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After 1500th Property Finishes Early,
Land Bank Sets New Goal
Announces New Plan to
Renovate or Demolish 2,000 Properties in 1,500 Days
If it’s worth doing, it’s
worth doing well.
That was the theme from
leaders of the Lucas County Land Bank as they
announced that their goal to
renovate or demolish 1,500 properties in
1,500 days, begun in summer
2016, has finished 500 days early. Standing
in front of a beautifully
restored home in Toledo’s Old West End
neighborhood, those gathered
made clear they weren’t finished and that
another 500 properties would
be tackled in the next 500 days.
“There are very few times
when an organization finishes a goal this
massive this early, but
that’s exactly what the Land Bank has
accomplished,” said Mayor
Wade Kapszukiewicz, who serves as the chairman of
the Land Bank’s Board of
Directors. “And even better – before we
complete these 1,500 days,
we now hope to renovate or demolish a total
of 2,000 properties.”
The news conference was held
in front of a home on Glenwood Avenue that
the Land Bank took ownership
of due to tax delinquency in 2017. Sold to
Kathi & Gary Taub – who live
next door – and Wanda & Larry Tibai for
$1,500, the couples invested
thousands of dollars to turn the once
blighted home with boarded
windows and falling gutters into one of the
best looking homes on the
block. They intend to list the property for
sale in the coming weeks and
bring a new homeowner to the neighborhood.
“The Land Bank could not
have reached the goals we’ve set without the
blood, sweat, and tears of
neighbors like the Taubs and Tibais,” said
David Mann, president & CEO.
“Whether someone buys a home from us to
renovate or takes control of
that vacant lot next door after a
demolition, it is residents
who are slowing bringing back our
neighborhoods.”
In the past 1,005 days, the
Land Bank has seen 222 homes and business
properties renovated with
another 184 in progress. In addition, 1,284
blighted properties have
been demolished. This work has been
accomplished largely due to
a $29 million commitment by the Ohio Housing
Finance Agency and the
United States Department of Treasury from the
Hardest Hit Fund. The Lucas
County Land Bank’s award is the largest per
capita in the State of Ohio.
Also speaking at the news
conference were Lucas County Treasurer
Lindsay Webb, Lucas County
Commissioners Tina Skeldon Wozniak and Gary
Byers, Congresswoman Marcy
Kaptur, Toledo City Councilwoman Yvonne
Harper, and State
Representative Paula Hicks-Hudson.
Those interested in the
learning more about the Land Bank can visit its
website at
lucascountylandbank.org.
The Lucas County Land Bank
is a community organization dedicated to
strengthening neighborhoods
and preserving property values by returning
vacant, abandoned, and
tax-delinquent properties to productive use.
Since its inception in 2010,
the Land Bank has returned 3,300 vacant
lots, residential homes, and
commercial properties to productive use and
demolished over 2,700
properties that were nuisances to the community.
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