Vacant Property Revitalization

In 2004 and 2005, MVRPC - in partnership with COUNTY CORP and the Greater Dayton Mayors & Managers Association - has led an effort to identify vacant property/housing issues and explore mechanisms to improve the Region’s capacity to revitalize its large inventory of vacant and abandoned property.

Prelude

In early 2003, MVRPC was approached by a number of member communities to address regional housing issues such as property maintenance, foreclosures, abandonment and neighborhood decline. A roundtable and workshop yielded several issues.

Vacant Properties Assessment

In 2004, MVRPC - in partnership with COUNTY CORP and the Greater Dayton Mayors and Managers Association (MMA) - brought in a team of national experts assembled by the National Vacant Properties Campaign to perform a strategic policy assessment of the region's existing vacant property programs and policies. This assessment had six primary goals and objectives.

Reinventing Dayton Report

The final assessment report, Reinventing Dayton and the Miami Valley Through Vacant Property Revitalization and Reclamation, stresses that Dayton and the Miami Valley confront a new set of challenges today - the convergence of complex socioeconomic problems, such as global shifts in the manufacturing economy, changing demographics, and the uneven distribution of regional growth. The Region has developed a number of good and innovative programs to meet these challenges, but a holistic approach is needed to make sure these efforts do not work at cross-purposes. The National Vacant Properties Campaign has recommended seven fundamental policy steps as a blueprint for success.

1. Define and Document the Region's Vacant Property Impacts and Obstacles
2. Leverage and Build upon Existing Assets and Initiatives
3. Develop a Regional Real Property Information System and a Network of Neighborhood Revitalization Plans
4. Use Rehabilitation and Housing Assistance Resources to Prevent and Stabilize Substandard and Vacant Properties within the Region's Core Communities
5. Develop Comprehensive Code Enforcement Strategies to Prevent and Stabilize Substandard and Vacant Properties within the Region's Core Communities
6. Establish a Land Bank or Urban Land Trust to Reclaim Abandoned Properties
7. Create a Comprehensive Vision and Policy Action Agenda to Guide Regional Development

Land Bank Presentation at 2005 Miami Valley Planning & Zoning Workshop

MVRPC brought in Dan Kildee, Treasurer of Genesee County, Michigan, for a workshop session featuring land banking.  Mr. Kildee's PowerPoint presentation highlighted similarities between Dayton and Flint, Michigan, Michigan's new land bank law and the Genesee County Land Bank.