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Land-bank bill would expand tools to acquire and revitalize vacant properties, sponsors say
Summary
HB1128 would authorize municipal and county land banks to use in-rem foreclosures, clawbacks and financing tools to clear liens and assemble parcels for redevelopment; proponents said the change helps jurisdictions dispose of abandoned properties and foster redevelopment without auctioning to the highest bidder.
Delegate (presenter) — the hearing began with Delegate Homes presenting HB 11 28, a bill to expand the powers and authorities of municipal and county land banks. The sponsor said the measure would authorize land banks to undertake in-rem foreclosure actions and other mechanisms to acquire controls of vacant, lien‑burdened properties for redevelopment.
“Land banks are quasi‑governmental entities that give jurisdictions more flexibility to assemble parcels for rehabilitation and redevelopment,” Odette Ramos, Baltimore City councilwoman and former community-development director, told the committee in support. She and others described the Emery Grove history and the broader need to document past urban-renewal displacements and to use land-bank powers to restore community assets.
Witnesses described land banks’ ability to strip liens to make parcels marketable, to use clawback provisions if sales fail to produce promised redevelopment, and to attract finance for projects that local departments alone could not complete. Testimony from Montgomery County and Prince George’s County delegations emphasized that the bill is permissive—authorizing jurisdictions that wish to establish land-bank functions rather than mandating them statewide.
Supporters asked the committee for a favorable report; no opposition testimony was recorded during the hearing.
