is culling the herd.  Earlier this spring, city officials and the Capital Region Land Bank announced they would collaborate on nudging 34 blighted properties and empty parcels down the path of finality, whether demolition or renovation.

To read the full article click HERE

You can own this historic Syracuse church for $25,000

A local landmark in Syracuse is on the market for just $25,000. The South Presbyterian Church on South Salina St. has been vacant for more than a decade. Now, the historic property is up for sale. It was put on the market by the Greater Syracuse Land Bank on Thursday for $25,000.

To read the full article via CNY Central click HERE

Symposium seeks to beat back ‘zombies,’ grow sustainable housing

It sounds like a scene from a scary Halloween movie: Neighborhoods are plagued by abandoned, dangerously dilapidated houses that threaten safety, attract crime and sap community spirit. 

In fact, so-called “zombie homes” – often left vacant and unmaintained during prolonged foreclosure proceedings – are a serious problem that drew experts from academia, government and nonprofit organizations to Cornell Oct. 23-24 for a symposium focused on revitalizing afflicted communities across New York state.

To read the full article via the Cornell Chronicle click HERE

Land Bank makes progress in fight against blight

Building demolitions and housing rehabs may not be moving along as quickly as some would like, but the Greater Mohawk Valley Land Bank has completed some projects in the area and is moving ahead with others, according to Land Bank Executive Director Tolga Morawski.

To read the full article via the Observer-Dispatch click HERE

Banking on Recovery - Land banking is a creative tool to convert abandoned and vacant properties into affordable housing.

New York State’s economy is being attacked by “zombies.” So begins testimony submitted by the New York Land Bank Association at the 2019 Joint Legislative Hearing on Economic Development. “They can be found in just about every community in New York State, hiding in plain sight among occupied buildings and well-maintained lots, consuming municipal resources, depressing property values, reducing tax revenue, and harming surrounding residents.”

These zombies? Vacant properties.

To read the full article via the River Hudson Valley Newsroom click HERE

Rotterdam zombie property to be demolished

 long-abandoned "zombie" house in a Rotterdam neighborhood will be coming down, to be replaced by a house to be built by Habitat for Humanity of Schenectady County. Schenectady County, the Capital Region Land Bank, and Habitat are working together to coordinate the demolition and replacement of the house at 749 Cramer Ave., at the corner of Denver Street. It has been empty for many years and is subject to county seizure due to unpaid back taxes.

To read the full article via the Daily Gazette click HERE

Open houses on rehabbed Hornell property set for next week

The property was selected by the Steuben County Land Bank Corporation (SCLBC) as part of ongoing efforts to reclaim and rehabilitate abandoned properties. Renovations include a new porch roof, new flooring, walls, kitchen, half bath and windows, lighting and smoke detectors. Other improvements include updates to the home’s full bath and electrical systems. An independent corporation, the land bank was approved by the Steuben Legislature in late April 2017 with funds through the state settlements with the nation’s largest banks over misconduct that contributed to the housing crisis.

To read the full article via the Evening Tribune click HERE

City Shaper: Jocelyn Gordon

Jocelyn Gordon leads Erie County's first land bank. Jocelyn Gordon is the executive director of BENLIC, Buffalo and Erie County’s land bank.

Watch the full video HERE

Unanimous passage of 2020 Kingston city budget

The budget also provides $3 million in funding over two years for the city’s land bank. The new agency is charged with taking vacant properties held by the city for unpaid taxes, refurbishing them and marketing them to first time homebuyers. Money included in the spending plan will fund operations and pay to move the city’s Office of Economic and Community Development to a refurbished property on Franklin Street. Noble said the relocation was intended to place the office in the heart of the community it is designed to serve.

To read the full article via Hudson Valley 1 click HERE