Ask any staff member of the Cuyahoga Land Bank, and they will tell you that time flies at the Cuyahoga Land Bank.  They call it “Land Bank Time.”  That means an hour seems like a day, a day seems like a week and so forth.
Dennis Keating, Professor and Director, MUPDD Program, Department of Urban Studies, Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, Cleveland State University, headlined and co-authored the Cuyahoga Land Bank’s two year report ending December, 2013.
“Two years has gone by fast.  It is remarkable to see in one report all of the things the Cuyahoga Land Bank has accomplished, its programs and all of its partners and collaborations since our last report,” said Gus Frangos, President and General Counsel of the Cuyahoga Land Bank.  Indeed, because of the fast-paced and dynamic transactional nature of the Cuyahoga Land Bank, it is easy to go from one project to the next without realizing just how significant the accomplishments are over the last two years, according to Chief Operating Officer, William Whitney.
In addition to the accomplishments and report on the status of the Cuyahoga Land Bank, the report is filled with numerous testimonials from the Cuyahoga Land Bank’s partners, including mayors, legislators, and community development organizations, veterans, CDCs and faith-based organizations.  Frangos emphasized that the progress and numerous accomplishments of the Cuyahoga Land Bank was due in large part to excellent staff, professional board leadership and goodwill and cooperation amongst the various stakeholders and governmental agencies with which it works.
Dr. Keating prepared the first analytical report on the Cuyahoga Land Bank back in 2011.  According to Dr. Keating, “The organization has made tremendous substantive and strategic strides in battling the blight caused by the foreclosure crisis.”  Although the Cuyahoga Land Bank has extended its reach to the re-development of properties involving important social and human services, the Land Bank continues to remain laser-focused on its core mission which is the renovation of homes and demolition of blighted structures.  In this regard, as of year-end 2013, the Land Bank demolished 2213 abandoned blighted homes and has facilitated the renovation of 819 homes through its various programs, including its most popular Deed-in-Escrow program.
Hats off to the Cuyahoga Land Bank!
You can view the 2013 Cuyahoga Land Bank Annual Report by clicking on the picture at the top of this story or by visiting our website’s Publications/Reports page.