Mar 29, 2016 3 min read

Washington County’s land bank is a reality.

“This was the final step to form the land bank,” said Bill McGowen, executive director of the Washington County Redevelopment Authority. That final step consisted of passage of three resolutions and the election of officers Monday.

Approval by the county commissioners next Thursday would make the land bank a functioning body.

The county commissioners in February made the redevelopment authority overseer of the land bank and selected its board members to serve as the land bank board. A land bank is a fairly new initiative that intends to make blighted properties usable again and return them to the tax rolls.

That new board convened Monday afternoon before the redevelopment authority’s regular monthly meeting and approved resolutions adopting land bank bylaws; executing a cooperation agreement among the county, redevelopment authority and land bank to assist with fulfilling objectives; and agreeing to liability protection for board members.

Members also agreed to the election of land bank officers. Steve Toprani was selected as chairman; Rich Hall as vice chairman; Jay Dutton as treasurer; and Steve Johnson as secretary.

A land bank can negotiate a sales price for a property before it goes on the block for a judicial sale conducted every June. At this sale, properties on which the owner owes back taxes are sold without local liens, which are erased by court order – but unpaid state and federal obligations remain.

McGowen said a land bank would essentially provide three options for a property: repurposing or rehabilitating a blighted structure; tearing down a building to provide space for a municipal use, such as a park; or a side-yard program, whereby an abandoned property would be split between two neighbors who would buy and pay taxes on adjacent halves.

He emphasized, however, that “We will not accept a property until we have a reuse plan in place.”

East Bethlehem Township and Bethlehem-Center School District have agreed to participate in the new program. The cities of Washington and Monongahela, Charleroi Borough and the Washington, Ringgold and Charleroi Area school districts are potential participants.

Joining the land bank will cost a municipality or school district $3,000 the first year and $1,000 a year afterward. Proceeds from a property sale will go to the land bank to fund future purchases.

“We’ve been moving ahead slowly and firmly, so we have everyone on the same page,” McGowen said. “We’ll start with a small number of municipalities, then slowly expand the number of properties.”

Monongahela Mayor Robert Kepics attended the meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe. He said city council “is still looking into” joining the land bank and may vote on that matter in April. He said there are four blighted sites, in particular, that should be addressed in Mon City: the former Patterson Supply, Pittsburgh Flexicore, Williams School and Waverly School properties.

McGowen is pleased with how the land bank process has developed over the past six weeks.

“We think it’s a good first step,” he said, “and we’ll work diligently to get properties back on the tax rolls.”