Land Bank Authority

The Oregon Brownfield Coalition successfully pursued a bill in 2015 which enables local jurisdictions to create a public authority that can acquire, hold, manage and transfer property to new owners.

Land banks aim to return brownfield sites neglected by the open market back into productive use. They do this by:

• acquiring titles to contaminated, vacant, or blighted properties
• facilitating remediation and/or site improvements to eliminate barriers to redevelopment
• transferring properties to owners who will develop in a way that supports community priorities

A land bank works in cooperation with local governments, non-profits, community organizations, lenders and property developers to leverage available resources to clean up contaminated properties.

Current action: A committee of the coalition is developing a toolbox of resources to help local jurisdictions create their own land bank authorities.

Land Bank Authority Resources:

• Read the text of the full bill (HB 2734)
• See a presentation about how the land bank authority works (presentation by David Rabbino at the Oregon Brownfield Conference, May 2016)