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Erie Land Bank board weighs higher side-lot prices after quiet-title legal costs rise
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Summary
Board members debated raising the minimum side-lot sale price and adopting a tiered or percentage cost-sharing approach after staff reported 2025 quiet-title legal costs averaged about $3,200 per parcel; sales were paused pending a data-driven recommendation.
Board members at the Erie Land Bank devoted extended discussion to how to offset rising quiet-title legal costs for side-lot sales, with proposals ranging from a modest increase to the minimum price to a cost-sharing percentage or tiered frontage-based fee.
Executive Director (Speaker 1) told the board that in 2025 quiet-title legal expenses averaged about $3,200 per parcel and that buyers currently pay a $500 minimum sale price while absorbing closing costs of roughly $2,200. "We now have quiet title at an average of $3,200 per parcel," the director said, noting the land bank currently covers most legal expenses associated with clearing title.
Several board members argued the $500 minimum is too low to sustain the land bank—s workload. Board Member (Speaker 2) recommended increasing the minimum to at least $3,000 as a starting point; Speaker 3 and Speaker 4 supported case-by-case or tiered approaches. Speaker 6 proposed a middle-ground percentage model, suggesting buyers should pay 50% of the quiet-title expense to recoup a significant portion of costs without fully pricing out owner-occupants.
Others warned that raising the price too high could discourage owner-occupants and undermine the land bank—s core mission of returning parcels to the tax rolls. Director (Speaker 1) and other members noted the land bank also incurs demolition, administrative and mowing costs that contribute to overall per-parcel expense and that data varied by neighborhood and parcel size.
Rather than adopt an immediate policy change, the board agreed to pause side-lot sales until January and asked staff to compile detailed 2025 cost data, including legal fees, demolition costs and historical sale escalation amounts. Director (Speaker 1) committed to returning to the next meeting with a granular, data-driven recommendation and proposed testing an interim minimum (e.g., $1,500) or a six-month trial period.
The discussion concluded with no formal vote to change policy; the board directed staff to return with the requested data and a pricing proposal for consideration in December.
