Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Bank Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Muncie Land Bank outlines outreach, shovel‑ready transfers and funding efforts
Summary
Nate Howard of the Muncie Land Bank briefed the commission on neighborhood outreach, plans to transfer 11 shovel‑ready properties to developers, a $20,000 community foundation grant and pending grant applications to expand operations and assess tax‑sale impacts.
Nate Howard, representing the Muncie Land Bank, gave a progress report to the Redevelopment Commission on March 20 that covered neighborhood engagement plans, inventory disposition and funding efforts.
Howard said the land bank is meeting neighborhood associations in Industry, South Central, Old West End and Whitely to collect input on which tax-sale and city-owned properties to prioritize. He said the land bank plans to transfer 11 shovel‑ready parcels to Intend (and partner groups such as EcoRehab and PASS) to start redevelopment rather than waiting for larger grant awards. Howard said the land bank has won a $20,000 grant from the community foundation to support operations and has submitted additional proposals, including one to a national foundation, to fund assessment of tax-sale community impacts and expanded countywide services.
Howard described exploratory partnerships with for‑profit developers that have completed notable adaptive‑reuse projects in other cities, and said the land bank is working with Ball State University students and local construction engineers to create assessment methodologies for property conditions. He also said the land bank's proposal to the county could include broader service for Delaware County and possibly a first-right-of-refusal for unsold tax-sale properties, but emphasized those elements are subject to county discussion and approval.
Commissioners asked about grant timing and cautioned the land bank not to expend in-kind match resources before grant awards if those items must be counted toward future awards. Howard said the land bank will continue neighborhood outreach and return with disposition recommendations.
