LAND BANK PROGRAM
The Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation (COCIC) is the Franklin County Land Reutilization Corporation.
In 2012, the Franklin County Treasurer's Office spearheaded creation of the Franklin County Land Reutilization Corporation (or Land Bank) to tackle the problem of blighted, vacant and tax-delinquent properties that decrease surrounding home values.
The Central Ohio Community Improvement Corporation (COCIC) serves as Franklin County's Land Bank agency and is primarily funded from penalties and interest paid by delinquent taxpayers. COCIC works with local and state partners, as well as private and nonprofit agencies, to rehab or demolish blighted buildings with the goal of returning these properties to productive use.
FrankIin County Treasurer Cheryl Brooks Sullivan serves the Chair of COCIC's nine-member Board of Directors, which meets monthly.
COCIC demolishes blighted properties as determined by the statutory definition of "blighted parcels" in the Ohio Revised Code Section 1.08. COCIC has two funding streams for demolitions: General-fund dollars and the Neighborhood Initiative Program (NIP) Demolition Grant.
COCIC works with local officials to review and identify vacant and abandoned properties that could qualify for demolition. If you know of a property you believe should be reviewed by the Land Bank, please visit the COCIC website and use the form to the right.
To qualify for a Land Bank foreclosure, the property must be tax delinquent as well as vacant and abandoned. All requests submitted will be forwarded to COCIC for review. The land bank will work to leverage its impact and maximize the number of foreclosures initiated after it identifies and prioritizes qualifying properties.