St. Clair County Landbank

What is a Land Bank?

A land bank is a public authority created to efficiently acquire, hold manage and develop tax foreclosed property, as well as other vacant, blighted, obsolete and abandoned properties.

What's the problem?

St. Clair County has seen a doubling of tax foreclosed properties each of the past two years and bank foreclosures are rising at an unprecedented rate:

• In past six years there has been nearly 4,000 distressed sales (property) 
• In the first two months of this year we witnessed almost a tripling of mortgage foreclosures

What's being done?

The State of Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority was created under Public Act 258 of 2003 with the mission of returning blighted tax reverted properties to productive and economically viable use.

In ____ of 2010 the St. Clair County Board of Commissioners approved the establishment of a Land Bank Authority and an Intergovernmental Agreement between St. Clair County and the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority.

What can a land bank do?

• Sell or convey property through locally developed policies that reflect the community's priorities
• Helps governmental entities in the assembly and clearance of title to property
• Facilitates use and development of property
• Provides for economic growth
• Provides a mechanism for establishing a "clear title" on properties it acquires
• Authorizes the enforcement of tax liens and the clearing or quieting of title
• Creates flexibility in the disposition of tax foreclosed property
• Provides a funding mechanism to acquire, manage, clear, demolish, rehabilitate and develop tax foreclosed land
• Includes a provision that such powers are to be broadly construed to grant complete control to the land bank
• Provides governmental immunity from liability for voluntary acquisitions
• Provides that the Land Bank receives 50 % of the property tax revenues for the first five years after transfer of property to a private party
• Permits a Land Bank to borrow money and issue tax-exempt financing

Our Mission

The Mission of the St. Clair County Land Bank Authority is to address mortgage and tax foreclosed properties, eliminate blight, and preserve neighborhoods through strategic acquisition and disposition of abandoned and underutilized properties in collaboration with local stakeholders to ultimately add value to the community.