City of Gadsden taking steps to strengthen its Land Bank
The Gadsden Land Bank Authority is taking steps to streamline its processes and work toward redeveloping residential areas in Gadsden.
According to a news release from the city, the authority has contracted with ePropertyPlus to provide mapping and recordkeeping services.
It also has been working to update its bylaws, policies and procedures.
The Land Bank allows people to redevelop abandoned and tax-delinquent properties that have passed from private owners to the State of Alabama.
The state owns multiple properties in Gadsden, mostly abandoned by their owners because of the back taxes.
“Our Land Bank gives us a tool for dealing with vacant lots and otherwise undeveloped properties,” Mayor Craig Ford said in the release, adding that it’s important for the city and the authority to collaborate “to fight blight, provide housing for residents and stabilize our neighborhoods. With an organized and strategic approach, this can be one more tool to help us grow Gadsden.”
ePropertyPlus is an industry leader in residential development software. According to the release, its services will allow the Land Bank to provide an updated map of potentially available properties, streamline the application process and facilitate communication during it, and ensure adequate transaction records.
The Land Bank was launched in 2015, but there has been much turnover in its personnel since then. It has a new board, however, that is working with Rod Scott, the city’s planning director, to study best practices for its operations.
“We quickly realized that administering a quality Land Bank program is a complex task,” said Scott. “So, it was important to the board and my team to set up rules and regulations that protect the integrity of the process while making it clear what those expectations will be for those interested in obtaining property through the Land Bank. In the end, we are focusing on redevelopment of properties, and the reality is doing that will involve both time and resources.”
Scott, a former state representative, helped develop legislation permitting land banks in Alabama. He said Gadsden’s version will be a key part of the city’s new master plan being compiled by Goodwyn Mills Cawood.
Future applications to the Land Bank will use ePropertyPlus, according to the release. Previous applications are being researched and considered case by case.
Once the board approves the transfer of Land Bank property to a new owner, it must receive the tax deed from the state — it keeps few pre-cleared deeds and titles on hand — and conduct a “quiet title” action, where a judge determines ownership of the property. That can take four or five months.
However, the city has clear titles and deeds to other properties that can be requested through the city clerks’ office at 256-549-4516 or inelson@cityofgadsden.com.
“We have several properties in residential areas that are already owned by the (city), which means we don’t have to go through all the lengthy legal processes,” Ford said. “We are actively looking for people who can show us detailed plans for redevelopment of available property in Gadsden to inquire with the city clerk’s office about those owned by the municipality. Otherwise, the land bank board is responsible for managing the process for obtaining properties owned by the (state).”
Visit www.gadsdenlandbank.org for information about the Land Bank, including maps, applications, policies and procedures, and bylaws.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Catching up with Gadsden's Land Bank
