Ingham County Land Bank

Ingham County Land Bank Reports Record Sales in 2011

2012-02-22T08:31:00.000-08:00

Capital Gains Media

February 22, 2012

Original Story HERE.

The Ingham County Lank Bank recently released their 2011 annual report, which was brimming with good news. The Lank Bank reports a 70 percent increase in rehabilitated and new home sales over 2010. Even better, 2012 is already on course to show even more improvement. The Land Bank’s dramatic growth numbers came from the sale of 36 homes in 2011, and 50 properties are currently under renovation.

Ingham County Treasurer and Chair of the Lank Bank Eric Schertzing attributes the jump in sales to a jump in investment that began in 2008.

“We are growing,” says Schertzing, “in large part from Neighborhood Stabilization funding.”

The Land Bank partnered with the City of Lansing in 2008 to leverage $25 million in investment from the Federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

“HUD financial support and grant timelines make this the year with the most supply of homes,” says Schertzing. “A better local economy and spreading knowledge of quality of Land Bank homes is driving demand.”

The Land Bank has sold a total of 100 homes since 2006. According to Schertzing, the organization has a goal to sell 50 homes in 2012.

Federal funds breath new life into Lansing neighborhoods

2012-01-31T06:59:00.000-08:00

Federal funds breathe new life into Lansing neighborhoods

Lansing State Journal - January, 27, 2012

Matthew Miller

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20120127/NEWS01/201270318/Federal-funds-breathe-new-life-into-Lansing-neighborhoods

LANSING - A house was built on Allegan Street this past fall, a trim yellow-and-white two-story that looks out on the Riddle Elementary School playground.

Unexceptional, but for the fact that a new house hadn't been built on that block in 88 years and the fact that federal money was used to build it.

The city of Lansing and the Ingham County Land Bank are working their way through a second round of Neighborhood Stabilization Program funding from the federal government - more than $17 million.

The greater part of the money is being spent on homes that have come into the hands of the land bank through the tax foreclosure process or outright purchase, to demolish those that are beyond repair and renovate a smaller number deemed salvageable.

But a portion of the grant is being used to build homes in Lansing's older neighborhoods, often those where private developers haven't built for decades.

Ten of the 15 permits for new construction issued by the city in the latter half of 2011 are for houses being built by the land bank or the city itself. At least 10 more are in the planning stages.

"What we're trying to do is be the catalyst for new investment in the neighborhoods," said Bob Johnson, the city's director of planning and neighborhood development.

"It's about hope, really."

New optimism

The house that once occupied the lot at 1216 W. Allegan St. was an orange-and-green behemoth built at the tail end of the 19th century. It was torn down to make room for its smaller and more energy-efficient replacement.

Chad Rogers, who lives next door with his wife, Rebecca, and their 1-year-old daughter, wasn't sorry to see it go.

The house was broken into a number of times during the months it sat empty. The Rogerses were the ones who called the police.

"It was going to be a fire eventually," Chad Rogers said.

The couple, both in their early 30s, bought their house in 2004, not least because the location made for a convenient walk to their jobs downtown.

Like many other home-owners in the city, they watched its assessed value dwindle as the economic crisis hit and foreclosure claimed other houses on the street.

But the work begun on their block last year by the county - not just the new house next door, but a renovation two doors down and the planned demolition of another house that has sat empty for years - has inspired cautious optimism.

"In the end, our block is going to be a lot nicer than it was five years ago," Rebecca Rogers said.

"At least they're putting something in that should hold its value," her husband added, "and stop ours from sliding more."

Generating revenue

In 2011, the Ingham County Land Bank closed on 36 new or fully renovated houses

"We had the nicest homes in the neighborhood often, and we were selling them for some of the strongest values in town, beginning to reset the comparable sales data," said Eric Schertzing, the county treasurer and chairman of the land bank.

Take, for example, the renovated house at 520 Christiancy St. in the Baker-Donora neighborhood.

No other house on the block has fetched a price of more than $50,000 in the last decade, maybe ever. It sold for $80,000.

Just as assessors overvalued properties during the bubble years, "now we're getting torn apart by them undervaluing properties," Schertzing said.

The Neighborhood Stabilization Program and the work it's paying for are meant to push the city's neighborhoods back toward a healthier equilibrium.

There's a cost to that, though. In this instance, it's a cost paid with federal money that can't be used for any other purpose.

The house at 1216 W. Allegan cost just over $200,000 to build. It has hardwood floors on the first floor, a high-efficiency furnace, Energy Star qualified appliances, including a washer and dryer. It will go on the market for $105,000.

"Contractors don't charge us less when they drive from East Lansing to Lansing to build a home," Schertzing said, and homes in Lansing simply don't sell for as much.

But he said the financial logic looks somewhat better when you factor in the property tax revenue the new and renovated homes will generate once they're sold, their beneficial effect on the values of the homes around them and on the stability of neighborhoods as a whole.

"Just as blight pulls a neighborhood down, renovation and new construction pull it up," Schertzing said.

And there are provisions attached to the sale of the homes that are meant to amplify those beneficial effects.

They must be owner occupied for at least 20 years after the first sale, though they can change hands.

Some of the homes have been sold to One Church/One Family Nonprofit Housing Corp. It works with local churches to bring in homeless families, to provide them with rental subsidies and other social services.

The remaining houses can be sold only to those who earn 120 percent of the area median income or less, about $58,000 for an individual, $82,000 for a family of four.

"It's allowing people who do not have the means to get into houses and neighborhoods like this to purchase these homes and raise their families to a standard that they couldn't have otherwise," said Bill MacLeod, president of Coldwell Banker Hubbell BriarWood Real Estate Co. in Delta Township.

He is not involved in the city and land bank's work, but called it "a benefit to the entire area."

But Eric David called it "lucky," for him and his wife, Virginia.

The couple, both graduate students at Michigan State University, bought a renovated single-story home on Ronald Street last summer with new appliances, a new roof, new siding, newly refinished floors.

"The quality was move-in ready," he said, "and for the same price as other houses that needed work."

'Wind-down phase'

The spending deadline for the Neighborhood Stabilization money is February of next year.

"Right now, we've got 27 houses under renovation. That's kind of a high point," Schertzing said. "We'll do that for a little while longer, but we're getting into the wind-down phase."

And what will happen to any money left over, any money cycled back into the program through the home sales, isn't clear. It might be recaptured by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or by the state Housing Development Authority, Schertzing said. He doesn't know.

The program always was meant as a stopgap, an infusion of government money to rebuild neighborhoods at a time when market forces wouldn't have.

"The market five years ago could try to do it, but not today," Schertzing said. "We're trying to get things back to that, but the market's got to take over. The government is the catalyst, but ultimately it's got to be the private sector."

Lookin' Good: A Land Bank property gets a look from City Pulse

2012-01-26T08:33:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Lookin' good

530 Pacific Ave. gets its big makeover

by Lawrence Cosentino

http://www.lansingcitypulse.com/lansing/article-6873-lookin-good.html

(Part of an occasional series on one house being saved by the Ingham County Land Bank.)

Usually, it’s a bad sign when a house makes noise, but the modest two-story home at 530 Pacific Ave. in south Lansing can be forgiven for squealing. It’s just had a spiffy three-week makeover, courtesy of the Ingham County Land Bank, that would do Oprah proud.

With the help of unusually warm and dry winter weather, workers fitted the neglected house with a new porch, new roof, new vinyl siding and a full set of energy-efficient, maintenance-free windows. Eeee!

Getting its groove back after years of neglect is a big deal for an old house, but it’s business as usual for the Land Bank, which is fighting the tide of tax and mortgage foreclosures in Lansing with about 40 renovations now under way in various parts of town.

The land bank bought the 1925 house in July for $6,371 in back taxes owed by the absent owner. The renovation is expected to cost about $50,000. It’s a classic Land Bank project — a bad tooth in a healthy mouth.

“It’s a nice neighborhood,” land bank renovation specialist Bruce Kehren said. “All the houses around it are owner-occupied and well-kept.”

Kehren has worked on over 60 land bank properties, from “major” renovations like 530 Pacific to one-day paint-and-carpet jobs. “We’re going to try to make the neighbors love us when we’re done,” he said.

On Jan. 5, Tom Horvath of Horvath Construction in St. Johns had a crew of two putting up vinyl siding.

They had already been on the job two weeks.

It was Horvath’s first job for the land bank.

“It’s an excellent time to get the job, for sure,” he said. “Work is slow.”

Kehren figures that more than 30 contractors will tromp through, over and around the house by the time the renovation is over in April, including five roofers, three men working on the exterior shell, a plumber, an electrical contractor, four painters, a carpenter, a cabinet specialist, a sewer specialist and a mysterious figure named “Little Tony.”

Horvath, a laconic sort, had one word for the house’s condition: “old.” The first order of business was the sagging front porch, which had to be torn off and rebuilt. “It was put together old school,” Horvath said. Despite what we kept on hearing from Andy Rooney, old school isn’t always a good thing. At most land bank renovations, today’s construction practices bump into the short cuts and technical limitations of grandpa’s time. The porch supports at 530 Pacific didn’t go beneath the frost line (43 inches), as mandated now, and the wooden joists lacked the metal brackets that would have kept them in place. Result: a tiny Titanic of a porch. “The frost could just heave it up and down,” Horvath said.

Next came a new roof, with proper ventilation, followed by vinyl siding and new windows, all standard land bank renovation checkpoints.

Over the holidays, neighbors stopped by to cheer the work on. One man walked across the street and plastered a jolly Santa Claus on the portable toilet in the front yard.

This week, work begins on the house’s trashed interior.

Heaps of belongings left in the house are being sorted. The upright piano in the living room found a home in a local day care center — “not as a toy, but for kids to practice on,” Kehren cautioned. Usable furniture, coats and other stuff will be trucked to St. Vincent de Paul.

Interior work was set to begin in earnest this week. A new furnace with 95 percent efficiency and new ductwork are already in place. After last fall’s heavy rains, water collected in the basement, so a concrete specialist will install a waterproofing system, including a sump crock.

Then the dust will really start flying, as the kitchen is gutted and rebuilt to modern standards. The sink faces a wall now, but will face the window when work is done. But that’s another makeover story. Tune in a couple of weeks from now.

Land Bank Partners with the Kincaid Group to open NEO Center

2011-11-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

The Center for New Enterprise Opportunity Opens

Nine small businesses move operations into the City of Lansing’s first business incubator

http://www.neocenter.org/the-center-for-new-enterprise-opportunity-opens.html

Lansing, Mich. – November 7, 2011 – The Center for New Enterprise Opportunity (NEO Center) announces that on Monday, Nov. 7, nine tenants will move into the City of Lansing’s first business incubator, located at 934 Clark St. The NEO Center project, an L3C organization, was created in partnership with Kincaid Henry Building Group and is the first private-public partnership with the Ingham County Land Bank. A grand opening celebration is planned for 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8.

“The NEO Center has been a two-year project for our team and represents exactly the kind of place the entrepreneurial movement in Lansing needs,” said Tom Stewart, CEO of the Center for New Enterprise Opportunity. “What makes this project unique is the cooperation from the seven founding members. With their support and volunteerism, we have built a foundation for small businesses to thrive.”

The NEO Center has 21 spaces available for lease, a membership-based co-working space and a business incubation program for new businesses. Prices for the permanent space range from $180 - $450/month.
Co-working memberships will be $100/month and $50/month for students. Ten spaces, which already have been leased, are filled with tenants across the service sector who need an affordable space and a collaborative environment. Some of the first tenants also will take advantage of the three-year business incubation curriculum. The first tenants to sign leases with the NEO Center include:

Kincaid-Henry Building Group has relocated its headquarters to the Kincaid Henry Group/ NEO Center Building to reflect the core beliefs of their development and construction business.

“We believed in this project from the start and knew that Kincaid Henry was the right partner for the NEO Center group,” said Ryan Henry, chief operations officer for Kincaid Henry Building Group. “We created a project that represented who we were as a company and showed our commitment to helping other entrepreneurs.”

The Kincaid Henry/NEO Center Building started its life as a bakery that later became a print shop working on a large Oldsmobile contract. At the time the property went into foreclosure, it housed an Internet business. The building is a redevelopment of a tax-foreclosed property that used accelerated Brownfield Tax Increment Finance reimbursements through the Land Bank and the Ingham County Brownfield Authority.

"The Ingham County Land Bank and Brownfield Authority are proud to be part of the private-public partnership that made the NEO Center dream a reality in the Northtown Neighborhood in Lansing," said Eric Schertzing, Ingham County Treasurer and Land Bank Chair.

In Michigan, 84 percent of incubator businesses stay in the community after graduation from the incubator program, and an additional 9 percent stay in the state. The NEO Center joins the more than 1,115 business incubators across the United States, according to the Michigan Business Incubator Association.

NEO Center was created in response to the growing need for an environment that supports small business ecology and that is unhindered by the existing boundaries. The Center for New Enterprise Opportunity will promote sustainable economic development and prevent community deterioration.

The NEO Center’s mission is to foster creativity and entrepreneurship by offering an environment and infrastructure that cultivates small businesses through unique collaboration opportunities, affordable space and support services for growing ventures to expand to the Greater Lansing community. Information about the Center for New Enterprise Opportunity is available at: www.neocenter.org or on Facebook and Twitter.
NEO Center’s founding board members:

Tom Stewart
Paul Jaques
Erik Larson
Jennifer Middlin
Robin Miner-Swartz
Dan Ryan
Chris VanWyck

Article posted by Tom Stewart & Paul Jaques.

Lansing Makes Moves To Re-purpose Foreclosed Properties

2011-10-13T12:39:00.001-07:00

Lansing Makes Moves To Re-purpose Foreclosed Properties

Posted: Oct 12, 2011 5:38 PM EDT

via WLNS Ch 6 Lansing, MI

There are hundreds of foreclosed properties in Lansing. It's a harsh reality the city and many other areas have faced recently.

The City of Lansing and Ingham County Created a partnership years ago that continues today to try and combat the problem. The Lansing Committee on Development and Planning turned down the offer of tax foreclosed properties from the Ingham County Treasurer Wednesday.

The Ingham County Treasurer, Eric Shertzing is happy to get nearly 100 more foreclosed properties. In these tough economic times it's the best option for both the city and county.

"The land back structure authority by design is structured much more swiftly then municipalities could ever be," said Bob Johnson with Lansing Planning and Neighborhood Development.

Back in 2005 the city and county came together in a shared vision where foreclosed properties that didn't sell in auction would be turned over to the Ingham County Landbank.

"Some of the properties will be demolished, some will be restored in one of the landbank programs," said Schertzing,

Demolishing empty homes and creating large spaces for re-development is creating big opportunities for the city. The land could be a mix use, or a condo or apartment complex down the road.

Shertzing has many ideas to put these empty properties back to good use, something the City of Lansing Planning and Neighborhood Development director Bob Johnson couldn't agree more with.

"It's the revitalization of our neighborhoods, putting properties back to production and use and back on the tax roll," said Johnson.

This will now move on to the full council next week and Johnson says he's pretty confident it will pass with full support.

Burlap bags a great help to garden effort (Letter to the Editor)

2011-09-25T07:14:00.000-07:00

(Letter to the Editor, LSJ, 9/25/2011)

Burlap bags a great help to garden effort

http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011109250529 (Bottom of page)

In the past two years, Paramount Coffee has played a pivotal role in the success of the Ingham County Land Bank's Garden Program.
Thanks to the wonderful staff at Paramount, the Land Bank has been able to acquire several donations from the local coffee company in the form of burlap bags.
The burlap bags are used at the various gardens throughout the city of Lansing.
Burlap is permeable and biodegradable making it very useful to a variety of garden projects. It helps to maintain weed control and is very useful when developing pathways around gardens. This year alone, Paramount Coffee was able to help the Land Bank in acquiring 3,000 burlap bags that helped better serve over 30 gardens throughout Lansing - so for that, we thank you.

- The Ingham County Land Bank's Garden Program

In Contact with Lansing - Gary Austin interviews Eric Schertzing

2011-09-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

Listen to the interview

Eric Schertzing talks about the Fall 2011 Home Showcase

2011-09-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

Download mp3

LCC Collaborates for Restoration Works

2011-08-15T05:37:00.001-07:00

reWorking Michigan: Ingham County Receives Revenue from Tax Auction

2011-08-01T07:06:00.000-07:00

8/1/11 Rob South, WKAR
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wkar/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1833671

The recent Ingham County tax-foreclosed property auction set a county record, generating around $380,000 and placed dozens of properties back on the tax rolls.

Auctioneer John Bippus moved through more than 70 properties up for auction last week in about an hour and a half. Most of the selling properties received no more than a bid or two before he moved on to the next parcel. Bippus has been an auctioneer for more than 20-years and he says the foreclosure crisis has changed the game significantly.

"Well business in the last few years is about half of what it used to be," says Bippus. "And I'm trying to get used to the new paradigm of that and the reason I say that is because I'm not looking at units, I'm looking at dollar value. We're probably selling as many units, but they're selling for less money."

All of the real estate in last week's auction was held by the Ingham County Land Bank Authority for unpaid taxes. The county is responsible for collecting and distributing property taxes for the local municipalities.

The opening bid equals three years worth of delinquent taxes plus administration fees. Some properties were let go for less than a thousand dollars. County Treasure Eric Schertzing says he'd rather see the property sell on the open market, but that's been harder and harder to do.

"The Land Bank Authority has absorbed and tried to deal with a lot of the properties in past years," says Schertzing. "The Land Bank has gotten pretty full, we're pretty busy with all of the neighborhood stabilization program funding. So, we needed to be able to get rid of properties in other ways and the auction is one of those ways to do it."

One of the winning bidders was Mark Dobronski. Dobronski owns the Jackson and Lansing Railroad company and had been looking for a place to put new offices.

"Some property adjoining our rail-road track in downtown mason came up for treasurers auction," he says. "It has some dilapidated barn-like structures on it. Looking at the property it would make an ideal location for us to locate our mason office for our crews to report to. So, we came down today to see what we could do at the auction."

He paid about $1,500 for the land, which he says he'll start redeveloping as soon as he gets the deed.

"Once that occurs we have to agree to demolish the dilapidated structures on the property," says Dobronski. "I'm going to start today getting the forces ready so once we have the deed we can tear down the dilapidated barns there and then we'll start the design for what we're going to build."

That's exactly what Schertzing says he'd like to see happen with all the properties. But out of 71 up for bid, only 30 were snatched up. And, assuming all of the bidders pay up, the county will only collect about $380,000. That's about a million dollars short of covering all the delinquent taxes represented at the auction. What's left over will go back up for auction later this summer this time, the starting bid will be for about $500, regardless of the value of the property or the taxes owed.

"So, if we don't recoup the taxes through the auction cycle, there's chargebacks," he says. "And ultimately we won't have recouped a lot of the taxes. There will be fairly significant chargebacks to all the taxing authorities on the bill."

In other words, already cash-strapped municipalities will have to pay some money back to the county. Schertzing says he hopes the real estate market will stabilize soon so the county and other local governments will have more fiscal certainty when they plan their budgets.

Ingham County Land Bank receives honor

2011-07-21T12:47:00.001-07:00

Ingham County Land Bank receives honor
11:59 PM, Jul. 19, 2011 |
Written by Lansing State Journal

LANSING - The Ingham County Land Bank was named “Urban Land Bank of the Year” by the Center for Community Progress.

The land bank, chaired by Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing, helps redevelop foreclosed and other unused properties.

It buys, rehabilitates and resells houses in the Lansing area in an effort to improve neighborhoods, raise property values and put properties back on the tax rolls.

The Center for Community Progress is a nonprofit with offices in Flint, New Orleans and Washington, D.C.

E.L. looks to develop city-wide bike sharing program

2011-07-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

E.L. looks to develop city-wide bike sharing program

http://www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2011/07/e.l._looks_to_develop_citywide_bike_sharing_program

By Ian Kullgren The State News
Originally Published: 07/18/11 10:00pm |Modified: 07/18/11 10:01pm

Pedestrians might find it easier to move around the city in coming months, if an effort by East Lansing city officials comes to fruition.
The city is coming closer to adopting a new community bike sharing program that would allow residents to temporarily check out bikes to transport themselves to different points around the city.

The bike sharing program would operate on a membership-based system, where community members would pay to use a network of communal bicycles and sharing stations, East
Lansing Community Development Analyst Tim Schmitt said.

Currently, the city plans to incorporate 4-5 sharing stations, although Schmitt said the exact number of both bikes and stations will not be determined until there is a set funding source.

“In the last three or four months it’s becoming a more serious effort,” Schmitt said.
It is not yet clear when the stations will be installed in East Lansing.
Right now, officials are focusing on locating vendors, as well as searching for grants to fund the project.

The initiative follows a bike sharing effort already rolling in Lansing, where about 4-5 high-tech bicycle sharing stations are slated to be installed this spring.
A $20,000 match grant from the Ingham County Land Bank has been secured to fund the stations, which would include computer tracking software for the bikes, said Lynne Martinez, whose consulting group is heading the program’s establishment.

Martinez said there will be about 5-6 bicycles at each station, and they hope to expand the program to East Lansing and other areas after the program gets off the ground.

The community bike sharing program also would follow East Lansing’s existing Employee Bike Sharing Program, a program which allows city employees to borrow bikes free of charge at certain bike racks around the city.

Schmitt said the program, which began last year, has seen fairly high levels of use by city staff.

East Lansing Environmental Specialist Dave Smith said he sometimes uses the employee bikes to ride to lunch and to travel from his office to other city buildings.

“It’s a pretty quick ride to get downtown,” Smith said.

Ingham County Land Bank Awarded Top Honor

2011-07-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

July 11, 2011
LegalNews.com

During the recent Land Bank Convention, Land Banks from around the United States gathered to learn, network and share their truths and triumphs. Unbeknownst to Mary Ruttan, Executive Director of the Ingham County Land Bank, she would be walking away with an award.

''This honor was earned through the hard work and cooperation of the Ingham County Land Bank Staff, the Ingham County Board of Commissioner's and the City of Lansing," says Ruttan. This top honor named the Ingham County Land Bank the "2011 Urban Land Bank of the Year."

2011 is the first year that this award has been given and it will be given as an annual award from this year forward. Daniel Kildee, President and CEO of the Center for Community Progress, presented the Ingham County Land Bank with the award. "Half of the total number of land banks in the United States are here in the state of Michigan. We encourage others to emulate the successes of the Ingham County Land Bank." He continued, "In the case of the Ingham County Land Bank in particular, the programming is effective, the brand is clear and the leaders have exercised tremendous dedication."

Read More >>

Copyright 2009 Detroit Legal News Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

Program aims to boost homeownership in Lansing

2011-07-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

Domsic, Melissa
Lansing State Journal
12:57 AM, Jul. 8, 2011.

Jeffrey and Estelle Wilbourn are tired of renting their apartment and want to become homeowners.

"We're paying rent and every year the prices go up," said Jeffrey Wilbourn, 52, of Lansing.

But coming up with a down payment is tough and many houses on the market require a lot of work.

That's why they're so interested in a new home at 5219 Hughes Road with vaulted ceilings, a modern kitchen and polished cement floors.

The Ingham County Land Bank used roughly $200,000 in federal funds to demolish a foreclosed home on the south Lansing property and rebuild an energy efficient 1,232-square-foot abode.

The Land Bank is selling the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home for $100,000 under a new program that offers down payment assistance and affordable mortgages to prospective home-owners with certain income limits.

The home is one of 25 throughout the city the Land Bank hopes to sell this year as part of the Home-ownership and Neighborhood Development, or HAND initiative, a coalition of local government, nonprofit and business leaders.

In January 2010, Lansing received $17.4 million through the federal government's Neighborhood Stabilization Program. It received $6 million in 2009.

The city and Land Bank are rehabilitating some of the foreclosed or abandoned homes. They are demolishing others and building new houses in their places in an effort to reduce blight and improve property values in the neighborhoods.

"The fact that these houses are going to have paying taxpayers in them, which will be giving back to the neighborhoods, using the local grocery stores and dry cleaners," said Cheryl Risner, director of the Lansing Neighborhood Council. "It will make a big impact all around."

One-person households earning less than $58,700 - or $83,900 for a four-person household - can qualify for the program

Some of the homes are reserved for households that earn even less - $24,450 for one person or $34,950 for a family of four.

Prices range from $45,000 to $125,000. Down payment assistance can range from $5,000 to as much as half the purchase price to cover closing costs and bring down mortgage payments.

There's also counseling available for first-time home-owners.

"With the opportunities available here, everyone stands a chance of becoming a homeowner in this great city of Lansing," said Joan Jackson Johnson, the city's human relations director.

WLNS 11pm News (HAND) Homeownership and Neighborhood Development Launch

2011-07-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

Lansing neighborhoods, REALTORS, lenders, civic leaders, legislators and non-profits teaming to sell 25 dream homes

2011-07-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release Contact: Mike Nowlin
Thursday, July 7, 2011 Cell (989) 450-0855

Unprecedented coalition of Lansing neighborhoods, REALTORS, lenders, civic leaders, legislators and non-profits teaming to sell 25 dream homes at bargain prices in 2011
Local, federal aid available to eligible buyers on first-come, first-served basis

LANSING, MI – An unprecedented coalition that includes Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, state Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing, Lansing’s neighborhood associations, REALTORS, lenders, civic leaders and non-profits announced today the launch of the new Homeownership And Neighborhood Development (HAND) initiative.

Members of the new HAND coalition are teaming to help the City of Lansing and the Ingham County Land Bank sell at least 25 previously foreclosed or abandoned homes this year. These homes are either new builds or have been beautifully renovated and are now valued from $45,000 to $125,000. The announcement came during a press conference this morning at 5219 Hughes, which is one of the 25 homes on the market.

“These are houses that can have hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings and other amenities that defy the perception of an abandoned or foreclosed home, and the prices are incredible bargains,” said Mayor Bernero.

“Plus, the City of Lansing and the Ingham County Landbank are offering substantial down payment assistance that can further reduce the cost of homeownership,” Bernero said. “This is a great opportunity for all of us to work together to move Lansing forward on the path to prosperity.”

As part of the 2008 Housing and Economic Recovery Act, the Ingham County Landbank is offering the homes with down payment assistance from as little as $5,000 up to as much as 20 percent of the purchase price of the home to cover closing costs and provide affordable mortgages.

“From now through the end of the year, we will sell at least 25 Lansing homes that are being transformed from eyesores into eye candy,” said Schertzing, who chairs the Ingham County Landbank. “This broad partnership has never happened in Ingham County before.

“We are not talking about the sale of stereotypical foreclosed properties,” Schertzing said. “The fact is that these houses are great investments for buyers and families. The buyers of these homes get a great deal and a great place to call home.”

Real estate owned, or REO, is a class of property owned by a lender, typically a bank, government agency, or government loan insurer, after an unsuccessful sale at a foreclosure auction. REO properties that are not rehabilitated spend an average of 222 days on the market. When communities put the work in to upgrade the homes, the units are sold approximately five months sooner.
“Rehabilitating and returning foreclosed or abandoned properties to the affordable housing stock is common sense,” said Meghan Webber, CEO of the Greater Lansing Association of REALTORS. “By doing so, we create more opportunities to improve the quality of life for families and ensure communities flourish as safe and appealing places in which to live.”

The Michigan Bankers Association’s members in the Greater Lansing region are committed to helping renters and first-time homebuyers achieve their dreams, said Sandro DiNello, president of Flagstar Bank and who represented the state’s bankers during the press conference.

“This program is a great way to move potential home buyers in the Greater Lansing area closer to their goal of homeownership,” DiNello said. “And since customer and lender communication is the first step in resolving any financial issue, the coalition offers the added bonus of opening the door to more communication between lenders and potential homeowners.”

To qualify for the program, buyers typically must have a minimum income limit of at least $1,200 per month (minimum income limits can include employment income, social security, alimony and child support).

“We know eligible buyers exist in Greater Lansing who qualify to buy these homes but simply are not aware this opportunity exists,” said Lansing Neighborhood Council Director Cheryl Risner. “We look forward to working with all the members of the HAND coalition to help rebuild Greater Lansing, one neighborhood at a time.”

The income limits for potential buyers of Ingham County Landbank homes are determined based on the number of persons in a household. For example, one-person and four-person households would need to meet the following income limit:

• A 1-person household must be below $58,700.
• A percentage of homes are specifically designated for those below $24,450, meaning they earn $470 or less per week or $11.75 per hour or less assuming a 40-hour workweek.
• A 4-person household must be below $83,900.
• And a percentage of homes are specifically designated for those below $34,950, meaning they earn $672 or less per week or make $16.80 or less per hour for a 40-hour workweek.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Lansing civic leaders, the Ingham County Landbank, REALTORS, lenders, non-profits and our other HAND partners to offer buyers the chance to own a newly renovated home for less than the cost of rent,” said City of Lansing Human Relations and Community Services Director Dr. Joan Jackson Johnson.

“Most importantly, we want people to understand this campaign to sell 25 previously foreclosed homes that are now picture perfect and on the market represents a ‘hand up’ – not a ‘hand out,’” Dr. Johnson said.

To learn more, visit www.inghamlandbank.org.

WLNS 5pm News (HAND) Homeownership and Neighborhood Development

2011-07-07T09:05:00.000-07:00

Big Push To Sell Vacant Homes in the Lansing Area

2011-07-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

"WLNS News 6" Jul 07, 2011 1:02 PM EDT.

There's a push to sell vacant homes in the Lansing area. Several organizations have teamed up to create the Homeownership and Neighborhood Development Coalition. The new program launched Thursday.

The goal is to help the Ingham County Land Bank sell at least 25 previously abandoned or foreclosed homes by the end of the year. The homes have either been rebuilt or renovated. They range in price from $45,000 to $125,000.

"We call this initiative hand, home ownership and neighborhood development. And it's about the improvements with the federal recovery act dollars that we're doing in Lansing neighborhoods," said Eric Schertizing, Ingham County Treasurer.

Improvements ranging from energy efficient renovations like heated cement floors to universal designs.

"Somebody with a wheelchair or somebody with mobility issues could come into this," said Schertizing.

Jeffery and Estelle Wilbourne toured one of the houses for sale Thursday after finding its listing on the land bank's website.

"It looked so gorgeous from the pictures online that we just had to come out and see it in person," said Wilbourn.

The couple has custody of their two grandsons and says with their credit recently repaired a land bank house is a great catch.

Rebecca Eldridge, who recently bought a land bank house, is also impressed.

"We could pay our house off in less than 15 years and with the taxes and insurance and everything we're still paying less than what we did in rent," said Rebecca Eldridge, HAND program homeowner.

Savings that land bank staff say create a win-win situation, boosting tax values for the county while giving local families a place to call home.

WILX (HAND) Homeownership Helping Hand

2011-07-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

Ingham County Land Bank introduces new purchasing program

2011-06-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

Video provided by WILX.

Ingham County Land Bank Awarded Top Honor

2011-06-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

Ingham County Land Bank Awarded Top Honor
The Ingham County Land Bank sets the bar high having been named the 2011 Urban Land Bank of the Year

June 28, 2011 –Lansing, Michigan: During the recent Land Bank Convention, Land Banks from around the United States gathered to learn, network and share their truths and triumphs. Unbeknownst to Mary Ruttan, Executive Director of the Ingham County Land Bank, she would be walking away with an award. "This honor was earned through the hard work and cooperation of the Ingham County Land Bank Staff, the Ingham County Board of Commissioner's and the City of Lansing,” says Ruttan. This top honor named the Ingham County Land Bank the “2011 Urban Land Bank of the Year.”

2011 is the first year that this award has been given and it will be given as an annual award from this year forward. Daniel Kildee, President and CEO of the Center for Community Progress, presented the Ingham County Land Bank with the award. “Half of the total number of land banks in the United States are here in the state of Michigan. We encourage others to emulate the successes of the Ingham County Land Bank.” He continued, “In the case of the Ingham County Land Bank in particular, the programming is effective, the brand is clear and the leaders have exercised tremendous dedication.”

The award was open to all 36 Michigan land banks. The process allowed the nominees to be reviewed by the Center for Community Progress’ Review Committee. Together, they compared each nominee along with information and common knowledge of each. “Eric Schertzing [as well as the Ingham County Land Bank Staff and Board] has been a large proponent and deserves to be singled out,” Kildee states.

The Land Bank is a county authority and a strategic economic tool that supports growth and investment of the community. Land Banks were created to return tax reverted property to productive use as rapidly as possible. These reverted properties commonly come through the tax foreclosure process. The Ingham County Land Bank will buy, renovate and resell multiple properties in a designated area with the goal of owner-occupancy.

Eric Schertzing states, "Great things are happening in Lansing. The partnership between the Ingham County Land Bank and City of Lansing is making a positive difference in our neighborhoods and creating local jobs." This can be shown in the results of past years. In

2010, the number of renovations grew 148% since 2009. Although the number of acquisitions was on the rise, so was the positive turn-around of these properties and betterment of local neighborhoods as nearly $873,000 were spent on the purchase of several Ingham County Land Bank properties.

The Ingham County Land Bank has several sustaining programs within the organization such as the Garden Program. This program encourages individual and community gardens on vacant lots throughout the county. With over 150 potential sites in the city of Lansing, the Land Bank is able to help people obtain any necessary tools, seeds or other items to help interested parties get started. Anything grown by gardeners can be kept, sold or donated. Restoration Works is also an affiliate of the Ingham County Land Bank (in conjunction with Lansing Community College and the Allen Neighborhood Center) which supports the Eastside Neighborhood of Lansing. Their newest program, announced on June 21, 2011, is the Property Rehab and Ownership Program (PROP). Within this program, potential buyers will have the opportunity to purchase properties “as is,” renovate them within the high rehabilitation and energy efficient standards of the Ingham County Land Bank and earn a credit of up to 50% of the purchase price upon completion. All of these positive aspects were all considered in winning and being named the “2011 Urban Land Bank of the Year.”

The Ingham County Land Bank is dedicated to improving the quality of our neighborhoods, while strengthening and stabilizing the community. The Land Bank will purchase, renovate and resell multiple properties in a designated area to create attractive purchases for future homeowners and commercial use.

Ingham County Land Bank Launches New Program

2011-06-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

Video provided by WLNS.

WLNS Channel 6 Lansing, Michigan

Jun 22, 2011 1:10 PM EDT

Updated: June 29, 2011 3:59 PM EDT

Ingham County has launched a new program encouraging home ownership. Several homes for sale in the county could cost about half the price for home buyers. That's thanks to a new program launched Wednesday by the Ingham County Land Bank.

6 News reporter Darren Cunningham toured a home up for sale with a $30,000 price tag. It has broken water lines, tattered carpet and cracked shingles, but if fixed the home owner could see a pretty good return.

"We're going to reward them for the improvements that they make in the property," said Eric Schertzing, Ingham County Treasurer.

The land bank owns about 250 foreclosed and abandoned properties and to encourage people to buy these homes as is the county launched the Property Rehab and Ownership Program, which will offer a financial incentive.

"If they do the list of repairs that our home inspector has provided, they'll get a 25% credit on that purchase price," said Schertzing.

So under program guidelines, if someone purchases that $30,000 home the owner could receive $7,500 for making the necessary repairs. Schertzing says they could also receive another $7,500 for becoming energy efficient.

"The investment in this one house will add tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars of value in the surrounding neighborhood," said Schertzing.

He says about a dozen land bank homes are a part the Property Rehab Program and he looks for it to grow.

"The more people that approach and fill out the application in the program, the more homes we'll be able to put into the program," said Schertzing.

It's a success story waiting to be written for the homeowner, the program, and the community. If you're interested in participating in the property rehab program call 517-267-5221.

County effort encourages home ownership

2011-06-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

10:33 PM, Jun. 24, 2011

Land bank helps homeowners

Ingham County Land Bank's plan to let qualified homeowners buy fixer-upper houses is a sound one.

The new program will let buyers purchase on a land contract, but offer credits of up to half the purchase price for repair work and energy-efficiency improvements designated at the time the contract is signed.

Buyers have to agree to occupy the homes and to sell them to another owner-occupant when they leave.

The land bank usually does fixup itself on homes that are in good enough condition; it demolishes those that aren't. But with some 600 homes in the land bank, some new ideas, such as this Property Rehabilitation and Ownership Program, are needed.
Potential homeowners willing to trade some sweat equity for a better bargain can find out more at www.inghamprop.org.

WLNS

Fixer-uppers may get new life through Land Bank program

2011-06-23T07:47:00.000-07:00

Home buyers can get rebates for repair work

Written by Matthew Miller
12:26 AM, Jun. 23, 2011 | Lansing State Journal

Homes for sale through the Ingham County Land Bank's Property Rehabilitation and Ownership Program are listed at www.inghamprop.org.

The house at 532 Emily Avenue needs a new subfloor in the bathroom. It needs a new garage roof. By most any standard of aesthetic decency, it needs to have the purple shag carpeting ripped out of the back room.

But, compared to most of the houses that come to the Ingham County Land Bank through the tax foreclosure process, it's in decent shape.

Which is why it's one of the first houses being offered for sale through the land bank's new Property Rehabilitation and Ownership Program.

The idea is to put fixable houses onto the market as is, selling them on land contract terms, but offering credits of up to half the purchase price of the home for repair work and energy efficiency improvements designated at the time the contract is signed.

In many cases, the land bank fixes up or demolishes properties it owns, but right now it owns about 600 of them.

County Treasurer Eric Schertzing, who also heads the land bank, said, "There are so many homes that we needed alternative pathways."

Giving buyers a chance to look over a home and an incentive to improve it, he said, is better than "selling it at auction not knowing what the outcome would be for that home and for the neighborhood."

Buyers would have to agree to live in the homes and to sell them to another owner occupant when they leave.

The land bank is currently listing eight homes. Schertzing said the program would likely grow to include a few dozen.

Walter Flintz has lived next door to 532 Emily for decades.
The last occupant used to complain about a leaking roof, he said. He helped with the patching. But he said it's otherwise solid.
"As far as building it up and selling it, I think that's a great idea," Flintz said. "I love neighbors."

Ingham County Land Bank rolls out PROP program to spur housing rehabs

2011-06-22T07:36:00.000-07:00

Writer: Natalie Burg, News Editor

Photographs © Dave Trumpie

Capital Gains, 6/22/2011

Even more foreclosed properties are in a position to be rehabbed after the Ingham County Land Bank’s announcement this week of a new program. PROP, or the Property Rehab and Ownership Program, will allow for properties to be renovated by community members and contractors under the Land Bank’s guidelines.

“In 2010 the Land Bank acquired 221 properties,” says Rebecca Eldridge of Rizzi Designs, marketing firm of the Ingham County Land Bank. “They renovated 82. They don’t want them to sit vacant, but they can’t rehab them all.”

To get more of those foreclosed home back into good shape and occupied, PROP offers buyers the chance to purchase the homes at their assessed value, rehab them, and have the opportunity to earn up to 50 percent of the purchase price back after meeting Land Bank renovation guidelines.

Eight available homes ranging from $15,000 to $45,000 are now available in the first round of the program. Eldridge says that one advantage of the program is that owners will be able to benefit from the Land Bank process, while customizing their own homes.

“You could be paying 15 grand for a home and you have the choice to pick out what you want,” she says. “As long as it stays within the spectrum of how the Land Bank would do it, you can get a lot of that back.”

To help ensure long-term financial health of owners and their properties, program participants will receive consultations from the Center for Financial Health.

Source: Rebecca Eldridge, Rizzi Designs

Press Release: Ingham County Land Bank Announces New Program

2011-06-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release

Ingham County Land Bank Announces New Program
Property Rehab and Ownership Program sets home owners up for success

http://www.wlns.com/story/14956988/ingham-county-land-bank-launches-new-program

June 21, 2011 –Lansing, Michigan: The Ingham County Land Bank is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of their newest program, PROP- Property Rehab and Ownership Program. Through this program, members of the community as well as contractors will be able to purchase certain properties owned by the Land Bank “as is” and rehab them under the guidelines of the Land Bank’s high standards of rehabilitation and energy efficiency. In doing so, buyers will receive up to 50 percent of the purchase price in credit upon completion.

The goal of this program is to decrease the number of tax foreclosed homes held by the Ingham County Land Bank by creating opportunities for affordable purchase and rehabilitation by interested buyers. This program will encourage home ownership within the city of Lansing as well as support rehabilitation and energy efficient opportunities for all buyers.

The idea of the program was developed after several inquiries from individuals and contractors had placed interest in doing some rehabilitation themselves. The project was then delivered to the Board of the Ingham County Land Bank, voted on and approved.

There are great opportunities within this program for individual community members as well as contractors. PROP is set up for the buyer’s success. Some examples of this well thought out process include obtaining a land contract with the first three (3) months of said land contract payment free. The amortization is spread over twenty (20) years to ensure a low monthly payment to all buyers in making sure that renovations can continue and kept affordable and within each buyers budget. Information and home owner education classes are available through a partnership with The Center for Financial Health to ensure that buyers are on the right track to refinance and obtain a home mortgage as well as find a payment structure that fits their needs. All buyers will have the option to refinance to a home mortgage after all needed renovations have been made or to continue with the land contract to help build their credit.

A press conference will be held Wednesday June 22, 2011 at 532 Emily Avenue in Lansing promptly at 10:30 in the morning. Ingham County Treasurer, Eric Schertzing, will be in attendance to further explain the program and to answer any questions. Along with the Treasurer, members of the Ingham County Land Bank staff and Board will be available.

The Ingham County Land Bank is dedicated to improving the quality of our neighborhoods, while strengthening and stabilizing the community. The Land Bank will purchase, renovate and resell multiple properties in a designated area to create attractive purchases for future homeowners and commercial use.

Generous Western Michigan University Story on Ingham Land Bank efforts

2011-05-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

SPAA graduates provide public service in a variety of sectors. The ability of alumni to affect policy and practice decisions creates “waves of influence” and “creative boundary crossings.” One of these alumni is Eric Schertzing, the current Ingham County Treasurer and Chairman of the Ingham County Land Bank. Eric, who graduated from the M.P.A. program in 2000, agreed to answer questions about his career in public service by interviewing with graduate assistant Jonathan Arneberg.

Read the full story

Dr. Laura DeLind: Reconnecting Places and People

2011-04-19T07:09:00.001-07:00

Dr. Laura DeLind: Reconnecting Places and People

By: Julie Becker, February 28, 2011
Capital Area Women’s Lifestyle Magazine

When asked who comprises her family, Dr. Laura DeLind began with the answer one might expect: her husband Doug, daughter Jody and son David. She then went on to describe a group she also considers her family: the staff and volunteers at the Allen Neighborhood Center in Lansing.
“I find that neighborhood just fascinating, full of energy, creativity and diversity,” said DeLind. “There’s something that draws me there. It’s an area full of assets, full of people with skills and abilities and energy.”
As a food system consultant for the Allen Neighborhood Center, DeLind has spent several years assisting in the development of programs including the Hunter Park Community GardenHouse. Her involvement primarily deals with neighborhood farmers markets, urban gardens and farms as well as the connection between local residents and the food they produce.
“Place-based urban food systems are a sense of belonging,” said DeLind. “The idea is to reconnect people with their communities. We’ve kind of been disconnected between our food and us … the way we interact with our neighbors, the natural processes.”
As senior academic specialist in the department of anthropology at Michigan State University (MSU) and assistant professor for a number of courses in the residential college of arts and humanities (RCAH), DeLind spends a great deal of time studying and teaching the social, political and economic impacts of our food system.
She challenges students and colleagues to think about where the food we purchase comes from and what that means for today and our future. On many levels, DeLind expresses that food is a great deal more than something we eat.
“Food is more than just a package of nutritional elements. Food has social and economic and political relationships embedded in it; it has meaning, history, culture and community,” said DeLind. “We need to look at those elements as much as the nutritional elements if we’re going to have a robust, sustainable food system.”
Described by her peers as a pillar in our region’s local food movement, DeLind isn’t satisfied solely with the politics and philosophy of her field. She’s dedicated to applying her knowledge to the world around us and making a sustainable, organic food system a reality for Mid-Michigan.
Along with her colleague Linda Anderson, DeLind co-founded the Urbandale Farm (or farmlette, as DeLind affectionately describes it) the only one of its kind in Lansing.
Located on Lansing’s eastside and made possible by a lease from the Ingham County Land Bank, this half-acre urban farm began in 2010. With much excitement and anticipation, DeLind and Anderson have great hopes for the project’s future.
“We plan on continuing to expand until we reach about five acres,” said DeLind. “The purpose is to use the spaces in ways that are productive; that increase access to fresh food and involve neighbors.”
Similar to the GardenHouse project (which DeLind now has very little day-to-day involvement with), the goal of the Urbandale Farm is to have the community sustaining a majority of its operations. This will be accomplished through the planting and cultivating of the food as well as the distribution.
“We’ve got new projects coming this season,” said DeLind. “We’re going to start something called a veggie wagon. It’s going to be a pushcart and we’re going to ask middle school kids to be the vendors. We’re going to take it around Urbandale for those who may not be able to get out easily or have not come to the farm during market days.”
Ultimately, Urbandale is the essence of a community project that DeLind hopes to inspire in areas throughout the region and beyond: a self-sustaining, neighborhood project that’s much bigger than fresh produce.
“I would like to have these projects spin off, for neighbors to take ownership of these assets and begin using them in ways that are creative, productive … that are shared and benefit the larger whole,” said DeLind. “It’s not only about food — it’s to build commons, so when people come together they can share stories and interact with one another; share recipes and political insight. It becomes a place, a grounding, to take on responsibility and share.”
Projects like the Urbandale Farm and GardenHouse not only help to create a sense of community and empowerment for residents, they’re providing healthy eating and living alternatives for those who may otherwise not have access to it. While it’s difficult to even discuss organic these days without mentioning the high financial costs of these foods, DeLind explains all foods come with a cost — some now, and some later.
“Organic does cost more, and there are reasons for it — very good reasons,” said DeLind. “Typically, the ‘real costs’ (of non-organic food) have not been externalized: the degradation of the land, the use of petrochemical inputs, the subsidies for transportation of industrially raised food … these are paid for after you buy the food. The volume comes at a cost — a social cost as well as a personal cost. These costs aren’t paid directly, they’re paid later … in hospital bills, in disease.”
Fortunately, DeLind along with other pioneers in the organic and local food movement recognize these challenges and “real costs” of industrially raised food.
Today, there are more ways than ever to work locally grown food into your diet (and budget).
DeLind encourages buying foods that are in season and preserving or storing them; this keeps costs low on foods that may be out of season. Thanks to previous sponsors such as LAFCU, CATA, Jack Davis, PHP and MSUFCU, the Allen Street Farmers Market offers unique programs and maintain costs. The market also accepts Bridge Cards, one of the first and only in the state of Michigan.
“It’s absolutely wrong to say ‘if you’re poor, you should be doing x, y and z — and if you’re not poor, you don’t have to,’” said DeLind. “We should all be supporting small-scale producers.”
With spring knocking on our back door, DeLind is anxious for the season and projects ahead. She encourages everyone to get involved in the movement in any way, great or small.
“People can start growing themselves … that’s what the Lansing Urban Farm project is about. You don’t have to grow a lot — you can have a pepper plant or a small tomato plant. It gives you a sense of what goes into producing food; it makes it a whole lot easier to understand why food that’s fresh, locally produced and organically raised is worth what it costs.”
All financial differences aside, the heart of DeLind’s passion lies in the people — those who grow it, those who consume it and all of the “families” in between. There is a profound connection that we have as a people, and so much of it is tied to a process we think so little of.
As for DeLind, she will no doubt continue to build her impressive resume of projects and contributions, “as long as I continue to eat and breathe,” she said. “I plan to continue to garden, to farm, to write and work with others … in these wonderfully creative and dirty ways.”

Ingham County Land Bank Home Showcase Radio & Media Ads

2011-04-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.inghamlandbank.org/mp3/Citadel-Lansing-News1.mp3

http://www.inghamlandbank.org/mp3/Citadel-Lansing-News2.mp3

Upcoming Land Bank Home Showcase includes attractive and affordable NSP homes

2011-04-12T07:17:00.000-07:00

Upcoming Land Bank Home Showcase includes attractive and affordable NSP homes

4/12/2011

Michigan Association of Realtors

www.mirealtors.com

In September, 2008, the Department of Housing and Urban Development formed the Neighborhood Stabilization Program to distribute billions in grant relief to areas suffering from high foreclosure rates. Subsequently, NAR partnered with the NSP and REALTOR associations across the country to enable REALTORS to play active roles in foreclosure recovery efforts in their communities.

Early this year, this partnership enabled homebuyers in several southeast Michigan communities to purchase beautifully renovated homes with down payment assistance and, in many cases, affordable mortgage options. This weekend, April 14 – 16, twenty (2) fully renovated Lansing homes will be featured in the Ingham County Land Bank Spring Showcase 2011. REALTOR members of the Greater Lansing Association of REALTORS will be on hand during the Showcase with information for prospective buyers.

The state of Michigan was the top receiver of NSP2 grants, at $223.8 million. MAR continues to work with community leaders and REALTORS across Michigan to assist with implementation efforts as these funds are spent toward stabilizing targeted communities.

Press Release: Ingham County Land Bank announces the first Home Showcase of 2011

2011-04-05T07:19:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ingham County Land Bank announces the first Home Showcase of 2011

Lansing, MI – March 22, 2011 – The Ingham County Land Bank is proud to announce their first Home Showcase of 2011. This free event will give the public a chance to tour over 20 homes in the Greater Lansing, Michigan area that have recently been renovated through the Ingham County Land Bank and their affiliate programs. Properties have been renovated to be Energy Star rated and are furnished with new appliances (including washer and dryer, water heater, range and microwave). Several are LEED certified as well.

Formerly, these properties were either abandoned or foreclosed upon and left vacant for a year or more. The Ingham County Land Bank then stepped in, purchasing the properties and renovating them through available grants. These projects help support local workers and craftsman as well as numerous local businesses involved in the renovating process. These properties are modernized with the highest standings and made affordable for any person(s) who choose to purchase the homes. The ultimate goal is to ensure that each property never has to see a vacancy, foreclosure or abandonment in the future.

With over 16,000 properties vacant in Ingham County, the Ingham County Land Bank has worked strategically to renovate these properties and address the negative effects of abandonment and foreclosure in local neighborhoods. The Ingham County Land Bank is able to refurbish these homes through accessible grants and funds made possible through both state and federal agencies. During this three (3) day event, the Home Showcase will allow the community access to tour the available properties, ask questions and place offers for purchase of the properties.

Ingham County Land Bank Home Showcase will exhibit twenty (20) beautiful properties, with realtors and Ingham County Land Bank representatives on hand to answer questions and explain all the details of each home. The locations of each property vary, but all are located within the Greater Lansing Area. The complete list of homes, as well as more details regarding the event can be found on the Ingham County Land Bank website (www.inghamlandbank.org).

The Home Showcase will be held during three days in April: Thursday, April 14, 2011 (5:00PM-8:00PM), Friday, April 15 (5:00PM-8:00PM) and Saturday, April 16 1:00PM-5:00PM. Anyone is welcome to the event and the cost of touring the properties is free.

The Ingham County Land Bank is a county authority and a strategic economic tool that supports growth and investment in our community. Land Banks were created to return tax reverted property to productive use as rapidly as possible. These reverted properties commonly come through the tax foreclosure process. A Land Bank may concentrate its efforts on an entire neighborhood that needs reinvestment. The Land Bank will buy, renovate and resell multiple properties in a designated area with a goal of owner-occupancy. Please visit www.inghamlandbank.org for more information on the Ingham County Land Bank, contractor information as well as properties and programs available.

Ingham County Treasurer Announced Community Forums

2011-03-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

Ingham County Treasurer Announced Community Forums

Ingham County Legal News
March 28, 2011 on Legalnews.com

The Ingham County Treasurer announces a series of Community Forums designed to provide information on the tax foreclosure process, the Ingham County Land Bank and property taxes.
A short program on the work of the Treasurer's office and the Ingham County Land Bank will feature City of Lansing Maps showing foreclosure activity and Land Bank projects as well as discussion of the current status and future of Community Gardening. The goal of the forum is to provide information and solicit public feedback. Light refreshments provided.
Forums will be held from 7-9 p.m. on the following dates:
* Tuesday, March 29th at the Neighborhood Empowerment Center at Pine and Maple, Lansing
* Wednesday, April 13th at Gone Wired 2021 East Michigan Avenue, Lansing
* Wednesday, April 27th at the Human Services Building "B" 5303 S. Cedar, Lansing
* Wednesday, May 11th at South Side Community Center 5815 Wise Road, Lansing, 48911
For more information please contact: County Treasurer Eric Schertzing (517) 303 -7233
or email jschlinker@ingham.org

Land Bank forum focuses on partnerships, community

2011-03-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

Land Bank forum focuses on partnerships, community

by Cynthia Price
March 30, 2011, Legal News

Ingham County Treasurer and Land Bank board chair Eric Schertzing’s mantra could well be “partnerships, partnerships, partnerships.”

He could not have made it clearer at last week’s public forum, sponsored by Kent County Treasurer Ken Parrish, that working with partners both to determine what is in the best interests of the community and to help implement programs is critical to a land bank’s success.

Another way to think of it, according to Schertzing, is “Shared leadership, shared vision.” Or, in even less oblique terms, “Spend lots of time together,” as he told the approximately 125 interested citizens at the Dominican Center on March 23.

All this is likely to mean that land banks will be different from each other, as each reflects its own community. However, there are certain boundaries within which land banks operate and some obvious goals of all.

The Land Bank Fast Track statute, Act 258 of 2003, resulted at least to some degree from the recommendations of former Governor Jennifer Granholm’s Land Use Leadership Council, which convened a broad array of stakeholders to address both urban and rural problems.

PA 258 reads in part:

“AN ACT to provide for the creation of land bank fast track authorities to assist governmental entities in the assembly and clearance of title to property in a coordinated manner; to facilitate the use and development of certain property; to promote economic growth;... to authorize the acquisition, maintenance, and disposal of interests in real and personal property; to authorize the conveyance of certain properties to a land bank fast track authority; to authorize the enforcement of tax liens and the clearing or quieting of title by a land bank fast track authority; to provide for the distribution and use of revenues collected or received by a land bank fast track authority;... to exempt property, income, and operations of a land bank fast track authority from tax;...”

Land banks primarily focus on tax-foreclosed properties, which a unit of government, in most cases the county, holds for varying lengths of time in order to maximize benefits to the public. However, there is no statutory limit on the type of properties a land bank may purchase, and many buy mortgage foreclosures as well.

Public benefits include, but are not limited to: more control over the sale of tax-foreclosed properties and the revenues eventually to be realized from their sale; kick-starting economic redevelopment; and the ability to combat such quality of life and safety problems as blight, abandonment, and unproductive speculation.
Another obvious benefit is in expanding the ability to create affordable housing, which many feel is sorely needed.

Commented Tyler Nickerson of the Grand Rapids Area Coalition to End Homelessness, “Land banks represent a best practice to create more affordable housing — which we have to make sure is in good supply in order to house the homeless as they are able to move up — but also to limit the detrimental effects of the foreclosure crisis on neighborhoods.”

As far as the potential to increase the coffers of local governments and possibly make up for some of the revenues lost from the shrinking economy and changed state priorities, the potential of the land bank to spur economic development means that properties may bring in tax revenue where there was none before.

The land bank itself may seek grants or other types of funding for its work, but the general concept is that money from renovated housing and property sales, along with appropriate tax incentives, will produce enough to cover expenses and allow growth. The difficulty is in finding start-up financing.

Schertzing said that since its inception in 2005, the Ingham County Land Bank has purchased 649 tax and mortgage foreclosures, demolished 77 buildings with 98 more to come, maintained all of those sites, sold 51 of the 70 single family houses it has been responsible for rehabilitating, made a total of 146 purchases through Federal Neighborhood Stabilization funds, and completed eight new construction projects, seven of which have sold.

Schertzing emphasized repeatedly that none of this could have been done without a commitment to nurturing partnerships. Referring to agencies the flagging economy had caused to falter, Schertzing said, “Perhaps the most powerful thing has been to build relationships – there used to be more people who could spend time going to meetings and planning, but a lot of those positions have been lost, and the land bank has tried to rebuild those community discussions.”

Schertzing told about the ground-breaking work of Genesee County, where Flint is located, where Treasurer Dan Kildee set up a model even before PA 258.
As detailed in the Feb. 24, 2010 issue of Grand Rapids Legal News, Kent County finalized agreements to start its land bank in late 2009. Parrish said at the presentation that Kent’s “late start” resulted from two factors: first, the county was not seeing tax foreclosures at any great rate until recently; and second, he preferred to take some time to learn from others mistakes and successes.

As Schertzing noted, nearby Muskegon County started a land bank in 2006, but its actual impact has only been felt recently. In September 2010, the county contracted for management with Tim Burgess who says he insisted that the land bank operate countywide and not just in the City of Muskegon. “We’ve really gained some traction this year after several years of relative inactivity. We’re turning over properties. including vacant land parcels, by the dozens, and I think that will keep improving this tax year,” Burgess noted.

Since receiving approval, Kent County has appointed members to its governing board. These include Parrish, County Commissioner Stan Ponstein, Grand Rapids City Commissioner Rosalyn Bliss, Kentwood Commissioner Sharon Brinks, and Plainfield Township board member George Meek.

Brinks, an attorney who heads Brinks Law Firm in Kentwood, says, “I think there’s tremendous potential here; I was very interested in being in on the ground floor, because it’s a new tool in our toolbox. I think of it as like recycling property to its next highest and best use.” But, she adds, reiterating Schertzing’s comments, “The tool is going to be used differently according to which community is using it.”

The board has been busy finalizing documents such as articles of incorporation, priorities and policies, and bylaws. They decided to include a much larger advisory board aimed at developing those partnerships.

“We spent a lot of time on the language in the document. We requested input from all the different types of communities involved, including non-profits,” Brinks comments. “There’s a theme in those documents of respect for the already established public-private partnerships, respect for the planning activities of the local governments — that’s mirrored throughout in the way the documents have been drafted.”

Parrish said at the forum that the search for seed funding is underway.

Most forum attendees commented favorably. “I thought the most important point conveyed by Schertzing was that rather than be a competitor, a land bank can and should function with as many community partners as possible to create win-win scenarios. But I also hope that our land bank helps snuff out the speculators who buy investment properties and either leave them to rot if they can't turn around and sell them, or become absentee slumlords,” stated Foreclosure Response Coordinator Kym Spring.

Some negative comments during the question and answer period resulted from people feeling that the land banks competed unfairly with buyers on the open market. A land bank may bundle properties in large lots when they go through tax foreclosure sale at auction. This helps ensure that at-risk properties will not fall into the hands of irresponsible landowners; for example, some low-end speculators may fail to maintain the properties, or abandon them if they are not “flipped” (resold) right away.
Schertzing said that if the community deems bundling unnecessary, the land bank may choose not to do it.

Others expressed concern that land bank properties would continue to contribute to neighborhood deterioration until they were sold. Parrish said that in Kent County, “Our priorities and policies call for us to maintain properties to community standards.” He added that as far as following community zoning, “we want to play the game by the same rules as everyone else.”

However, when someone from a community housing provider said there are times the houses they obtain are in terrible shape and demolishing them would be preferable but he is usually precluded from doing so, Parrish said the land bank might be able to help. “Let’s have a conversation,” he offered.

Restoration Works project turns Lansing tax foreclosures into classrooms

2011-03-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

Restoration Works project turns Lansing tax foreclosures into classrooms
Students help breathe new life into old homes

Laura Misjak
lmisjak@lsj.com
Lansing State Journal
March 25, 2011

The restoration of two nearly century-old vacant houses along East Kalamazoo Street in Lansing is more than a simple project to beautify the neighborhood.
They serve as learning laboratories for local college and high school students who are designing and rehabilitating the properties to be energy efficient while retaining their age-old charms.
A first of what organizers hope to be dozens of walk-throughs of the tax-foreclosed properties - located in the 1500 block of East Kalamazoo - was held Thursday afternoon.
Residents of Allen Neighborhood along with officials from Lansing Community College and the Ingham County Land Bank and others saw designs of how the gutted properties will appear after about two years of restoration work.
"We're here to allow the community a behind-the-scenes look at a restoration project they may normally be intimidated to explore," said Jennie Grau, Allen Neighborhood Center's restoration works project coordinator.
She said community workshops will be held at the homes in conjunction with whatever projects LCC and Eaton Intermediate School District students are working on at the time, such as installing windows or building a deck.
Eric Schertzing, chairman of the Ingham County Land Bank, said the two tax-foreclosed homes would have been demolished but members of the Allen Neighborhood Center and George Berghorm, chairman of LCC's Department of Environmental, Design and Building Technologies, came up with the idea to make the restoration a learning opportunity.
"It doesn't get any more real than this," Schertzing said. "I'm hoping LCC can grow their capacity to do more projects like this."

2011-03-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

Kent County forum focuses on land bank plan
Published: Thursday, March 24, 2011, 9:58 AM
By Rick Wilson | The Grand Rapids Press

Darren Breen | The Grand Rapids PressMaking a point: Kent County Treasurer Ken Parrish, left, and Eric Schertzing, the Ingham County treasurer and Land Bank chair, talk about the Kent County Land Bank on Wednesday at the Dominican Center at Marywood.
GRAND RAPIDS — Randy Otterbridge was among very few doubters hearing an explanation Wednesday of how Kent County’s new land bank plans to work.
The 45-year-old Grand Rapids man who owns a handful of rental properties in the city fears the new land bank might be intruding where free enterprise ought only tread.
Kent County Treasurer Ken Parrish sponsored Wednesday’s educational forum on the new land bank in hopes of addressing concerns like those held by Otterbridge.
“What I heard is that they’re trying not to interfere with the free market,” Otterbridge said. “What I also heard is that they might be doing things like bundling properties so they can grab up the primo properties, which gives the county a competitive edge over private landlords.”
Wednesday’s forum was largely a presentation by Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing, who has been chairman of his county’s land bank authority board since it began in 2005. Parrish and Schertzing see land banks as a way primarily to eliminate blight and disrupt what they say has been a continuing cycle of foreclosed properties returning through the process.
Chief among their concerns are landlords who buy properties at auction intending to quickly flip them for a profit without regard for public interests like health and safety. Too often properties — some of which have never been seen by their new owners who buy them on the Internet — return through the foreclosure process when the real costs of improving them dash investors’ get-rich-quick schemes.
The result often is properties unfit for habitation that spark a continuing downward spiral in property values, which can contaminate entire neighborhoods. The land bank allows the county to purchase properties through tax foreclosures and either rehabilitate or demolish them, putting an end to the blight.
“A lot of people, if they don’t have much of a game plan, pay a few hundred dollars for a property at auction and it ends up just cycling back through,” Schertzing said. “What a couple of the landlords in Lansing have figured out is if they want to invest in a particular neighborhood, they buy the house right next to the one the land bank has bought.”
The trick now is for the Kent County’s Land Bank Authority, created by the County Commission in November 2009, to come up with the money to accomplish its goals. Parrish hopes to have a small staff and funding in place by June to begin an effort that eventually would become self-perpetuating as the county buys, rehabs and sells formerly neglected properties.
Most attending Wednesday’s forum seemed supportive of the concept, though many were cautious in their enthusiasm. The 100 or so attending included private developers and landlords but mostly local government officials, neighborhood activists and representatives of nonprofit agencies that provide low-income housing.
Deborah Eid, executive director of the Creston Neighborhood Association, asked how the Ingham land bank deals with neighbors facing a vacant lot in their neighborhood once it’s decided a home should be demolished.
Schertzing told Eid he’s seen few objections from neighbors to a blighted house being pegged for demolition.
Since 2005, Ingham County’s land bank has demolished 77 structures and rehabbed 70 single-family homes. While it began with $600,000, this year’s budget stands at about $13 million, though much of that is federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program money.
Still, that’s some distance from where Kent County stands with its current funding at zero. Parrish hopes to see whether area foundations will kick-start the program, and whether to seek a direct allocation from the county.
E-mail the author of this story: localnews@grpress.com

First Restoration Works Walk-Through Tour

2011-03-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

http://restorationworks.allenneighborhoodcenter.org/author/restoration/

Allen Neighborhood Center, in partnership with Lansing Community College and the Ingham County Land Bank announces the first Restoration Works Walk-Through Tour on Thursday, March 24th, 2011 from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. Restoration Works is transforming two tax foreclosed houses on Lansing’s Eastside by blending historic restoration with green building techniques. These houses, located at 1512 and 1501 E. Kalamazoo St., offer applied learning opportunities for Lansing Community College and Eaton Intermediate School District (EISD) students learning career and technical skills. The EISD has recently received a Lowes/Skills USA grant to support Restoration Works, and the formal check presentation will take place at 4:30 pm on Tour Day. Other portions of this project are supported by the Carl D. Perkins Program, administered by the State of Michigan. George Berghorn, Department Chair of LCC’s Environmental, Design and Building Technologies noted, “This is the first opportunity for people to see the progress that has been made since our November grand opening, and we’re delighted that there is substantial interest in watching a restoration unfold.”

The public is invited to join our ongoing community conversation on restoration and green building. Bi-monthly tours will be given to provide a behind the scenes look at the progress on these homes. In addition to tours, a series of workshops and educational opportunities are planned so that community members can take the lessons home to their house. The latest information about this project can be found at www.restorationworks.org.

###

Restoration Works is a partnership of Lansing Community College, the Allen Neighborhood Center and the Ingham County Land Bank.
Allen Neighborhood Center is a hub for capacity building, neighborhood enhancement, and for activities that promote the health, safety, stability, and economic well-being of Eastside residents and other stakeholders.

Lansing Community College is Michigan’s third largest community college with more than 30,000 students attending each year. The College has more than 280 degree and certificate programs. LCC offers courses in general education for those interested in transferring to a four-year institution, career and workforce development, developmental education and personal enrichment. The Environmental, Design & Building Technologies Department provides education in the allied fields of design, construction, energy management, and energy efficiency.” The Eaton Intermediate School District-Career Preparation Center works in close partnership with LCC on the Restoration Works Project along with providing Career and Technical Education to over 450 high school juniors and seniors from over 35 school districts in the mid-Michigan area in 21 occupational education programs.

The Ingham County Land Bank is a county authority and a strategic economic tool that supports growth and investment in our community.

Land Banks Rock: A New Tool For Reinvesting In Our Community

2011-03-17T06:45:00.000-07:00

Guy Bazzani | Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Rapid Growth Media

The Kent County Land Bank has the potential to be a fabulous new tool for redeveloping vacant properties in Kent County. As a green urban developer, having chronically vacant properties in neighborhoods impedes our revitalization efforts. They lower property values, invite crime, and can quickly become an eyesore. I strongly encourage everyone to attend the Kent County Land Bank forum on March 23. This innovative idea could be a boon for our redevelopment efforts. Initially, it was hard for me to be enthusiastic about Land Banks. After some prodding from a friend, I did some preliminary research regarding this topic. Now, I am excited!
Over the last 10 years, we could have used this redevelopment tool to enhance the success of the revitalization of Uptown. Today, this tool can help other upcoming Grand Rapids neighborhoods and Kent County communities manage their blighted properties and hold key locations for future redevelopment. We would like to see other neighborhoods become as vital and successful as Uptown has over the last 5 years. By having the Kent County Land Bank as a community re-development partner, we can succeed in redeveloping our communities over the long term.

Land banks have been gaining popularity nationwide for their positive impact on reducing blight and reusing vacant properties to help neighborhood revitalization amidst the foreclosure crisis. Instead of selling foreclosed properties at auction, the County can put them into the land bank and maintain them until they are transferred to developers to be rehabbed and sold. The land bank provides numerous incentives for developers such as title clearance, forgiving back taxes and liens, holding properties tax free during development, providing access to Brownfield tax credits even for properties that are not contaminated, option for Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and ability to assemble properties for large scale development.

The Land Bank could also work as an economic gardening tool. We could use ours to help grow local entrepreneurs from within our communities. Second-stage enterprises could use this tool to expand their capacity resulting in increased local employment. In this way, the Land Bank could be utilized as a socially responsible vehicle to include the revitalization of people as well as properties.
We need this tool to stop the erosion of many neighborhoods caused by the foreclosure crisis. The land bank could transform Grand Rapids' neighborhoods by fighting blight and reusing properties for various community needs (i.e. more green space, build density, integrate public transit, etc.). Many cities hit hard by foreclosures have already adopted this tool. We can benefit from the experiences and successes of communities that have had operating land banks for a number of years. These include Cleveland, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Baltimore as well as Lansing, Flint, Muskegon, Kalamazoo and Detroit.

The Ingham County Land Bank has been successful in reclaiming underutilized properties and historic resources. They have successfully partnered with for-profit and non-profit developers, real estate professionals and local entrepreneurs to identify new uses and occupants for vacant properties. We would do well to follow their lead.

The Kent County Land Bank Authority Board (KCLBA) began meeting in June of 2010 and has been working to create founding documents. The KCLBA has begun to reach out to the public for their engagement. This upcoming event is the first step to involve others in the task of strategically selecting the properties for the land bank.
The March 23 forum will be held from 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. at the Dominican Center (2025 E. Fulton) to educate the public on the specific tools land banks provide and how they can positively impact economic and community development in neighborhoods and communities. The keynote speaker, Eric Shertzing, will share his insights derived from his involvement with the Ingham County Land Bank. We'll all gain a better understanding of this newly created authority and learn how land banks can partner with community development efforts to reuse vacant residential and commercial properties to spur economic and community development. Kent County Treasurer Ken Parrish will explain the status and next steps for our land bank and how to get involved. I urge other developers, as well as community leaders, elected officials, city/township planners, nonprofits involved in neighborhood issues and interested residents to attend.

This new dynamic tool in Kent County provides a great opportunity for strategic development through vacant property reclamation. For urban developers, this event is not to be missed!

Guy Bazzani is a local Green builder, developer, and neighborhood revitalization expert. He can be found at Bazzani.com.

Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 announces completion of first project with $91,000 investe

2011-03-09T08:53:00.000-08:00

Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 announces completion of first project with $91,000 invested

Writer: Natalie Burg, News Editor

Capital Gains, 3/9/2011

It has been about a year since the NSP2 Consortium, a collaboration of entities including 20 Michigan municipalities and eight land banks, was awarded $224 million from the federal government to purchase and revitalize properties. Last week, the Ingham County Land Bank, MSHDA and the City of Lansing announced the completion of the first project funded by Lansing’s $17.4 million piece of the pie.

The newly renovated 520-square foot home is located at 1525 Hull Court where an open house was held Thursday to celebrate.

“The house they chose was in dire need of some help,” says Rebecca Eldridge of Rizzi Designs, marketing firm of the Ingham County Land Bank. “The neighbors have been so receptive to the project. Some of them have even been talking about renovating their own homes.”

The property now inspiring the neighborhood was purchased and renovated for $91,000 and will soon go on the market with a sale price of $54,000. It is a 5-star energy rated home with all new appliances.

“It’s a perfect house for a responsible college student, a young professional or a couple who just got married,” says Eldridge.

This is just the beginning for the NSP2 Consortium. The next property to be renovated is also located on Hull Street. The Consortium’s goal is to increase the supply of quality units that house low-, moderate-, and middle-income households.

Source: Rebecca Eldridge, Rizzi Designs

NEO Center Business Incubator to Open Soon

2011-03-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

NEO Center business incubator to open soon
Startups aim for June move-in at Lansing site

Written by: Melissa Domsic

Published: Lansing State Journal Thursday, March 3, 2011

Marketing and media technology startups should begin moving into a new business incubator in north Lansing by June.

A couple of tenants already are lined up for the Center for New Enterprise Opportunity, or NEO Center business incubator at 934 Clark St., between Grand River and Oakland avenues.

Renovations

The Ingham County Land Bank purchased the 6,920-square-foot two-story building in summer 2009 for $11,309 after it went into tax foreclosure. The Land Bank recently sold the property for $45,000 to RKH Investments LLC, associated with East Lansing-based Kincaid Henry Building Group Inc.

Kincaid Henry is renovating the building and will relocate its headquarters there by June or July. The company and its 10 employees plan to occupy about half of the building.

The project goes along with the company's experience in repurposing existing buildings, CEO Ryan Kincaid said."And the opportunity to grow small businesses with an incubator - it's a great opportunity and it's what Lansing needs," he said.

Subleasing spaces

The company would lease space to the NEO Center, which would then sublease work spaces to office tenants for about $180 to $450 a month, said Tom Stewart, the center's president. Lansing-based social media consulting firm UZoom Media will be among the first office tenants, Stewart said.

About 500 square feet of co-working space also will be available to students for $50 a month or to the general public for $100 a month.

The NEO Center is run by a seven-member board of local business and community leaders.

Media Advisory: Ingham County Land Bank, the City of Lansing and MSHDA Working Together to Renovate Ingham County Neighborhoods through the NSP2 Consortium

2011-02-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

Media Advisory
For Immediate Release

Ingham County Land Bank, the City of Lansing and MSHDA
Working Together to Renovate Ingham County Neighborhoods
through the NSP2 Consortium

February 23, 2011 –Lansing, Michigan: The Ingham County Land Bank is proud to announce the Open House of one of their first NSP2 (Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2) properties in Lansing. The response from the neighborhood has been overwhelmingly positive and the Ingham County Land Bank, under the NSP2 program, hopes that the optimism helps aide the growth of more projects to come in the near future.

You are invited to attend a proactive Press Conference to gather more information about this story firsthand. Representatives from both city and county authorities will be in attendance to answer your questions. Please RSVP to Rebecca Eldridge at 517.708.2106.

WHO: Eric Schertzing, The Ingham County Land Bank
Gary Hiedel, Michigan State Housing and Development Authority
Representative from the City of Lansing

WHAT: Press Conference and Open House for first completed NSP2 property in Lansing

WHERE: 1525 Hull Court, Lansing Michigan 48915

WHEN: Press Conference: Thursday, March 3, 2011; 10:30 AM-‐11:30 PM
Open House: Thursday, March 3, 2011; 4:00-‐6:00 PM

WHY: With over 16,000 properties vacant in Ingham County, the Ingham County Land Bank, along with NSP2 and MSHDA, have teamed up to renovate these properties and address the negative effects of abandonment and foreclosure in local neighborhoods
MSHDA responded on behalf of the State of Michigan by proposing a Michigan NSP2
Consortium which involves 20 other entities, 12 municipalities and eight land banks.

On February 11, 2011 HUD awarded MSHDA and the Michigan NSP2 Consortium the larges
single award made nationwide under the NSP2 Competition. The Ingham County Land Bank is dedicated to improving the quality of our neighborhoods, while strengthening and stabilizing the community. The Land Bank will purchase, renovate and resell multiple properties in a designated area to create attractive purchases for future homeowners and commercial use.

Ingham County Land Bank, the City of Lansing and MSHDA Working Together to Renovate Ingham County Neighborhoods through the NSP2 Consortium

2011-02-28T10:10:00.001-08:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Lansing, MI - February 21, 2011 – Like many Ingham County Land Bank projects, the before and after pictures of 1525 Hull Court are jaw dropping. This property is not only newly renovated and made into the newest Lansing “eye candy,” but also shares in celebration as being the first of many collaborative projects between the Ingham County Land Bank, MSHDA and the City of Lansing.
The first completed property within this program is 1525 Hull Court located in Lansing (48917). The present exterior alone seems almost unrecognizable to the previous exterior structure. It is a 5-Star energy rated home, containing all new appliances. In keeping with the original character of the home, renovations were done to the floors, windows amongst many other needed attractions to keep within the high energy rating. Neighbors are thrilled with the project, proclaiming that they have begun remodeling their own homes in “hoping that it catches on to other residents in the area.” One resident states the house was previously an “eye sore” and is excited to see how such renovations will “help improve the neighborhood.”
Eric Schertzing, Ingham County Treasurer and Ingham County Land Bank Chair states that “the American Recovery Act is creating jobs and improving neighborhoods through housing built to a high standard. This energy efficient renovation on Hull Court is another example of the quality homes delivered to the marketplace by the Ingham County Land Bank.”

With thousands of housing units in the area vacant, about half of those vacancies have been empty for a year or more. Through the NSP2 program, many of these vacant units will be touched in some way either through acquisition, rehab or demolition. MSHDA responded on behalf of the State of Michigan by proposing a Michigan NSP2 Consortium involving 20 other entities, including the Ingham County Land Bank. In February of 2010, MSHDA and the Michigan NSP2 Consortium were awarded the single largest award made nationwide under the NSP2 competition.
The overall purpose of the NSP2 program is to address the negative effects of abandonment and foreclosure on neighborhoods. The Consortium will concentrate on the expansion of land banks to purchase and hold properties and produce buildable lots. This allows foreclosed properties to be taken directly and without the units adding to the surplus already on the market. “The 21st century demands regional collaboration on an unprecedented scale,” said MSHDA Executive Director Gary Heidel. “We at MSHDA are delighted to see that vision come to fruition with the completion of the first project in Ingham County – showing that by working together, we understand that all Michigan communities have a shared stake in developing the assets of our urban centers and in the economic stability of our neighborhoods.”
The Ingham County Land Bank brings with this project their unique power under Michigan’s state law, including the ability to acquire, hold, assemble and maintain property, as well to hold property tax-free for future redevelopment in the interest of the public. Such properties, including rehabilitation and redevelopment of foreclosed and abandoned lots, are put up for sale through acquisition and homebuyer assistance. Schertzing states that “I am proud that our efforts are restoring vitality to Lansing and making it an even greater place to live, play and work” when talking about the collaboration within the State of Michigan the Ingham County Land Bank and the City of Lansing.
Purchasing and rehabbing the best of these units such as 1525 Hull Court, will aid in efforts to increase the supply of quality units that house low-, moderate-, and middle-income households. There are some homebuyer assistance programs that will ensure that qualified homebuyers are able to live in quality housing with affordable monthly payments. This is an important need in many communities and 1525 Hull Court is a prime example.
The open house for 1525 Hull Court will be held Thursday, March 3rd from 4:00-6:00PM and will be open to the public. A press conference will be held earlier that day for all media to attend and will include representatives from Ingham County Land Bank, the City of Lansing as well as MSHDA.
Please see contact information below. “Before and after” pictures are available upon request.

The Ingham County Land Bank is a county authority and a strategic economic tool that supports growth and investment in our community. Land Banks were created to return tax reverted property to productive use as rapidly as possible. These reverted properties commonly come through the tax foreclosure process. A Land Bank may concentrate its efforts on an entire neighborhood that needs reinvestment. The Land Bank will buy, renovate and resell multiple properties in a designated area with a goal of owner-occupancy. Please visit www.inghamlandbank.org for more information on the Ingham County Land Bank, contractor information as well as properties and programs available.

Talks under way for Mason's Ash Street - Multiple fund sources needed

2011-02-15T06:58:00.000-08:00

Christie Bleck
Lansing State Journal

MASON - Discussions are under way for the possible development of vacant downtown property.

At the City Council's Feb. 7 meeting, City Administrator Marty Colburn reported on the properties located at 124 and 140 E. Ash St., sites that councilwoman Barb Tornholm said make a big difference in the downtown landscape.

Colburn said if the property isn't developed, it will deteriorate beyond salvaging.

"It's a building that, if we don't try to save it, will fall down eventually," he said.

Colburn said the Ingham County Land Bank took ownership of the Ash Street property, which had been foreclosed, two years ago, and talk about how to develop it has been progressing.

Colburn said the Land Bank is entertaining an offer from a developer, whose name he did not disclose, in which the first floor would be used for commercial space and the second and third floors would be turned into loft apartments. Parking would be in the rear of the building.

Doug Klein is executive director of the Mason Area Chamber of Commerce, located adjacent to the vacant property.

"There are the four store fronts immediately west of the chamber office," Klein said in an e-mail. "Most people in town think of them as where Hungry Howie's and the Shopping Guide were. At least they were both there six years ago or so."

The two sites immediately west of the chamber, he noted, are part of a three-story building where the Shopping Guide was located. The other two storefronts just west of that are two stories and are joined on the second floor.

Those used to be the Ball-Dunn Furniture Store years ago, Klein said.

Colburn said that to finance the project, a variety of funding sources is needed, including money from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).

Other sources, he said, including historic and Michigan tax incentives, Community Block Development grant funds and HOME Investment Partnership Program money.

The city, according to Colburn, also was asked to create tax-incremental financing through a Brownfield District because of the building's obsolete nature.In this scenario, the city would need to work with the Ingham County Land Bank and the Ingham County EDC to create a Brownfield Tax-Increment Financing Plan.

(Through tax-increment financing, a portion of the increase in the tax base resulting from economic growth and infrastructure development is dedicated within that development area.)

The project won't be cheap.

"The reality is that this is going to cost $1.5 million," Colburn said.

A total of $400,000 of that would come from MSHDA while the Mason Downtown Development Authority would provide $50,000, he said.

However, Colburn stressed that it will take working with "numerous different avenues" to bring the project together.

"As you can see, it's a bit of a juggling act," Colburn told the council.

Klein said the chamber is in favor of the project.

"We are looking forward to helping a developer fill that physical niche with tenants of two types: sustainable local businesses and quality loft apartments -- both of which already populate the rest of the downtown," he said.

Restoration Works Program

2011-02-09T05:15:00.001-08:00

Restoration Works Program

Renovating Key to Preserving Neighborhood Value

2011-01-23T06:36:00.000-08:00

Renovating key to preserving neighborhood value
Land bank sees work as long-term investment in area

Matthew Miller
mrmiller@lsj.com
Lansing State Journal
January 22, 2011

The house at 812 Everett Drive has been vacant since the fall of 2006. As the interior took in water from a leaking roof and windows, the city became the de facto caretaker of the exterior, cutting the overgrown grass, pulling trash from the yard.

It's now in the hands of the Ingham County Land Bank and in the final stages of a top-to-bottom rehab. The same pot of federal money that will pay to demolish 165 houses in the city of Lansing over the next three years will pay to renovate 90 homes in the city. The Everett house is one of the first. The renovations are budgeted at about $75,000 each.

"This is expensive stuff to do, to renovate houses," said Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing, who also heads the land bank. "Just because you put a lot of money into them, doesn't mean they're worth as much as you put into them, but you're seeing ... concrete improvements in homes. There is activity. There are jobs."

And ultimately, sales. But those can take time. The Greater Lansing Housing Coalition recently renovated five early 20th century houses in the Baker
Donora neighborhood, spending as much as $120,000 on a single house. One has sold.
The asking prices of the other four were originally around $70,000. They have since dropped closer to $50,000. "What we're confronted with is an economy where funding for mortgages is tight and credit qualifications are stringent," said Katherine Draper, executive director of the housing coalition, so stringent that many of the low-income people the agency seeks to help can't meet them.

Still, she said, there's logic to the renovations, to preserving both the architectural integrity of the neighborhood and older homes that have "a lot of amenities that new construction would not allow."

Dan Kildee agrees. The former Genesee County treasurer is now president of the Center for Community Progress, a non-profit that advises cities on dealing with vacant and abandoned properties. In light of the damage done by the foreclosure crisis, governments have to do something counterintuitive, he said, to get control of the properties they can and "overinvest in stabilizing those properties and getting them back into a high quality condition."

Just like abandoned properties have a negative effect on surrounding property values, investment in a property has a positive one, he said. "We have to measure the results in terms of the impact on a whole block or a whole neighborhood."

www.greenandwhite.com

Community Holiday Party Photos

2010-12-18T09:43:00.000-08:00

Ingham County Land Bank’s Annual Community Holiday Party

2010-12-03T08:15:00.000-08:00

Holiday Party Marks The Open House For Land Bank’s Newly Constructed Home.

Ingham County Land Bank’s annual Community Holiday Party -
LANSING, MI -- Tuesday, December 7, 2010 marks the open house for the City of Lansing’s and the Ingham County Land Bank’s newly constructed modern home located in South Lansing. A gathering will be held from 4:00 until 7:00 pm at the home’s residence to celebrate its completing as well as show-off its progressive features and design.

The home located at 5219 Hughes Road Lansing, MI is the result of collaborative efforts by Vesta Building Industries and the Ingham County Land Bank. Together these companies were able to construct the home using modern building science techniques as well as incorporate both a passive solar and universal design into the house in order to create an extremely energy efficient and accessible structure. These elements together will earn the house a certification from LEED for Homes program of the US Green Building Council.

“We are delighted to hold our December 7th Community Holiday Party in this new home in South Lansing that combines environmentally friendly design and efficiency with universal design for accessibility,” says Eric Schertzing, Ingham County Treasurer and Land Bank Chair of the newly completed project.

The home is wheelchair accessible and has a flexible floor plan made possible by sliding partition panels,which allow the house to change with the needs of the owner. The passive solar design incorporates large glass windows located on the south-facing side of the building with wide overhangs to gather solar energy that is absorbed by a colored concrete floor that is able to manage the temperature of the home throughout the year. The Hughes Road house was also built using Structurally Insulated Panels for the outside shell as well as a high-efficiency condensing boiler that heats the radiant floor and domestic hot water. All of these modern innovations work together to create a comfortable and efficient living space.

The home is currently on the market and will be open to the public for viewing at the upcoming Ingham County Land Bank’s Community Holiday Party. Food and beverages will be available to those who wish to attend the event and tour the house on December 7th.

Ingham County Land Bank and City of Lansing Construct New LEED Home

2010-12-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

http://www.capitalgainsmedia.com

What do you get when you combine modern building science with passive solar techniques and universal design? You get an energy-conscious and accessible home like the one at 5219 Hughes Road in Lansing.

In an effort to combine sustainability, usability and modern design, the Ingham County Land Bank and the City of Lansing funded the 1232 square foot Hughes Road house project which was completed by Vesta Building Industries.

Vesta used Structural Insulated Panels for the outside shell, a high-efficiency condensing boiler for heating the radiant floor and domestic hot water.

Vesta also used materials that are healthy for the occupants of the home and friendly to the environment. The house will earn certification in the LEED for Homes program of the U.S. Green Building Council.

“We put a lot of time into this project to ensure we met the three principles to the best of our ability. This is not only an environmentally friendly home, it’s also the kind of home you can grow old in,” says Gene Townsend, the LEED AP for Vesta Building Industries.

The passive solar design uses south-facing glass with wide overhangs allowing the polished concrete floor to soak up the sun in the winter but be shaded from the intense summer sun. The home has also been designed to be wheelchair accessible.

The house is up for sale, and if you want to see it, the Ingham County Land Bank will be hosting its annual Community Holiday Party at the home on On Dec. 7, from 4 -7 p.m.

Restoration Works - Lansing City Pulse Interview

2010-11-05T05:26:00.000-07:00

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LCC, Ingham County Land Bank partner to fix up homes

2010-11-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

Matthew Miller
mrmiller@lsj.com
Lansing State Journal
Jan 22, 2011

LANSING, MI -- The houses at 1501 and 1512 E. Kalamazoo Street were early victims of the foreclosure crisis. Repossessed by the banks that held their mortgages in the early months of 2007, they ended up in the possession of the Ingham County Land Bank and were slated for demolition.

They’ll become living classrooms instead, thanks to a partnership between the land bank, Lansing Community College and the Allen Neighborhood Center called Restoration Works.

Over the next five years, students from LCC’s alternative energy, architectural technology, civil technology, construction, electrical, HVAC, interior design and landscape architecture programs will work to restore the early 20th century structures at the same time they learn their future trades.

Justin Monahan, a student in LCC’s alternative energy program who has already participated in energy audits done on the two houses, described it as “the best hands-on you can get.

“These houses are horrible. They’re unlivable,” he said. “We get to go through all sorts of problems.”

And, ideally, to solve them, leaving the neighborhood with two viable homes where vacant lots would have been and the land bank with two houses it can sell.

East side upgrades

2010-11-03T05:30:00.000-07:00

Unique partnership hopes to educate eastside residents on efficient and affordable home renovations

by Andy Balaskovitz

Lansing City Pulse
November 3, 2010

Two homes that have fallen into disrepair on Lansing’s east side and were going to be demolished will soon be models of home renovation, thanks to a partnership of the Ingham Co. Land Bank, Allen Neighborhood Center and Lansing Community College.

The homes across from each other at 1501 and 1512 E. Kalamazoo St. will be hands-on models for home restoration. About 40 students in LCC’s Environment, Design and Building Technologies Department will remodel the two homes over the course of three years, educating interested residents on their energy efficient and cost effective renovations.

As the students work, the neighborhood center will hold weekly tours inside the homes. There are also plans for monthly workshops to highlight specific aspects LCC students work on, such as windows or roofing.

Ultimately, the homes will be sold once they’re finished.

“The goal is (for residents) to learn how to do these projects themselves,” Joan Nelson, executive director of the Allen Neighborhood Center, said.

The project is called Restoration Works! The Land Bank owns the two foreclosed properties and is letting LCC students upgrade them.

Initially, the homes were up for demolition, Land Bank Chairman Eric Schertzing said.

“Without LCC, these two homes were looking at demolition,” said Schertzing, who is also the county treasurer. “It would have been tough to figure out a way to make those two houses economically viable.”

George Berghorn, chairman of the LCC building technologies department, said this project was ideal for getting students out of the classroom to experience hands-on construction.

“We were interested in finding meaningful laboratory experience for our students and connecting them with opportunities in their community,” he said.

Berghorn, an eastside resident himself, said the house at 1512 E. Kalamazoo will be tackled first. There, the students will focus on “livability retrofits,” or what it takes to fix up a red-tagged house, by fixing holes in the walls, the chimney, furnace and duct work. The second phase will focus on energy efficient retrofits, Berghorn said.

The class will focus on renovations particularly suited for craftsman-style eastside homes, Berghorn said, and will keep in mind tight budgets.

“People on the east side can see what’s possible, (with both) technology and cost,” Berghorn said.

Schertzing said that because the properties are tax-exempt, there isn’t much value to them at this point — about the same as if the Land Bank would have demolished them, he said.

“It’s not a draw on our resources. We all win,” he said, adding that he hopes this is the first of many partnerships with LCC.

“We really hope that LCC over the years will have the ability and the desire to do this in other areas of the city,” Schertzing said. “Even better would be young LCC students getting to know Lansing neighborhoods.”

Allen said these are two historic, “gorgeous” old houses with “craftsmanship you don’t find in new builds.” The 1501 E. Kalamazoo house was built in 1922, while 1512 was built in 1916. They both were student rental houses in the 1970s and 1980s, Nelson said.

She said the neighborhood center will be responsible for “creating the buzz” around the project and coordinating the tours and workshops.

She said LCC is the real “driver” of the project and echoes Schertzing’s hope that it attracts LCC students to the neighborhood.

“This is the start of something very exciting,” Nelson said. “We think it’s a creative response to the issue of tax foreclosed and abandoned houses.”

The project website, www.restorationworks.org, launches today and will give “up-to-the-minute records of what’s happening in and around the houses,” Nelson said.

Land Bank Announces Recruitment Day

2010-09-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

Susan Vela
Lansing State Journal
Oct 1, 2010

LANSING, MI -- The Ingham County Land Bank will be extending an opportunity to all contractors, builders,landscapers, painters, window & siding installers, and tradesmen of all specialties to attend Contractor Recruitment Day, located at the Gier Community Center at 2400 Hall St in Lansing, Michigan. The event will be taking place between the hours of 9 am and 3 pm on Thursday, September 30th.

The event will include a station for vendor registrations, as well as five (5) additional stations to provide information regarding Insurance/Bonding, Lead & RRP Safety, Minority & Women-Owned Firms, Networking & Professional Development, and Section 3 Employment Information. Refreshments will be provided throughout the day.

“The Land Bank is always looking for quality contractors to help it expand high quality place making efforts in our community.” said Eric Schertzing, Ingham County Treasurer and Land Bank Chair.

The Ingham County Land Bank is dedicated to improving the quality of our neighborhoods, while strengthening and stabilizing the community. The Land Bank will purchase, renovate and resell multiple properties in a designated area to create attractive purchases for future homeowners and commercial use.

Deluxe Inn Fire Training

2010-09-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

Christine Rook
Lansing State Journal
September 7, 2001

LANSING, MI -- Recently, the dilapidated Deluxe Inn on Main Street saw a major renovation by over 50 artists who freely decorated its exterior walls with graffiti. The event of such “creative restoration,” as Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing likes to phrase it, was such a phenomenal success amongst the community. The building received more attention than it has in months, possibly even years. “Locals have been coming everyday since the event to continue their artwork. It’s been really inspiring” Schertzing commented.

The Deluxe Inn Graffiti Project isn’t the end of the road for the old hotel, just merely the beginning. After years of abuse and bad reputations, the property was abandoned only to be purchased by the Ingham County Land Bank in 2009. Eric Schertzing, has set out for one final use of this building before it is to torn down at the end of August. The facility has been donated to Lansing area fire chiefs and their departments for training.

The training which will include the Metro team consisting of the Lansing, Delta, East Lansing and Meridian Fire Departments will take place this Thursday through Sunday, September 9-12. Officer Steve Mazurek states that “all of the departments train together every month but not as often as they may like to. It’s a great way for them to build relationships with other departments.” Through this training, firefighters will be able to refresh their memory on tools, skills and equipment. The plan for doing exercises like this is to practice safe-entry into harmful situations, drilling thru the concrete and stabilizing the building. Officer Mazurek continues to state that “they hope to collapse a part of the Deluxe Inn and do exercises they have been trained to do.”

The transformation of the Deluxe Inn has been truly eye opening and a great resource for the Lansing area. A building and property with such a rough past could have easily been demolished and forgotten about but with the help of people like Eric Schertzing and companies such as the Ingham County Land Bank, the hotel has given back life and purpose to Lansing in its final days. Not only have artists from across the state been able to express themselves creatively and helped raise awareness as well as curiosity to the project, but now trained professionals will be given the opportunity to practice important life saving skills. These skills will help in saving the lives of area residents and an opportunity for practicing real life situations to better our community and its people.

As well as the training by local fire departments, other dates for training include the September 7 Asbestos Abatement Activities, the partial collapse of the building September 8 (in preparation of the fire training) and on Monday, September 13 training for local Police Departments will be held.

Already there has been an overwhelming and positive response to these projects. Schertzing states that he “is proud and genuinely thankful for the reactions of Lansing residents.” He continues, “Projects such as this are very rewarding and we are happy to see such amazing things happen with this property before it is torn down.” The memory of this building (The Deluxe Inn) will not be one of demise, but one of promise and what is to come for the city of Lansing.

The New Tycoon

2010-08-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

The Ingham County Land Bank’s quest to make this place a better ... place

By Neal McNamara

Lansing City Pulse
August 23, 2010

On the day Rochelle Rizzi first saw the grand, brick house along Pine Street in Lansing, it was “complete construction zone.” The 6,000-square-foot Colonial Revival house was once the home of the superintendent of the School for the Blind but had been vacant more than a decade. Rizzi was on a quest to find the perfect space for her marketing firm, Rizzi Designs, and when she stepped inside, she knew she had found the right place. “I knew which furniture was going to be in what room,” she remembers. “It just seemed like a great fit.”

She was given a tour on that day last year by developer Gene Townsend, who was renovating the house for the Ingham County Land Bank. Around that same time, Rizzi and her business partner, Sandra Neuman, had won a contest through Inc. Magazine to meet with entrepreneurial guru Norm Brodsky in New York. He advised her that she must move out of her 300-square-foot office and into something bigger and better. This house was it.

Though she had the desire and the advice to move into the building, there was still the issue of purchasing the $225,000 building. Luckily, the Land Bank was much more sympathetic to her cause than, say, an out-of-state multi-national bank.

She met with Mary Ruttan, executive director of the Land Bank, and Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing, who chairs the Land Bank’s executive board. “I told them what we wanted to do, and they loved my ambition and the fact that we would respect that it has a history to it,” she said. “This was their first commercial sale, so I was really proud to be a part of that.”

Rizzi worked out a deal that most banks would probably balk at in the midst of a recession/foreclosure crisis. The Land Bank granted her two years to pay off a $25,000 down payment. The rest of the payments will be made on a land contract — where the buyer forgoes traditional financing and pays the seller in monthly installments and takes care of taxes and insurance.

But the Land Bank benefited, too. It sold its first commercial property, and breathed life into the mostly vacant 130-year-old School for the Blind campus. Now, less than a year after opening, Rizzi Designs has added four employees (bringing it to 15) and the property is back on the tax rolls.

“It's the socio-economic mission that (the Land Bank) has to revitalize people as much as the properties,” she said. “Whether you start with the people or the properties, it's meeting in the middle, it's working to make people appreciate what we have.”

The Land Bank is coming up on its fifth anniversary, and though some of its activities have been highly publicized, the Land Bank’s mission and inner workings might be missed by the general public. Gradually, the Land Bank is forging a reputation as an innovative and successful local public developer, filling in some of the broken teeth on the county’s urban areas and taking hold of properties that might other wise deteriorate in the hands of careless property owners.

The benevolent authoritarian

When asked where Ingham County would be without the Land Bank, Schertzing plays it a bit modest. He says that the recent housing crisis has been so huge (asked if he saw the crisis coming back when the Land Bank was established in 2005, he says, “I don't think there would have been a way to predict” that it would get so bad) the Land Bank has only been a “small response.”

The Land Bank has been able to “rally the troops to some issues,” Schertzing says, like providing foreclosure prevention. But the best thing the Land Bank has been able to do, he supposes, is create a few positive stories out of all of the bad economic news. Take, for example, the old Deluxe Inn south of downtown Lansing. The property, which was in mortgage foreclosure, was a sad den of crime and extreme poverty. Lansing’s Human Services Department swept through after a murder and found residents living in squalor; eventually the department went to court to evict some tenants. Last September, the Land Bank bought it from Business Lenders LLC, the bank that owned it, for $400,000. Just a few weeks ago, the property was turned into a canvas for graffiti artists. Soon it will be demolished after being used as a training ground for firefighters, and Schertzing hopes to see it someday become the site of housing catering to urbanites.

The graffiti project was so successful, Schertzing said, that some people want to preserve pieces or purchase them for their homes.

Another heartwarming Land Bank story: It took a couple of vacant lots in the east Lansing Urbandale neighborhood — properties in a flood plain — and leased them ($1 per year) to two gardening experts. Now the neighborhood, recognized as being in a food desert — residents lack reasonable access to groceries — has an urban garden and access to fresh food.
To the delight of some, the Land Bank was also responsible for the demolition of the old Dollar Nightclub on Michigan Avenue near Frandor.
These examples show the incredible power of the Land Bank. That is, to take an interesting idea and run with it. It does not appear, yet, at least, that the Land Bank is crippled by bureaucracy or politics. If Schertzing and the Land Bank board — which includes Ingham County commissioners Debbie DeLeon, Dale Copedge, Rebecca Bahar-Cook and Deb Nolan — think it’s a good idea to let some graffiti artists paint a shuttered motel, all they have to do is say, “Yeah, go ahead.”

This is in line with the Land Bank’s mission: “Just to make the place better,” Schertzing said.

Ingham County Land Bank Teams-Up to Revive Inn One Last Time

2010-07-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

By Tricia Bobeda
Lansing State Journal
Jul 29, 2010

LANSING, MI -- The Ingham County Land Bank purchased the dilapidated property formally called the Deluxe Inn during 2009. With plans to demolish the property and grow new life for the area, the Ingham County Land Bank is partnering with LEAP to breathe life into the building one last time before it comes crumbling down. “We are always looking for opportunities that come with redeveloping property and this comes as a perfect opportunity for the Ingham County Land Bank to be creative as well. I like to think of this project as „Creative Destruction.‟ We are all looking forward to the start of the event this weekend,” says Eric Schertzing, Ingham County Treasurer.

From July 30 through August 8 the former Deluxe Inn in Lansing will be transformed into a notable work of art. Nearly thirty-five artists from across Michigan including Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit as well as Chicago will be leaving their creative tag on this area inn through the art of graffiti.

Joe Manzella of LEAP has partnered with artist Sam DeBourbon on the project. Manzella and DeBourbon understand that most people see graffiti art as nothing more than the defacing of property. In reality, graffiti can be enjoyed as a work of art as long as the body of work has found placement in a proper location. The purpose of this project is more than to adorn an old property; it is to bring awareness to graffiti as a modern art form.

While traveling through Europe in years past, Manzella was inspired by being able to see the Berlin Wall, a known space for graffiti artists to gather and leave their tag. “It was known where artists could and could not graffiti” Manzella mentions. “It was confined, and those boundaries were respected. That is what we are hoping to accomplish here as well ― to give artists a space for which they can make their own, have creative freedom to create their murals and do so without the fear of getting caught.”

DeBourbon had a similar experience while in Europe when his host family brought him to an abandoned warehouse. Here he saw where many artists freely came to graffiti: a confined and well-known space to make their own in an otherwise clean and “graffiti free” neighborhood. The locals respected these boundaries and through this introduction into the world of spray painting, DeBourbon became artistically inspired and carried his love for this medium back to Michigan.

DeBourbon continues, “the [now vacant] Deluxe Inn, once full of crime, drugs and prostitution, will for a week be completely covered in vivid color, with life, and will have one last wind before [its demolition].” There are high hopes that this is just the beginning; that this project will in turn develop many more opportunities for artists to showcase their talents and to brighten up otherwise darker areas of Lansing. And so, the Graffiti Art Project is born.

School for the Blind deal could be first of trend

2009-11-18T13:11:00.000-08:00

The Ingham County Land Bank is completing its first deal for commercial property - a building on the former campus of the School for the Blind in north Lansing.

This could be a sign of things to come, if the agency can keep the numbers looking good. And, on this first deal, County Treasurer Eric Schertzing, who operates the Land Bank, says the numbers are essentially a break-even proposition.

The former superintendent's house has been redubbed "Old Town Manor" by its new owners, Rizzi Designs. Rizzi's occupancy, which will end a long vacancy, is possible because the Land Bank purchased the building from the Lansing Housing Commission in 2008. This sale gave the commission needed capital. And it gave the Land Bank an entry to the commercial world.

A $150,000 renovation is bringing an unused property back on to the tax rolls. And a neighborhood that might not get all the attention it deserves is getting a boost.

The Land Bank did its first project only three years ago. Its focus has been on acquiring houses in tax default, doing upgrades and finding buyers to put the houses back on tax rolls. At times, though, the Land Bank goes with demolition as the best result for a dilapidated property.

In a well-oiled world, you wouldn't need this agency to act as an intermediary in the real estate market. But as houses with back tax bills have stacked up in Michigan communities, the free market hasn't proven resilient enough to handle the situation.

Now the Land Bank has completed its first dip of the toe into the commercial property world, and it has at least one more major deal on its plate - the former Deluxe Inn site downtown.

In September, the Land Bank bought the site for $400,000. The likely plan is to demolish the dilapidated motel, clearing the way for a new structure, possibly combining retail and commercial space on the ground floor with housing aimed at Cooley Law School students above.

These deals are a bit of a different animal. Taking an abandoned home and putting a family in it, even if the deal imposed something of a public cost, is easy to defend. When commercial property is involved, the public's antennae will be tuned to any claims of inappropriate advantage.

That's not an argument to stop, but only to be careful in the selection of properties to acquire and turn around.

An LSJ editorial

Lansing State Journal, November 18, 2009