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York County presenters pitch Land Bank grants and $500,000 EPA brownfields assessment to Hanover officials
Summary
York County Economic Alliance described blight certification, Land Bank grant cycles (about $400,000/year from an Act 152 fee) and a new EPA $500,000 brownfields assessment grant; county staff said funds and technical assistance are available for demolition, rehabilitation and reuse planning.
York County Economic Alliance managers presented an overview of county tools for addressing blighted properties and brownfields to the Hanover Borough Finance and Personnel Committee on May 20, 2026.
Brendan Saliards and Erin Strine explained that the Blighted Property Review Committee (BPRC) can legally certify properties as blighted and help municipalities when enforcement has stalled. The presenters described the York County Land Bank Authority as a mechanism to acquire, rehabilitate or demolish blighted parcels and return them to the tax rolls.
Saliards said the Land Bank receives roughly $400,000 a year from the Act 152 (2016) recording-transfer fee, has collected about $3 million to date, spent about $2 million, and currently has about $650,000 committed to pending projects. He described two annual grant rounds (spring and fall) and a spring grant pause earlier this year because funds were constrained.
The presenters also announced the Redevelopment Authority was awarded a $500,000 EPA community-wide assessment grant (fiscal year 2025) to inventory brownfield sites and fund Phase I/II environmental assessments and reuse planning; the money does not pay for cleanup but enables future cleanup grant applications. Target areas used for the application included the city and Glen Rock; Hanover was mentioned as previously served by DEP brownfields work but remains eligible for inclusion as the county assembles inventories.
Saliards said the board recently received authorization under Act 48 (2024) to collect a $250 fee on certain sheriff-sales and mortgage-foreclosure actions; estimated revenue is expected to be modest (tens of thousands of dollars) but could be used for demolition or rehabilitation rather than demolition only.
Presenters described examples of past Land Bank grants to Hanover (interior demolition at 34 Frederick Street and demolition of a burned former grocery store next to the library), and emphasized outreach, handouts and staff assistance to shepherd municipalities through the process.
Council members asked about project eligibility, grant timing and how the county chooses target areas; presenters said they will tailor outreach and can include additional sites as inventories develop. The EPA grant will run three years and will support countywide assessment and planning.
The presentation concluded with an offer of follow-up and handouts for Hanover officials.
