The funds are distributed by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and require participating cities of Hamilton and Middletown to provide matching funds. There is no county money being used for the program and all but $500,000 of the $2.6 million needs to be matched by the local governments seeking funds.
Last month the nonprofit organization, also known as a land bank, approved a request from the city of Hamilton to pull 89 parcels of forfeited land from Auditor’s sale to enable the city to acquire the properties.
Kathy Dudley of the Hamilton’s Law Department said the city has contracted with an attorney to do title searches. The city will then move to the auditor’s office to put the properties in there name.
Additionally, the city has identified four additional properties on Chestnut Street to be part of the land bank process.
Dudley said the city is “trying to wrap our hands around the Main Street corridor (for revitalization). The land bank is a tool.”
Of the 89 properties, 59 have existing structures and would qualify from the program’s funding, according to officials.
The land bank can clear properties of titles and back taxes and special assessments as well as provide cash for demolition of abandoned structures.
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