The Proposal: A “land bank” program to help renovate vacant property in the city
From: Republican mayoral candidate Steve Kimatian originally proposed the land bank.
Type: Kimatian TV interview on News10Now and his proposal on his campaign Web site
Date: Aug. 18, 2009
URL:  http://news10now.com/?ArID=480114&RegionCookie=1013 and

http://www.steveforsyracuse.com/web/the-issues.html 

SUMMARY:  In the News10Now interview, Steve Kimatian says Syracuse needs to mimic other cities and create a land bank to help change the look of city. On Kimatian’s Web site, he says a land bank similar to the one used in Flint, Mich., should be investigated and implemented in Syracuse to get rid of abandoned or neglected property.

What He Says: 
In the News10Now interview, Kimatian blames much of the city’s problem with vacant and abandoned property on absentee landlords and speculators:  “This is something that we cannot allow to go into an environment of total speculation where ownership is totally unknown. So I would eliminate that. You eliminate it as other have cities have done through a land bank. A land bank is a setup of an authority that handles the bundling, that sells it off, and protects the city from those who would have invested purely for speculative means.” On his Web site, he adds: “A comprehensive solution is needed to the vacant housing and absentee landlord issues. A Land Bank similar to the approach used by Flint, Michigan, and other municipalities should be investigated and adopted.”

The Facts:
The key statement: “A Land Bank similar to the approach used by Flint, Michigan, and other municipalities should be investigated and adopted.”

This idea was posted on Steve Kimatian’s Web site and is a common theme in his campaign. The program in Flint, Mich., works like this: 

• In 2003, the local government in Flint enacted legislation to allow county government to more easily acquire property that’s in foreclosure for failure by owners to pay taxes. The law speeds up the foreclosure process so that the government can more quickly demolish the property or auction it off to investors.
• Speculators must now buy the property and pay the back taxes.
• The county makes money by selling the lot.

Vacant homes among property owners in Flint decreased by 1,000 units, according to the 2008 American Community Survey by the Census Bureau.

Many of the housing problems in Flint apply to Syracuse. As large corporations left the city, so did much of its population. Syracuse city population declined from 197,000 in 1970 to 147,000 in 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.. And along with the decrease in population came vacant buildings. The city has 1,329 vacant structures in the city and 3,607 vacant lots, according to Syracuse HomeHeadquarters.

Recently the city of Syracuse tried to jump start a program to help correct the problem of vacant lots in the city. It adopted a proposal by  Mayor Matt Driscoll to offer vacant properties to experienced developers for $1. The city lays out a financial guideline for how the homes will be rehabilitated. The program is a year old. As of October 2009, the program had renovated 16 homes.

Conclusion:
Kimatian proposes a land bank program in the city of Syracuse to counter the problem of vacant properties. He paints an accurate portrat of the land bank in Flint, Mich., as successful and as a potential role model. Flint is similar to Syracuse because each lost population as it lost jobs. In Flint, the land bank has renovated approximately 1,000 of its 6,700 vacant properties. On Sept. 30, Democratic mayoral candidate Stephanie Miner echoed Kimatian’s call for a land bank like Flint’s for Syracuse. 

(Chris Shepherd is a senior broadcast journalism major.)

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