GENESEO, N.Y., OCTOBER 20, 2022 – New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas recently announced that the Livingston County Land Bank was among a handful of organizations across the State to be awarded funding as part of its first-ever dedicated source of state resources to help New York’s land banks reduce blight and transform vacant properties within their respective communities.
The grant, which will provide $100,000 through the first round of funding, will help to allow the Land Bank to move towards being financially sustainability and covers organizational activities related to different projects that it has undertaken. In addition, the funding will facilitate the development of a derelict property and acquisition strategy, which will enable to Land Bank to concentrate its efforts within communities that have the highest levels of blighted properties.
“This grant will play an instrumental role in helping the Livingston County Land Bank continue its mission of supporting community development and local economies,” added Angela Ellis who is the Executive Director of the Land Bank. “Thanks in large part to this award, the Land Bank will continue to fight neighborhood blight and help to return properties back to community use.
New York’s first land banks were established in 2011 after the passage of the New York Land Bank Act. Since then, New York’s 26 land banks have generated over $250 million in private investment, demolished nearly 1,200 blighted structures and returned over 2,400 properties totaling more than $100 million in assessed value back to productive use.
The new Land Bank Initiative will also allow land banks to access additional HCR programs, including the $25 million Legacy Cities Home Ownership Program, which launched in 2021 and is specifically dedicated to renovating portfolios of vacant single-family homes with a priority for localities with active land banks.
To date, the Livingston County Land Bank has already made an impact throughout the County after acquiring multiple properties that led to the completion of two residential rehabilitation projects, one from-scratch new build on a vacant lot and three demolitions.
For further information, please visit the Livingston County Land Bank’s official website.
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About Livingston County:
Founded in 1821, Livingston County, N.Y., is comprised of more than 61,000 residents in 17 towns located across 631 square miles of the Finger Lakes region.