Commercial
Overview
Cuyahoga Land Bank’s long history of successful work removing blight from residential neighborhoods made for a seamless transition to taking on commercial work. In recent years, we have become a regional leader in helping make long empty and even contaminated industrial sites useful again.
In the second half of 2024 alone, the Land Bank received more than $110 million from the Ohio Department of Development for brownfield work.
$11
For every dollar spent, Cuyahoga Land Bank generates $11 in economic impact.
$3.6B
The Land Bank has generated more than $3.6 billion in economic impact as of 2024.
$48M
tax from property sales.
Programs
Like our residential work, a number of commercial programs help the Land Bank achieve various positive outcomes for Cuyahoga County neighborhoods. Whether helping a small business clean up a building to make it useful again or working with a city to create economic opportunities, we can reach into our toolbox to grab the right gadget to catalyze prosperity. Here is a look at how we get it done.
Demolition
Communities with vacant parcels have lower property values, less economic activity and more crime. Healthy, thriving communities, on the other hand, are light on vacant properties and ruin. Our Neighborhood Stabilization Department initiates community stabilization by demolishing vacant properties that add to blight. Run-down and abandoned commercial buildings are often full of asbestos, have a contaminated brownfield, require a significant cleanout or present a combination of these issues; by remediating the parcels on which these industrial buildings sit, new businesses can inhabit the building and bring new economic activity to a community.
Land Assembly
The Land Bank’s expertise extends beyond the strict demolition of abandoned properties and into assembling parcels for larger development. Our Acquisitions Team assists private developers looking for larger spaces to develop. We take on the often costly work of assembling parcels of developable land for green space or future construction where appropriate. Through our strategic efforts, the Land Bank can facilitate a second life for discarded properties and further restore value to the community’s tax base.
Consulting
The Land Bank has helped municipalities across Cuyahoga County with a variety of land banking activities. Our long history and deep understanding of land banking and repurposing land to create positive economic impact paired with our wide-ranging community partnerships give us a unique expertise that cities can leverage for their own land banking causes.
Brownfield Efforts
Cuyahoga County has a manufacturing and industrial legacy. While this work has driven much of the region’s economy, it has also commonly caused brownfield creation. Cuyahoga Land Bank has extensive experience managing the remediation of brownfield sites and assessing other environmental nuisances. We are a hub of knowledge regarding environmental assessment, remedial action plans and site cleanup for developers looking for brownfield assistance in large-scale projects.
Partnerships &
Initiatives
2025 and beyond are looking to be some of our busiest for work on commercial properties. Through our partnership with Site Readiness and with more than $111 million assigned from the State to clean up commercial properties around Cuyahoga County, collaborative efforts will make a positive difference in our region.
Site Readiness
Together with the City of Cleveland, Team Northeast Ohio, The Cleveland Foundation and a variety of other partners, Cuyahoga Land Bank is helping to catalyze economic activity by remediating vacant industrial lots to make them available for new commercial opportunity.
Ohio Department of Development Brownfield Remediation Program
The Brownfield Remediation Program provides grants for the cleanup of brownfield sites to assist in the remediation of hazardous substances or petroleum at an industrial, commercial or institutional property.
Remediation includes acquisition of a brownfield, demolition performed at a brownfield and the installation or upgrade of the minimum amount of infrastructure necessary to make a brownfield site operational for economic development activity. The Land Bank secured more than $111 million for 34 County projects in 2024.