Genesee County Land Bank

It would cost more than $7 million annually to mow tall grass and remove trash from the more than 20,000 vacant properties in Flint, once a month from spring to summer. This year, the Land Bank spent roughly $2 million on vacant property maintenance. Part of this funding was used to hire local, seasonal crews to inspect, board and clean out vacant structures and mow and clear vacant lots that we are not able to sell or lease. Instead of just mowing Land Bank properties, crews mow all vacant lots in the City of Flint.

This season, Land Bank crews:

• completed 20,000+ mows and boarded and secured 1,000+ vacant structures
• cleared 155 tons of garbage from vacant lots and loaded them away in Land Bank dumpsters
• created 500+ cubic yards of woodchips from downed trees and limbs cleared from Land Bank properties
• cleaned out more than 100 houses to prepare them to be sold as Featured Homes
• fully renovated 5 houses and positioned them for sale
• completed over 3,600 housing inspections to assess property conditions, inform Land Bank decision making, and prepare properties for sale.

We are grateful for the small but dedicated team of crew members, led by Duane Bickford, the Land Bank's Property Manager, for all they do to prepare properties for re-use and make neighborhoods cleaner, safer and more attractive.

Click this link to read more articles -  https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/FINAL_LBA-Newsletter-Annual-Report-FY-2021-2022-Winter2023.pdf

The Land Bank began the process of selecting blighted structures for demolition by collecting property condition information and resident recommendations for demolition through the Flint Property Portal.  We collected resident input on criteria that ought to be used to prioritize demolitions through a community survey. Based on more than 400 survey responses, residents asked us to prioritize the blighted houses that are: 1) directly next door to occupied properties; 2) in areas where more people live and where homes are occupied; 3) near open schools; and 4) fire damaged.  We used this direction to develop a scoring framework for all demolition candidates in Land Bank’s inventory and the highest scoring properties were selected for demolition with the funding secured so far. Local elected officials helped gather public input and shared their feedback with us before the list was finalized. Click this link to read more articles -  https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/FINAL_LBA-Newsletter-Annual-Report-FY-2021-2022-Winter2023.pdf   

$39.5 Million Secured at the end of FY 22 to Demolish up to 1,910 Blighted Structures in Flint and Genesee County

The Genesee County Land Bank (Land Bank), working in partnership with the City of Flint and Genesee County, secured $39.5 million in FY 22 to demolish up to 1,910 blighted structures. The funding sources for blight elimination include: $16 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) from the City of Flint, $8 million in ARPA from the County, $10 million in grant funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, $4.5 million from the Land Bank and the Genesee County Treasurer, and $1 million in Community Project Funding through Congressman Kildee’s office.

Over the next four years, the Genesee County Land Bank hopes to secure an additional $5.8 million to demolish 505 additional blighted structures to reach our goal of clearing 2,415 blighted structures from Flint and Genesee County.  Michael Freeman, Executive Director of the Land Bank, is pleased that partners are coming together to continue the process of clearing blighted structures impacting residents and neighborhoods throughout Flint and Genesee County. “Clearing blight will help restore value to communities and create healthier and safer neighborhoods.” Click this link to read more -  https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/FINAL_LBA-Newsletter-Annual-Report-FY-2021-2022-Winter2023.pdf

With limited funding for demolition in FY 2022, the Land Bank demolished 56 blighted structures (5 of which were commercial) at a cost of roughly $1.1 million in grant funding secured by the GCLBA.

Davison Road After Demo

We were pleased to leverage additional resources through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Michigan Department of Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) to clean and clear abandoned and hazardous structures in its inventory. Click this link to read more -  https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/FINAL_LBA-Newsletter-Annual-Report-FY-2021-2022-Winter2023.pdf

Clean & Green application period has been extended until Friday, March 3^rd 2023 at 3:30pm. Apply today! To learn more or to apply, please follow the link below. Paper copies of the application are available within the Land Bank lobby.  https://www.thelandbank.org/clean_green_prog.asp

The Genesee County Land Bank will be closing at 3 pm today, Wednesday, February 22, 2023, due to inclement weather. Staff will be working remotely for the remainder of the workday.

Fighting Blight & Restoring Hope:

Grand Opening of the Children’s Health  Center in Flint

Several formerly blighted tax-foreclosed properties, including a former oil change, are now home to the Center for Children's Integrated Services on S. Saginaw St. in downtown Flint. Demolition and site cleanup were completed in 2014. In 2019, Greater Flint Mental Health Facilities, Inc. in partnership with Genesee Health System purchased the property to develop the facility co-locating Genesee Health System's core service while also providing physical health care services. This is just one example of how the Land Bank plays a crucial role in accepting properties left behind, addresses the issues on the properties, and positions them for re-use in a way that best supports the community.            

-Christina Kelly

The application period for the Clean & Green program is closing soon! Apply by February 24^th at 3:30pm to apply to join other community groups in the flight against blight! To learn more or to apply, please follow the link below. Paper copies of the application are available within the Land Bank lobby.  https://www.thelandbank.org/clean_green_prog.asp

The Land Bank receives blighted properties from the Genesee County Treasurer after people stop paying their taxes and the land goes through tax-foreclosure.  GCLBA currently has about 15,000 properties in its inventory.  Of those, over 4,000 have structures remaining, the majority of which have been left vacant for years before they end up in our inventory. Our priority is to sell viable structures to responsible owners who will invest in renovations and improvements.  However, because houses are vacant for so long before we receive them, roughly 74% of the structures in our inventory are blighted beyond repair and in need of demolition. Click this link to read more -  https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/FINAL_LBA-Newsletter-Annual-Report-FY-2021-2022-Winter2023.pdf

The Land Bank will be closed on Monday, February 20, 2023 in observance of President's Day.

Greetings City of Flint and Genesee County Residents! On behalf of Deborah Cherry, Board Chair of the GCLBA and County Treasurer, and Michael Freeman, GCLBA Executive Director, we are pleased to provide you with our 2022 Annual Report. This year, we chose a theme of ‘Fighting Blight and Restoring Hope,’ due to the historic partnership between the City of Flint, Genesee County, the CS Mott Foundation, and federal funding secured by Congressman Dan Kildee to assist us in our goal of demolishing 2,415 land bank properties in Genesee County.  Over 2,200 of these blighted and dangerous properties are located in the City of Flint, with approximately 200 more located in the out-county. Our target was to raise $45.3 million dollars and at the end of FY 22 we secured $39.5 million – and we are hopeful that the State of Michigan will join us in our funding efforts to fight blight and improve our City and County.  

Now, demolition alone is not going to solve all the issues facing residents. Therefore, in this report, you will read about many of the other activities where we engage our community to make Flint and Genesee County a wonderful place to live and work. We would like to thank our elected officials, funders, and most importantly our volunteers. Without all of you, we would not be able to restore hope in our community.

Lastly, we would like to acknowledge the tragic passing of our Board Treasurer and ‘Champion for Change’ in our community, County Commissioner Bryant Nolden. He dedicated so much of his time to fighting blight and restoring hope. Our staff is heartbroken, to say the least. He was a dedicated and selfless leader who had an unforgettable presence. He skillfully balanced his many leadership roles with ease and an open heart. We are infinitely grateful for the years of service he dedicated to revitalizing vacant and abandoned properties.  His legacy lives on.

 - Deborah Cherry, Chairperson  and Michael Freeman, Executive  Director

Click this link to read more articles -  https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/FINAL_LBA-Newsletter-Annual-Report-FY-2021-2022-Winter2023.pdf

Check Out the Genesee County Land Bank’s 2022 Annual Review to click here learn more about our Successes in FY 2022. 

Michael Freeman, Executive Director of the Genesee County Land Bank, and other partners will participate in our annual State of the Land Bank address which will be held virtually on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, at 7pm. The theme for this year’s address is Fighting Blight & Restoring Hope. This year’s address will also include a special tribute honoring Commissioner Bryant Nolden, affectionately known as “BB”. We invite you to join us to learn more about this year’s accomplishments our future endeavors, programs, and projects. It will be time well spent.

Flint, MI - The Genesee County Land Bank (Land Bank), working in partnership with the City of Flint and Genesee County, has secured $39.5 million to demolish up to 1,910 blighted structures. The funding sources for blight elimination include: $16 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) from the City of Flint, $8 million in ARPA from the County, $10 million in grant funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, $4.5 million from the Land Bank and the Genesee County Treasurer, and $1 million in Community Project Funding through Congressman Kildee’s office.

Click here for the press release

Please join Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commission , City of Flint , and Michigan Department of Natural Resources for an open house to discuss Flint's new state park on Tues., October 4th, 2022 from 3pm-7pm at the newly re-opened Mott Park Recreation Area clubhouse!

Balancing rural and urban needs, climate change, and chronic underfunding, the land trust industry is in a moment of reckoning.

By Erin Kelly, ASLA

Land banks and land trusts have overlapping missions—stewarding land—but different frameworks and financing. Land banks and similar programs were originally put in place to maintain vacant, publicly owned land but not to invest in it. They start with the benefits of their highly people-adjacent land holdings and work outward—with more consideration for land as an economic development tool than as an ecological resource.

Click here to read more.

The Genesee County Land Bank supports community-based groups to maintain vacant properties in and around Flint through its Clean & Green program.

Watch the video below to learn more about our Clean & Green program.

The Genesee County Land Bank hires local crews to clear and mow all vacant properties in the City of Flint and all properties held by the Land Bank outside the city in Genesee County. 

Watch the video below to learn more about our property maintenance program.

The Genesee County Land Bank creates opportunities for economic development through the sale of formerly tax-foreclosed properties.

Watch the video below to learn more about economic opportunities.

The Genesee County Land Bank creates opportunities for homeownership through its Featured Home and Ready for Rehab programs.

Watch the video below to learn more about our homeownership programs.

The Genesee County Land Bank demolishes formerly tax-foreclosed properties that are blighted beyond repair.

Click the video below to learn more about our demolition program.

The Genesee County Land Bank Authority currently has rental vacancies available! Click this link for more information - https://www.thelandbank.org/rental_housing.asp

Genesee County Habitat for Humanity has scheduled its June & July homebuyer classes for prospective Land Bank land contract purchasers. Click here for more details.

This year 66 community-based groups will be working together to maintain 3,600 vacant properties every 3 weeks across the city. Groups picked up their materials and met together for the annual digital kick off last week with groups excited to start mowing this week!

The City of Flint and the Genesee County Land Bank are partnering in releasing Beyond Blight 2022, which provides direction for eliminating blight in Flint. Watch the video in this post for an overview or click here to view Beyond Blight 2022 in full.

Watch our October episode of Lunch Break with the Land Bank virtual talk as we discuss our newest sales program, Ready for Rehab! We will review the appropriate steps needed to submit a completed offer form.

Presenters: Alexandria Riley, Sales & Development Director & Jennifer Riggs, Transaction Supervisor.

Watch our September episode of Lunch Break with the Land Bank to learn more about our community partnerships and the impact of our property maintenance work.

Presenter: Michael Freeman, Executive Director