Genesee County Land Reutilization
In Michigan, no other community has taken a longer or harder economic hit than Flint; one result of the economic downturn is the overabundance of properties that have reverted to government ownership for nonpayment of taxes. In their effort to take some dramatic steps to effectively manage and dispose of the properties, Genesee County officials contacted the LISC Knowledge Sharing Initiative for information on establishing a land bank. Michigan LISC responded by forming a partnership and working intensively with Genesee County to create the first land bank in Michigan, the Genesee County Land Reutilization Council (LRC).
Michigan LISC also opened an office in Flint and dedicated a Senior Program Officer and Neighborhood Planner to the tasks of establishing and operating the LRC. To address the immediate community blight, special dollars were allocated for the demolition of unsafe and unsalvageable properties that have reverted to the city; LISC is also working with area CDCs to increase their capacity so they will be able to assist in many of the revitalization and development projects.
The creation of the Genesee County Land Reutilization Council is another example of the innovative and positive linkage between the non profit sector and municipalities for effective reuse and utilization of non productive real estate.