House demolitions healing neighborhoods

VW independent/submitted information

“Thank you” is the most frequent comment heard when the Van Wert County Land Reutilization Corporation (land bank) begins to remove a vacant and blighted home from a neighborhood.

Neighbors who have lived next to or near a blighted home have endured the smell, the unsightliness, and the danger, possibly for years. They have grown hopeless of ever being able to remove the nuisance from their lives.

“When the land bank removes these homes, the general reaction is relief and hope,” said JoAnne Simmerman, land bank manager. “There is hope for improved property values and hope for a restored quality of life. “

The Van Wert Area Economic Development Corporation is working hard to create economic development at every level. Revitalizing and repurposing neighborhoods through the land bank has provided much needed relief for neighborhoods marked by decline, but still able to be revitalized using targeted demolition.

This repurposing of neighborhoods is vital to the development of the cities of Van Wert and Delphos, county villages, and rural areas of the county.

Local development agencies are letting businesses who want to locate here know that they are proud of the community and are working diligently to resolve housing issues.

The county land bank has had a very successful first year. A direct result of its accomplishments is that the Van Wert County tax delinquency rate went from 2.7 percent to 1.54 percent. When the land bank purchases a property, all delinquent taxes are paid.

Additionally, the land bank has saved the City of Van Wert approximately $1500 per month in mowing and maintenance costs related to these properties. Prior to demolition, the homes were often vandalized and required frequent visits from the Van Wert Police Department and needed to be secured by the city. That expense is also saved.

The county land bank is the only land bank in its category to meet acquisition and spending goals in Ohio.  As a result, the local land bank has been allocated an additional $500,000, providing a total of $1 million to be used toward revitalizing target areas in Van Wert County.

To date, the county land bank has acquired 29 homes and has successfully removed 16 dilapidated and dangerous homes from county and city neighborhoods. Ten additional properties are scheduled for demolition over the next few months.

Moving forward, there is a pipeline of more than 50 properties potentially eligible for the program and the land bank will seek to expand the target areas.

Revitalization is infectious. The process not only restores property values but also restores hope and pride in target neighborhood. The process is guided by respect for historic sites and care for the residents of surrounding homes. The land bank receives participation from local contractors and partners with The Thomas Edison Center, which provides mowing services on behalf of the land bank and provides a source of revenue to the center.

“Our relationship with Thomas Edison is very effective and productive, they take good care of our lots,” Simmerman said.

The land bank acquires properties through donation, purchasing, purchase of a tax lien, or the foreclosure process. Its mission is to return the properties to taxpaying status, relieve the county and city of the economic burden of caring for these properties, and to develop a strategy for target neighborhoods in alignment with the goals of the county and municipalities.

Those who have a property that perhaps was inherited or they can no longer afford, or know of a property that is a nuisance, can contact Simmerman at 419.238.2999.