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Finance Committee approves transfer of five county parcels to land bank
Summary
The Finance Committee approved transferring five county-owned parcels, including former Linke properties, to a land bank operated by the North Country Rural Development Coalition; the Land Bank expects $2 million for rehabilitation and $200,000 for operations from the Housing Trust Fund Corporation.
Laura Oswald, Washington County Economic Development Director, told the Finance Committee that the county created a land bank, a nonprofit corporation, to take title to abandoned or derelict county‑owned properties and return them to productive use. "The land bank has been looking at properties that might be suitable for the county to transfer the deeds to the land bank for redevelopment," Oswald said. The committee voted to transfer five county parcels to the Land Bank.
Oswald said most of the parcels are vacant land; two properties in Whitehall contain buildings that she believes can be rehabilitated and returned to the tax roll. She told the committee the Land Bank expects the Housing Trust Fund Corporation to allocate $2,000,000 for rehabilitation and $200,000 for operations at its September board meeting. The Linke parcels acquired prior to the Hennepin decision will require demolition and notices to claim contents, the committee was told. The Lake Champlain‑Lake George Regional Planning Board is conducting a Phase 1 assessment on the Linke sites.
The motion to transfer title of the five properties to the Land Bank was moved by Mr. Hogan, seconded by Messrs. Skellie, Hall, O’Brien and Fisher, and adopted. The Treasurer recommended including all five parcels in the legal notice; the committee said the Land Bank will reevaluate additional parcels as the program proceeds.
