Land Bank Bulldozers

It’s the latest of 150 demolitions identified as necessary this year by the Ingham County Land Bank. It contends the structures are too costly to restore and many have become unsafe.

But Cochran alleged carelessness on the part of the Land Bank contributed to the deterioration of the 19th century house at 404 N. Sycamore that it bought in 2008.

“It´s clear that the windows were left open,” Cochran said. This, she said, allowed the floor to rot along with the foundation. “It was a little starter house … now it´s gone.”

This year, the Land Bank is demolishing more homes than it has sold, according to Director Jeff Burdick. But officials deny speeding up the process by intentionally letting structures rot.

“That´s not the way it works,” said Eric Schertzing, a Land Bank board member and Ingham County treasurer. He´s also the Democratic nominee running in the 8th Congressional District race against Republican contender Mike Bishop.

The Land Bank has been “going back and forth on that house for maybe four years,” he said. “We´ve tried to explore every option on it.”

The number of demolitions has fluctuated over the past few years. In 2013 the Land Bank sold 78 properties and demolished 29. But in 2012, 80 houses were razed and 62 were sold.

Burdick said the agency is struggling to fund the number of demolitions it feels are needed.

The Land Bank doesn´t have any specific plans for the now vacant lot on North Sycamore.

It cost the Land Bank $6,000 to demolish the North Sycamore house, and it spent twice that amount to get rid of asbestos. But why did they get rid of it?

"The block foundation was cracked and crumbling,” said the Land Bank’s Roxanne Case. “The basement walls were bowed. There was a deficiency in the framing."

In recent years the Land Bank has received grants from the “Neighborhood Stabilization Program,” – $14 million during the Obama administration and $4 million during the Bush administration. But the funds have since run dry, Burdick said.

They use grant monies and federal funding to demolish dilapidated structures at a typical cost of about $10,000 per house, Burdick said, usually when there are “serious structural problems.”

The Land Bank, keeps about 10 percent for administrative costs.

The rest of the buildings it owns have been or are being renovated “to become attractive purchases to those who want to become a homeowner.”

Amanda Reintjes, a field representative for the Michigan Historical Preservation Network, said she’s worried that historically significant homes are being destroyed.

“They get so much funding that they have to use quickly,” Reintjes said, referring to time limits on some grants.

She said her group works with the Land Bank, advising on which houses might be of historical importance “so they don´t just pull the trigger.”