Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Bank Blight Elimination topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Van Buren County land bank updates demolitions, stabilization work and $3 million Bergen Building plan
Summary
A county land bank representative updated commissioners on four rounds of state blight-elimination grants, several demolitions and stabilization projects, and a competitive $3 million award for a Bergen Building redevelopment project.
A land bank representative briefed the Board of Commissioners on recent blight-elimination work, including residential demolitions, commercial stabilization and plans to redevelop the long-vacant Bergen Building with a $3 million state award.
Tricia (land bank representative) said the land bank has qualified for funding in all four rounds of the state blight elimination grants. Round 1 supported two residential demolitions in Covert Township, a commercial demolition in Southaven and commercial stabilization in Hartford. Round 2 included three residential demolitions (Bangor, Lawton, Hartford) and additional stabilization; round 3 work was active and included a residential demolition and a commercial stabilization in Hartford. The land bank’s round 4 award is a $3,000,000 competitive grant targeted to the Bergen Building.
Tricia described site-level details: Covert Township removed animals from an animal-hoarding residence, declared the property dangerous and demolished it; several fire-damaged structures (Third Street in Bangor and Center Street in Hartford) were demolished with plans for new housing; and a multi-year stabilization and roof project at 5 West Main in Hartford continues with planned foundation work, tuckpointing and wall reinforcement supported in part with county ARPA funds.
Bergen Building: Tricia said hazardous materials sampling for the Bergen Building has been completed and the land bank is awaiting results to develop a remediation plan. Avon Marsh is coordinating closely with the village of Decatur and intends to occupy part of the building; senior services has expressed preliminary interest in space. The land bank plans to issue an RFP for a construction manager at the county’s February meeting and expects contractor RFPs later in the year, with an estimated completion in summer 2026, Tricia said.
Commissioners thanked the land bank for completing visible demolitions that had been community eyesores and asked about utility disconnections and scheduling; staff noted utilities often cause delays on demolition projects.
No formal board action on the land bank update was taken at the meeting; staff requested continued engagement with local leaders to identify further redevelopment priorities should additional funding become available.
