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University Park board hears South Suburban Land Bank overview and opt‑in request
Summary
The South Suburban Land Bank presented its intergovernmental agreement offering University Park the ability to refer and transfer tax‑delinquent or abandoned properties for rehabilitation and resale; trustees asked about protections for municipal properties and the authority of a single appointed representative.
Joe Van Dyke, executive director of the South Suburban Land Bank and Development Authority, told University Park trustees the land bank works with 29 member municipalities to acquire vacant, abandoned or tax‑delinquent properties, clear title, secure and rehabilitate them, and return them to productive use. He described the intergovernmental agreement in the board packet, an opt‑in arrangement that would allow University Park to refer properties and appoint a municipal representative to the land bank board.
Van Dyke described common acquisition paths: municipal referrals and judicial abandonment actions that transfer title when no claimant appears. He said the land bank can board up properties, perform or fund rehabs (sometimes working with local contractors), and use reverter deeds or mortgages to set timelines for rehabilitation—often 12 months but variable by property condition.
Trustees asked whether the agreement would obligate the village to any cost and whether municipal properties could be excluded from land‑bank authority. Van Dyke said the land bank is a government agency that typically does not impose direct up‑front costs on partner municipalities and that it only controls properties it acquires; he also said close local coordination and a municipal board representative are intended to keep the village informed about activity in University Park.
Trustees pressed for clarity on who would decide which properties are pursued and whether a single appointee could unilaterally make decisions affecting village property. Van Dyke said the typical practice is for building departments and municipal officials to refer sites; he encouraged close collaboration and said the board‑appointed municipal representative serves as the local liaison.
Van Dyke cited examples of projects in nearby communities, described recent results (including a claim of returning roughly $480,000 in taxes to partner municipalities last year), and offered to work with University Park staff to set local priorities and guardrails. The packet includes an intergovernmental agreement and an opt‑in abandonment agreement; trustees said they would review the documents before voting on any action.
Van Dyke said timing for rehabilitation depends on property condition and municipal goals; the land bank can move faster for properties needing limited work and slower for complex cases, and it generally uses reverter deeds or mortgages to enforce rehab timelines.
