South Euclid officials describe zoning overhaul and land‑bank model that produced 50 infill homes

South Euclid planning staff told the Cleveland Heights Planning & Development Committee on April 23 that a decade‑long push — combining a municipal land bank, a community reinvestment area (CRA) and a zoning rewrite — allowed the suburban city to convert dozens of vacant lots into new homes and multiunit projects.

The presentation matter‑of‑factly explained the mechanics behind the results. “We established our own land bank,” said Keith Benjamin, director of community services and development for the City of South Euclid. Benjamin said the city also created a CRA and a nonprofit community development corporation, 1 South Euclid, to hold and convey sites to builders and preserve proceeds for neighborhood programs.

That triage — land‑banked tax‑foreclosure parcels, targeted grants and a zoning code revised with county planning help — cleared obstacles to infill development, City Planning and Development Director…