Regional land bank asks Orange County for $50,000 annually to speed renovations and build workforce housing

Greg Jones, director of the Southern Indiana Development Commission, and Bobby Abel, director of the land bank, presented the Uplands Regional Land Bank’s work and a funding request to the council.

Jones said the regional bank has been operating about 2½ years and now has 20 properties under its control, with three properties under renovation and four in demolition. "Most land banks take about 3 years before they own their first piece of property," Jones said, describing the time and legal steps required to clear titles and move properties into productive use. He said the land bank is committed to using local contractors for cleanup, survey and demolition work.

The presenters gave portfolio numbers: assessed value on the acquired properties is $564,000, and they estimated post-renovation assessed value of $3,675,000 across those parcels. Jones also described a partnership with the Martin County Redevelopment Commission that will split funding to build workforce housing in the $200,000–$225,000 range.

The land bank said initial grant funding runs out in September and requested that each participating county provide $50,000 annually to sustain operations. Jones and Abel said they are seeking EPA funds to support environmental assessments (phase-one assessments cited at roughly $3,400; phase-two assessments potentially $30,000–$60,000) and have meetings scheduled with the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority about longer-term support.

Presenters noted legal and tax-sale complications, including cases where bidding practices and exemptions complicate transfers; they urged coordination on code enforcement and possible legislative fixes for systemic loopholes that impede returning properties to productive use.

The land bank said formal requests will be sent to counties for consideration; no county appropriation was approved during the meeting.