Exporting Expertise, Expanding Community Engagement in 2026

Last year, Cuyahoga Land Bank transitioned from a near-exclusive focus on residential work by adding more commercial and industrial programs – including more than $140 million of brownfield-related projects – to its growing list of services.

This year’s Land Bank President and CEO Ricardo León explains that the team will continue that growth strategy by capitalizing on the organization’s strengths.

“From a development perspective, we expanded our partnerships, started working with a lot of new groups and faces, and we are joining conversations we haven’t historically been part of,” León said.

He added that it is critical, as the Land Bank enters its 16th year, to grow and adapt to the economic uncertainty of the current environment. “In 2026, we are targeting ways to export the Land Bank’s unique expertise in order to significantly increase the organization’s impact by expanding services and adding more community and business engagement,” León said.

Exporting Expertise
Last October, León and Land Bank Data Scientist Dr. Ryan Sutter set-in-motion a service they plan to scale up in 2026. In a partnership with Omaha Municipal Land Bank, Sutter created a 10-year in-depth economic analysis highlighting the city land bank’s impact on its region of Nebraska.

The report, modeled after Cuyahoga Land Bank’s 15-Year Economic Impact Analysis, was what León hopes is just the first consulting project using the Land Bank’s specific expertise.
“With the Omaha report, we provided a granular study, including a parcel-level analysis for another land bank,” he explained. “This is a unique service our organization has developed. It is something that sets us apart, and we want to deploy that work outside of our region and on a national level.”

Another area where León wants to apply the Land Bank distinctive skill set toward efforts in the region to attract companies looking to relocate or grow. The Land Bank staff, he points out, can tap into a custom-built, analytical property database for site selection identifying which companies are best suited to relocate to the growing number of shovel-ready sites throughout Cuyahoga County.

“We are well-positioned to create highest and best use studies and identify the appropriate industry sectors for the sites. We can even provide outreach and problem-solving for commercial sites like the former National Acme plant property,” León said.

The Land Bank is well positioned to support site-targeting and business-attraction efforts for the City of Cleveland’s Site Readiness program, he added.

In 2026, the Land Bank is working to compile property and demographic data as part of the creation of a parcel-level map with a modeling function – in preparation for any future site selection consulting service.

Expanding Community Engagement and Partnerships
The pursuit of new partnerships, revenue growth and alternative streams of funding is another major initiative the Land Bank, with funding support from the Cleveland Foundation, will undertake this year.

“We continue to evolve the organizational structure,” León said. “The Land Bank is moving away from operating as a mom and pop, grassroots nonprofit and growing into a significant regional civic organization.”

The pivot away from traditional Land Bank operations will allow the organization to not rely solely on a static, restricted funding stream as it has the last 15 plus years.

The move, explains Senior Director of Engagement Anne Borchert, means the Land Bank is looking to operate more like a traditional nonprofit.

Going forward with a strategy aimed at increasing revenues through partnerships and services will require a bit of rebalancing and reshuffling of the deck, Borchert explains.

“By broadening how we generate resources, we’re better positioned to reinvest in neighborhoods, deepening those partnerships and taking on more ambitious work. That will go a long way to help stabilize housing markets, expand opportunity and deliver long-term benefits for residents across the county,” she said. “This shift gives us the flexibility to meet communities where they are today, while also plan and respond to needs for the future.”

Expanding services over the new year for the Land Bank which León stresses, accomplishes a lot for a relatively small group,” to as the saying goes – change the tire while the car is still moving.

“We have to keep doing what we historically have been good at – continuing to deliver on those services – while also adapting to a changing ecosystem and economic realities. We are looking for solutions, including new partnerships to drive the mission – and we have to do both at the same time,” León added.