Franklin County: New Land Bank Will Fight Blight, Protect Property Values

The Franklin County Treasurer on Friday said that a new land bank would help fight the rise in abandoned properties.
 
Treasurer Edward Leonard said that the new program could help home values rise, 10TV’s AJ Smith reported.
 
“It drags down their property values, and it breeds criminal activity, whether it’s prostitution or drug activity that takes place in vacant properties like this,” Leonard said. “We want to do our best to take control to try to avoid that, to try to eliminate that.”
 
The Franklin County Land Bank would determine whether vacant homes could be restored or whether they needed to be demolished.
 
Officials would then work to find new owners for the homes or the land to improve communities, Leonard said.
 
“What we’ll see is a local organization (that) will actually take charge of that property, devote resources to bringing it back into a productive use,” Leonard said.
 
Rylan Hamilton said that he lives across the street from a vacant home in Clinton Township.
 
“(It’s been here) as long as I’ve been here,” Hamilton said. “I’m not sure how long it’s actually been up and around, but it’s looking rough.”
 
Hamilton said that the home was an eyesore to the neighborhood and wished that it was gone.
 
“So far, I don’t think we’ve had any major trouble with it, but it definitely draws attention,” Hamilton said.
 
Rev. Charles Tatum of Good Shepherd Baptist Church, located on East Hudson Street, said that he hoped new buildings would be built in communities as a result of the new program.
 
“Hopefully, sometime in the future, we’ll be able to see a lot of new buildings popping up in our communities and giving our people more hope and allowing them to have more pride in their communities,” Tatum said.
 
Hamilton said that he hoped the program would begin working soon.

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