Muncie Land Bank reports new grants, property sales and community outreach

Nate Howard, director of the Muncie Land Bank, gave a funding and program update to the commission, reporting two recent grant awards and a series of property transactions intended to support neighborhood rehabilitation.

Howard said the Land Bank received support from the Ball Brothers Inn and a grant from the CenterPoint Energy Foundation. The Land Bank sold 913 West Kilgore, a property originally slated for demolition, and committed $50,000 to $60,000 toward its rehabilitation. Howard said the Land Bank acquired five county properties upon paying $900 per property as part of this year’s county disposition, and that staff purchased 13 tax-sale certificates at the most recent sale; two of the certificates cover parcels with homes, one covers a garage, and the remainder are vacant lots targeted for Old West End and Industry neighborhood work.

Howard described active community engagement work in the Industry neighborhood: staff completed nearly 200 quality-of-life surveys and held a month of focus groups that will include about 150 participants in a second round this coming Friday. He also said a Ball State graduate who researched renters’ experiences in Riverside Normal City and Old West End presented at a First Friday event.

When commissioners asked about plans for the properties with structures, Howard said the Land Bank’s hope is to rehabilitate those homes. He also said some properties the Land Bank sought through deed or transfer processes were instead handled differently at the county level and that formal transfer of any county-owned property would require a resolution.

Howard closed by saying Land Bank partners and community engagement inform strategy in the Industry neighborhood and that staff will continue outreach as projects move to rehabilitation.