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Sanford land bank outlines how dangerous properties are rehabilitated or demolished
Summary
Assistant City Manager Michelle Labrie described the land bank’s step‑by‑step process from code enforcement notices and corrective‑action plans to hearings, demolition bids and recovery of costs, and highlighted recent cases (58 Pleasant Street, 8 York Street) and Habitat partnerships.
Assistant City Manager Michelle Labrie walked the workshop through the city’s land‑bank process and gave examples of how the program returns neglected properties to productive use.
Labrie said most cases begin with code enforcement: officers issue a notice of violation and the property owner typically has 30 days to respond or submit a corrective‑action rehabilitation plan. If owners do not respond or fail to follow an approved plan, staff can move the property into the Land Bank, where the council holds a hearing to determine whether a property is dangerous or hazardous.
"Sometimes it's even the compliance division of a mortgage company that submits the plan. Sometimes it's the homeowner and sometimes we hear nothing," Labrie said, stressing that the city prefers owner rehabilitation but will abate a nuisance when necessary.
She described the bidding and abatement process after a declaration and how the city attempts to recover costs. Labrie cited recent land‑bank activity including 58 Pleasant Street and 8 York Street, both of which moved through demolition or foreclosure steps, and noted partnerships with Habitat for Humanity that have allowed some land‑bank properties to return to the market as rehabilitated homes (example: Beaver Hill Road lots and planned Island Avenue homes).
Labrie also highlighted an extension to a community solutions revolving fund (now extended through 2028) that can help rehabilitate homes for families at or below 80% of area median income, and she said some land‑bank transactions are turned into tax‑acquired inventory for future development.
