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Sandusky commission hears plan for citywide property inventory, 13,000 parcels to be surveyed
Summary
Western Reserve Land Conservancy described a citywide property inventory that will photograph and rate every parcel in Sandusky, with a roughly six‑week field survey and six‑week quality review, and deliver GIS story maps to the city for planning and grant work.
Matt Zoen, senior vice president and director of Thriving Communities at the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, told the Sandusky City Commission on May 20 that his group will perform a property inventory of every parcel within the city.
The inventory will cover all 13,000 parcels in Sandusky and will record photos and condition ratings for vacant, residential, commercial and industrial lots, Zoen said. “We inventory every single parcel,” he said. “So if it’s vacant land, you’re gonna get a rating, you’re gonna get a photo.” Adrian Marti, project manager for the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, described inspectors using iPads to collect photos and survey responses in real time.
The work is expected to proceed with six surveyors in the field; Zoen estimated a fully staffed team could complete the fieldwork in about six weeks, followed by approximately six weeks of internal quality control before delivering final story maps and datasets to the city. The Conservancy will partner with Regrid, a mapping software company, to combine inventory observations with sale, owner, zoning and structure data. Director Gilson will receive access codes so city staff can view real‑time reports of issues such as illegal dumping, Zoen said.
Commissioners asked about consistency between surveyors and how residents could challenge a parcel rating. Zoen said teams receive one to two days of training plus a field calibration session and that the Conservancy’s GIS specialists perform ongoing checks; when discrepancies appear, surveyors are sent back to reinspect. On appeals he said, “we did go back and reevaluate that, which we did, and we modified the grade,” describing a prior reinspection in Cleveland Heights.
Zoen and Marti said the inventory has been used elsewhere to expose unexpected problems and spur targeted policy responses; the presenters pointed to past work in Alliance, Cleveland Heights and Cleveland. Commissioners and staff discussed adding locally relevant questions to the survey — for example, neighborhood groupings, out‑of‑state ownership flags, or lead‑line indicators — and Zoen encouraged members to provide suggested additions through the city manager and Director Gilson.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the presentation. Zoen said the Conservancy will provide training sessions in June and offered to let commissioners observe field training, noting that city staff from community development would also join inspections.
For next steps, Zoen said the Conservancy expects to deliver finished story maps and data by the end of the summer so the city can use the results during strategic planning and grant applications in the fall.
