Part 2: How the Land Bank Collaborates with Municipalities

Cuyahoga Land Bank acquires vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties, many of which are located within the City of Cleveland. Vital revitalization work relies on our strong partnerships with the City of Cleveland, inner-ring suburbs and numerous other cities across Cuyahoga County.

Cuyahoga Land Bank and these municipalities share the goals of reducing blight, revitalizing neighborhoods and promoting economic development. This shared vision drives our collaborative efforts. Each city works with the Land Bank to determine the best use for these properties, considering factors like zoning, community needs and development plans.

The City of Cleveland provides funding and resources to support many of the Land Bank’s initiatives. This funding allows the Land Bank to undertake activities like demolition, rehabilitation and new construction. For example, the city recently allocated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to the Land Bank for housing revitalization projects in legacy communities. Per state law, the board of directors of the Cuyahoga land Bank has representation from the City of Cleveland to ensure the city has a voice in the Land Bank’s operations.

First Suburbs Consortium of Cuyahoga County works to address the shared challenges facing older, inner-ring suburbs, and they collaborate with the Cuyahoga Land Bank to revitalize neighborhoods by strategically acquiring and redeveloping vacant and blighted properties within their member communities. The Land Bank recently partnered with the Consortium to identify zoning issues in Cleveland’s inner-ring suburbs to make the construction of infill housing more achievable throughout Cuyahoga County by updating, in some cases, turn-of-the-century zoning codes.

The Site Readiness for Good Jobs Fund (SRF) is a nationally unique nonprofit aimed at breathing new life into 1,000 acres of neglected real estate in northeast Ohio, catalyzing the creation of 25,000 jobs, supporting neighborhood vitality, building wealth among residents and enhancing environmental sustainability. Read about the SRF’s recent State of Ohio $7.6 million brownfield remediation grant for a critical project in East Glenville and Collinwood HERE.)

Cleveland Neighborhood Progress is a local intermediary organization that supports community development corporations (CDCs) in Cleveland, fostering neighborhood revitalization.  CNP facilitates collaboration between CDCs and the Cuyahoga Land Bank, helping to coordinate redevelopment efforts and ensure that Land Bank projects align with community needs and priorities.

Cleveland Restoration Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and revitalizing the architectural and historical heritage of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. The Restoration Society collaborates with the Cuyahoga Land Bank by providing expertise on historic preservation for properties being redeveloped, and by advocating for the reuse of historically significant structures that the Land Bank acquires. Cuyahoga Land Bank received the Award of Merit for Neighborhood Impact from the Restoration Society for one of its more interesting renovation projects on South Boulevard in Cleveland’s Glenville neighborhood.  Read about it here.

Cleveland Housing Network (CHN) is a non-profit organization that develops and manages affordable housing options in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. CHN collaborates with the Cuyahoga Land Bank by acquiring and rehabilitating properties from the Land Bank’s inventory, transforming them into quality, affordable housing for low-income individuals and families. The Land Bank has partnered with CHN on many impactful affordable housing projects over the years, including the demolition of a dilapidated YMCA building in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood to make way for a large-scale permanent supportive housing project. Read about it here.