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St. Joseph County Council tables vote on proposed regional land bank after extended Q&A
Summary
After a lengthy presentation and public comment about a regional land bank tied to a Lilly Endowment grant, the St. Joseph County Council voted 6–3 to table resolution Bill 88-25 for one month to gather additional information on legal fees, funding commitments and program operations.
Commissioner Rafael Morton urged the St. Joseph County Council to back a proposal to join a regional land bank aimed at returning vacant and abandoned properties to productive use, saying the initiative would leverage a Lilly Endowment-funded regional housing collaborative and private foundation support. "I stand before you in strong support of the ordinance and resolution establishing a regional land bank in partnership with MACOG, the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County and the city of South Bend," Morton said.
James Turnwold, speaking for the project team and Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG), described how the land bank would acquire properties (including some already owned by municipalities), stabilize them and list them on a public website for vetted buyers. He said the initiative is part of a roughly $20 million Lilly…
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