Ashtabula County Landbank

At the RRA Board Meetings and on other forums, Roaming Shores residents have expressed an interest in acquiring delinquent and abandoned property. Ashtabula County, has announced that it is in the process of establishing a Land Bank. A Land Bank’s purpose is to strategically acquire vacant and delinquent properties, return them to productive use, reduce blight, increase property values, support community goals and improve the quality of life for county residents. The benefits of a Land Bank include the ability to extinguish taxes and liens to make the property more marketable to a prospective owner by returning the delinquent parcel to tax collecting, productive status. Returning property to productive status can also be a benefit to Roaming Shores Village and the RRA Association.

Here is the cost to acquire, through the Land Bank, residential vacant (no structure) land:

To private individual or corporation:   market value
To non-profit agency for non-profit use: $500.00
To adjoining property owner for personal use $500.00
Residential unbuildable $200.00

Some points to remember:

• The Ashtabula County Land Bank has not yet started, the web site is not yet up and running.
• The process to acquire a property is expected to be lengthy and over a year.
• The most advantageous acquisition appears to be for those directly adjacent (adjoining) to the property of interest.
• You can check out the operation of an adjacent county land bank at the following link:

http://www.thrivingcommunitiesinstitute.org/ohio-land-bank-lake.html

However, applications for a property of interest can be submitted now. Attached are a property application and a letter further explaining the Land Bank.

• Letter accompany Vacant Land application
• Vacant Lot Application Form

Tom Sopko, Director