In October 2024, the Center for Community Progress hosted the Reclaiming Vacant Properties (RVP) Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. The RVP Conference brings together state and local governments, land bank authorities, federal agencies, nonprofit organizations, foundations, and regional organizations, all of whom work in property redevelopment or reclamation, land banking, Brownfields, housing, or community and economic development. In addition to hosting its annual conference, the Center for Community Progress provides a variety of educational, technical assistance, research and learning opportunities through their program portfolio.
Andrew Coker, NADO Regional Development Researcher, attended the RVP Conference and took back key information for regional organizations who already operate or are interested in operating a local or regional land bank program.
To view the conference agenda and sessions presentations, please visit the conference website.
The RVP Conference highlighted redevelopment strategies that communities have used to affect social and cultural transformative impact. Sessions focused specifically on how land banks can be used as a tool for community revitalization. Land banks are defined by the Center for Community Progress as:
“…. a public entity with unique powers to put vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties back to productive use according to community goals…. a land bank’s primary purpose is to acquire properties that some call “blighted” and temporarily hold and take care of them until they can be transferred to new, responsible owners.”
Land banks can be a useful tool for regional development. According to the Center for Community Progress 2023 State of Land Banking Survey, only 4% of all land banks in the U.S. operate with a regional footprint. Regional organizations can add land banks to their regional development portfolio to help address a wide range of regional needs including low-moderate income housing development, targeted neighborhood revitalization, downtown redevelopment, workforce housing development, and industry attraction and site selection.
To start the process of establishing a regional land bank program, consult the NADO Research Foundation resource: How to Build a Regional Housing Land Bank and reach out to the Center for Community Progress National Land Bank Network.
Four Key Takeaways from the RVP Conference
1. Multi-Faceted Tool
Land banks are used to acquire, maintain, and then dispose of property to address a community need. While housing has been a common focus area for regional land banks, land banks can also be used to supplement and assist with other regional community and economic development programs. At the RVP Conference, Niagara-Orleans Regional Land Improvement Corporation presented on how it is using land banks to supplement existing Brownfields work in the redevelopment of abandoned or blighted commercial properties throughout the Niagara Falls, New York metropolitan area. Additionally, Region 1 Planning Council, a U.S. EDA-designated Economic Development District in Rockford, Illinois showcased its regional housing land bank that provides workforce housing for teachers at a local school district.
2. Equity and Displacement
Equity and displacement concerns were at the forefront of the RVP Conference. The Welcome and Opening Plenary session featured Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The 1619 Project, who highlighted how discriminatory practices in housing and economic policy disproportionately affected minority populations throughout the U.S. These discriminatory practices have led to systemic vacancy throughout communities, a problem which many land bank and redevelopment programs aim to address.
Property acquisition and disposition are fundamental aspects of a land bank. When property changes hands, existing residents are at risk of being left behind and left out. Regional organizations must work with local communities to ensure that property redevelopment priorities, organizational goalsetting, and land bank processes and procedures are created with equitable outcomes and opportunities in mind.
Conversations with neighborhood associations, existing residents, and local government representatives should be at the forefront of all land bank community outreach strategies. Regional organizations can begin building their land bank programs after these conversations, using the conversations to inform and strengthen their approach.
3. State and Local Enabling Legislation
Enabling legislation provides land banks with a regulatory framework and permits local governments to participate in these programs. Whether passed at the State or local level, enabling legislation provides the parameters and regulations organizations must follow when operating a land bank. Regional organizations can work with state and local leaders to ensure that legislation meets the needs of their communities and gives land banks authority and funding to act effectively. While land banks can function without State-level enabling legislation, relying solely on local-level enabling legislation can leave land bank operators at the whim of changing political circumstances in communities. State enabling legislation can provide more protection against political or representative changes.
4. Regional Approach – Local Impact
Regional organizations can form land banks with a variety of footprints. Regional organizations have found success targeting one or two neighborhoods in partnership with local governments or managing region-wide land banks across city or county jurisdictional boundaries. Regional organizations should consider if a targeted or more regional approach fits the needs of their communities.
With a regional approach, regional organizations can still have a specific, local impact in targeted neighborhoods or towns across the region. This local impact can help foster a sense of regionality as profits from one project in another city or county can be revolved and used to fund projects in another city or county.
This resource is offered through the Economic Development District Community of Practice (EDD CoP), managed by the NADO Research Foundation to build the capacity of the national network of EDDs. To learn more, visit: www.nado.org/EDDCoP. The EDD CoP is made possible through an award from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce (ED22HDQ3070106). The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations in this resource are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce.