Land Banks

Land Banks can be a powerful tool for redevelopment of vacant, abandoned, tax-delinquent, and foreclosed properties. Property tax delinquency is the most common denominator among vacant and abandoned properties. These properties can be a significant obstacle to redevelopment and revitalization. Land Banks are public authorities or special purpose not-for-profit corporations that specialize in land banking activities - acquiring surplus properties and converting them to productive use or holding them for long-term strategic public purposes.

Land banks usually must be enabled by state legislation; approximately 10 states have enabling legislation. North Carolina does not yet have this, but it is a potentially strong tool for the future.

Frank Alexander is a leading expert on land banks, and his book, Land Banks and Land Banking, is available free-of-charge online here through the Center for Community Progress's website:

Land Banks and Land Banking

Building American Cities Toolkit

The Building American Cities Toolkit helps practitioners think through strategies, identify specific tools to carry out those strategies, and learn about communities elsewhere that have used those tools, to improve the land buildings, neighborhoods and other areas that make up a city’s built environment.