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The Land Bank: 20 Years From Crisis To Opportunity

by Lucille James

Thursday, September 26, 2024

You can watch the movie here: https://www.thelandbank.org/20thanniversary.asp

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Genesee County Land Bank celebrates its 20th anniversary

by Lucille James

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Land Bank staff gathered with leaders at the Flint Institute of Arts on Tuesday to celebrate the organization's 20th year. Click here to learn more.

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Genesee County Land Bank celebrates 20 Years with documentary

by Lucille James

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Read more about it here: https://midmichigannow.com/news/local/genesee-county-land-bank-celebrates-20-years-with-documentary"

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The Land Bank: 20 Years From Crisis To Opportunity

by Lucille James

Thursday, September 26, 2024

You can watch the movie here - https://www.thelandbank.org/20thanniversary.asp

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Closed - Fourth of July Holiday

by Lucille James

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

The Genesee County Land Bank will be closed on Thursday, July 4, 2024 to observe the Fourth of July Holiday.

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Closed - Juneteenth Holiday

by Lucille James

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

The Genesee County Land Bank will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 to observe the Juneteenth Holiday.

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Internet & Phone Outage

by Lucille James

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Update- Our phone and internet has been restored.

The Genesee County Land Bank is experiencing phone and internet outage. The estimated restoration is later this morning. Sorry for any inconvenience.

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2024 Mowing Schedule

by Lucille James

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

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Closed - Good Friday Holiday

by Lucille James

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

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CLOSED - Job Posting - Seasonal/Temporary Property Maintenance Crews

by Lucille James

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Seasonal/Temporary Property Maintenance Crews

The Genesee County Land Bank Authority is seeking seasonal/temporary employees to work on our mowing and trash abatement crews. These employees will work 40 hours per week, Monday thru Friday, from May 1^st to October 31^st.

For more information please visit our website: http://www.thelandbank.org/careers.asp

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Closed - Presidents' Day Holiday

by Lucille James

Friday, February 16, 2024

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Closed - Christmas & New Year's Holidays

by Lucille James

Friday, December 22, 2023

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PUBLIC COMMENT EXTENED THROUGH JANUARY 31ST! EPA Mulitpurpose Grant and Community Development Block Grant Funds

by Lucille James

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

EPA Mulitpurpose grant and Community Development Block grant funds for abatement and demolition of 4 commercial properties and 22 residential properties in the City of Flint.

Click here for more information.

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Closed - Thanksgiving Holiday

by Lucille James

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The Genesee County Land Bank will be closed on Thursday, November 23rd and Friday, November 24, 2023 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

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Closed - Veterans- Day

by Lucille James

Thursday, November 9, 2023

The Genesee County Land Bank will be closed on Friday, November 10, 2023 in observance of the Veterans Day holiday.

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Closed - Labor day 9/4/2023

by Lucille James

Thursday, August 31, 2023

The Genesee County Land Bank will be closed on Monday, September 4, 2023 to observe the Labor Day Holiday.

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Clean & Green - Mt. Tabor Missionary Baptist Church

by Lucille James

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

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🚨 ATTENTION Homebuyers and Renters!

by Lucille James

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

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🏚️🚧 The Genesee County Land Bank's Demolition Program is making strides in our community!

by Lucille James

Monday, July 31, 2023

This initiative is dedicated to removing blighted structures and revitalizing our neighborhoods. By targeting abandoned and deteriorating buildings, we're not only improving the aesthetic of our county, but also making it safer and more appealing for residents.

Let's continue to support this program as it opens the way for a brighter and more prosperous future for Genesee County.

Let's continue to support this program as it opens the way for a brighter and more prosperous future for Genesee County.

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Coming soon to Berridge Place - Queens' Provisions

by Lucille James

Thursday, July 27, 2023

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From Demolition List to Rehab

by Lucille James

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

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Closed - Independence day 7/4/2023

by Lucille James

Monday, July 3, 2023

The Genesee County Land Bank will be closed on Tuesday, July 4, 2023 to observe the Independence Day Holiday.

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Closed - Juneteenth 6/19/2023

by Lucille James

Friday, June 16, 2023

The Genesee County Land Bank will be closed on Monday, June 19, 2023 to observe the Juneteenth Holiday.

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Closed - Memorial Day 5/29/2023

by Lucille James

Friday, May 26, 2023

The Genesee County Land Bank will be closed on Monday, May 29, 2023 to observe the Memorial Day Holiday.

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Job Posting - Job Posting: Seasonal/Temporary Property Maintenance Crews

by Lucille James

Monday, April 17, 2023

If you are interested working on the Land Bank's maintenance crew, apply now!

Click here for the job posting.

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2023 Mowing Season Starts in May!

by Lucille James

Monday, April 17, 2023

The Land Bank is now hiring local crew members to clear and mow vacant properties in Flint and Genesee County. Crews start work in May following the schedule below.

For more information on how the the Land Bank maintains vacation properties please click here.

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April Demolition Update

by Lucille James

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

If this video does not load you can view it on YouTube by clicking here.

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Newsmaker: Demolition season begins for the Genesee County Land Bank

by Lucille James

Monday, April 10, 2023

Apr 7, 2023 Updated Apr 7, 2023

This week on Newsmaker, ABC12's Dawn Jones sits down with Michael Freeman, Executive Director and Alexandria Riley, Director of Sales and Development at the Genesee County Land Bank.

Click here to watch the video.

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Kildee highlights $4M in new federal funding for Flint area demolitions

by Lucille James

Monday, April 10, 2023

By Ron Fonger

FLINT, MI -- U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee used the shell of a burned-out former business in Flint to drive home a message about the importance of demolishing blighted properties around Genesee County in a news conference on Tuesday, April 4. Click here to read more.

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Closed - Good Friday 4/7/2023

by Lucille James

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

The Genesee County Land Bank will be closed on Friday, April 7, 2023 to observe the Good Friday Holiday.

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Who are we selling to?

by Lucille James

Friday, March 31, 2023

Who are we selling to? We love this question!
Here’s a sneak peak at the results from Sales & Development Director Alexandria Riley, as she discusses recent sales.

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Mowing Lots and Restoring Hope; Residents and Community Based Groups Organize to Transform Vacant Lots

by Lucille James

Friday, March 31, 2023

Clean & Green supports community-based groups in maintaining and re-using vacant land. Through the program, volunteers from block clubs, neighborhood associations, churches, schools and local non-profits, seasonally maintain clusters of vacant properties with each participating group receiving a stipend for its maintenance work. In 2022, 64 community-based groups participated including 61 returning groups and 3 new groups. 3,600 lots were awarded for maintenance every three weeks with over 30,000 mowings completed by groups. The majority of groups use a variety of mow types and stagger mowing rounds to cover more ground. As a result of their innovations, groups now can maintain over 5,000 individual parcels. Additional program stats from the 2022 season are provided below:

ENGAGEMENT & PARTICIPATION:

801 individual participants completed 3,419 acts of engagement for an average of 488 participants each round (an average increase of nearly 100 participants each round since last season)

66% of groups involved youth
92% of groups interacted with neighbors while completing maintenance

REPORTING ON THE FLINT PROPERTY PORTAL:

Over 98% of groups are now consistently reporting maintenance using the portal with nearly 32,000 digital surveys submitted collectively.

NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENTS:

Groups reported that because of their Clean & Green work….

Neighbors spend more time outside = 73%
The neighborhood feels safer = 78%
The neighborhood looks better = 98%
Nearby neighbors are taking better care of their properties = 94%

CLEAN-UP ACTIVITIES:

27% of all groups conducted a large scale clean up
12 dumpsters were filled by groups (roughly 180,000 lbs. of debris)
Fallen trees/limbs were reported as the biggest challenge with 81% of groups encountering fallen trees/limbs this season
Illegal dumping was reported as the 2nd biggest challenge facing groups

FOSTERING COLLABORATION AND NETWORKING:

54% of groups connected to new/other resources because of Clean & Green
19% of groups collaborated with other C&G groups

Click this link to read more - https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/FINAL_LBA-Newsletter-Annual-Report-FY-2021-2022-Winter2023.pdf

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Fighting Blight Through Vacant Property Maintenance

by Lucille James

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

It would cost more than $7 million annually to mow tall grass and remove trash from the more than 20,000 vacant properties in Flint, once a month from spring to summer. This year, the Land Bank spent roughly $2 million on vacant property maintenance. Part of this funding was used to hire local, seasonal crews to inspect, board and clean out vacant structures and mow and clear vacant lots that we are not able to sell or lease. Instead of just mowing Land Bank properties, crews mow all vacant lots in the City of Flint.

This season, Land Bank crews:

completed 20,000+ mows and boarded and secured 1,000+ vacant structures
cleared 155 tons of garbage from vacant lots and loaded them away in Land Bank dumpsters
created 500+ cubic yards of woodchips from downed trees and limbs cleared from Land Bank properties
cleaned out more than 100 houses to prepare them to be sold as Featured Homes
fully renovated 5 houses and positioned them for sale
completed over 3,600 housing inspections to assess property conditions, inform Land Bank decision making, and prepare properties for sale.

We are grateful for the small but dedicated team of crew members, led by Duane Bickford, the Land Bank's Property Manager, for all they do to prepare properties for re-use and make neighborhoods cleaner, safer and more attractive.

Click this link to read more articles - https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/FINAL_LBA-Newsletter-Annual-Report-FY-2021-2022-Winter2023.pdf

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Selecting Demolition Priorities with Community Input

by Lucille James

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

The Land Bank began the process of selecting blighted structures for demolition by collecting property condition information and resident recommendations for demolition through the Flint Property Portal. We collected resident input on criteria that ought to be used to prioritize demolitions through a community survey. Based on more than 400 survey responses, residents asked us to prioritize the blighted houses that are: 1) directly next door to occupied properties; 2) in areas where more people live and where homes are occupied; 3) near open schools; and 4) fire damaged. We used this direction to develop a scoring framework for all demolition candidates in Land Bank’s inventory and the highest scoring properties were selected for demolition with the funding secured so far. Local elected officials helped gather public input and shared their feedback with us before the list was finalized. Click this link to read more articles - https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/FINAL_LBA-Newsletter-Annual-Report-FY-2021-2022-Winter2023.pdf

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$39.5 Million Secured for Demolition

by Lucille James

Monday, March 13, 2023

$39.5 Million Secured at the end of FY 22 to Demolish up to 1,910 Blighted Structures in Flint and Genesee County

The Genesee County Land Bank (Land Bank), working in partnership with the City of Flint and Genesee County, secured $39.5 million in FY 22 to demolish up to 1,910 blighted structures. The funding sources for blight elimination include: $16 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) from the City of Flint, $8 million in ARPA from the County, $10 million in grant funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, $4.5 million from the Land Bank and the Genesee County Treasurer, and $1 million in Community Project Funding through Congressman Kildee’s office.

Over the next four years, the Genesee County Land Bank hopes to secure an additional $5.8 million to demolish 505 additional blighted structures to reach our goal of clearing 2,415 blighted structures from Flint and Genesee County. Michael Freeman, Executive Director of the Land Bank, is pleased that partners are coming together to continue the process of clearing blighted structures impacting residents and neighborhoods throughout Flint and Genesee County. “Clearing blight will help restore value to communities and create healthier and safer neighborhoods.” Click this link to read more - https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/FINAL_LBA-Newsletter-Annual-Report-FY-2021-2022-Winter2023.pdf

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� Clearing Blight Through Partnerships

by Lucille James

Friday, March 10, 2023

With limited funding for demolition in FY 2022, the Land Bank demolished 56 blighted structures (5 of which were commercial) at a cost of roughly $1.1 million in grant funding secured by the GCLBA.

Davison Road After Demo

Davison Road After Demo

We were pleased to leverage additional resources through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Michigan Department of Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) to clean and clear abandoned and hazardous structures in its inventory. Click this link to read more - https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/FINAL_LBA-Newsletter-Annual-Report-FY-2021-2022-Winter2023.pdf

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Clean & Green Application Period Extended

by Lucille James

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Clean & Green application period has been extended until Friday, March 3^rd 2023 at 3:30pm. Apply today! To learn more or to apply, please follow the link below. Paper copies of the application are available within the Land Bank lobby. https://www.thelandbank.org/clean_green_prog.asp

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Closing due to weather - Wed. Feb 22, 2023

by Lucille James

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

The Genesee County Land Bank will be closing at 3 pm today, Wednesday, February 22, 2023, due to inclement weather. Staff will be working remotely for the remainder of the workday.

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Fighting Blight & Restoring Hope: Children�s Health Center in Flint

by Lucille James

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Fighting Blight & Restoring Hope:

Grand Opening of the Children’s Health Center in Flint

Several formerly blighted tax-foreclosed properties, including a former oil change, are now home to the Center for Children's Integrated Services on S. Saginaw St. in downtown Flint. Demolition and site cleanup were completed in 2014. In 2019, Greater Flint Mental Health Facilities, Inc. in partnership with Genesee Health System purchased the property to develop the facility co-locating Genesee Health System's core service while also providing physical health care services. This is just one example of how the Land Bank plays a crucial role in accepting properties left behind, addresses the issues on the properties, and positions them for re-use in a way that best supports the community.

-Christina Kelly

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The application period for the Clean & Green program is closing soon!

by Lucille James

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

The application period for the Clean & Green program is closing soon! Apply by February 24^th at 3:30pm to apply to join other community groups in the flight against blight! To learn more or to apply, please follow the link below. Paper copies of the application are available within the Land Bank lobby. https://www.thelandbank.org/clean_green_prog.asp

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Fighting Blight & Restoring Hope: When People Leave, they Don�t Take Their Problem Properties with Them

by Lucille James

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

The Land Bank receives blighted properties from the Genesee County Treasurer after people stop paying their taxes and the land goes through tax-foreclosure. GCLBA currently has about 15,000 properties in its inventory. Of those, over 4,000 have structures remaining, the majority of which have been left vacant for years before they end up in our inventory. Our priority is to sell viable structures to responsible owners who will invest in renovations and improvements. However, because houses are vacant for so long before we receive them, roughly 74% of the structures in our inventory are blighted beyond repair and in need of demolition. Click this link to read more - https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/FINAL_LBA-Newsletter-Annual-Report-FY-2021-2022-Winter2023.pdf

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Closed - President's Day

by Lucille James

Friday, February 17, 2023

The Land Bank will be closed on Monday, February 20, 2023 in observance of President's Day.

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Message from our Board Chair & Executive Director - Fighting Blight & Restoring Hope

by Lucille James

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Greetings City of Flint and Genesee County Residents! On behalf of Deborah Cherry, Board Chair of the GCLBA and County Treasurer, and Michael Freeman, GCLBA Executive Director, we are pleased to provide you with our 2022 Annual Report. This year, we chose a theme of ‘Fighting Blight and Restoring Hope,’ due to the historic partnership between the City of Flint, Genesee County, the CS Mott Foundation, and federal funding secured by Congressman Dan Kildee to assist us in our goal of demolishing 2,415 land bank properties in Genesee County. Over 2,200 of these blighted and dangerous properties are located in the City of Flint, with approximately 200 more located in the out-county. Our target was to raise $45.3 million dollars and at the end of FY 22 we secured $39.5 million – and we are hopeful that the State of Michigan will join us in our funding efforts to fight blight and improve our City and County.

Now, demolition alone is not going to solve all the issues facing residents. Therefore, in this report, you will read about many of the other activities where we engage our community to make Flint and Genesee County a wonderful place to live and work. We would like to thank our elected officials, funders, and most importantly our volunteers. Without all of you, we would not be able to restore hope in our community.

Lastly, we would like to acknowledge the tragic passing of our Board Treasurer and ‘Champion for Change’ in our community, County Commissioner Bryant Nolden. He dedicated so much of his time to fighting blight and restoring hope. Our staff is heartbroken, to say the least. He was a dedicated and selfless leader who had an unforgettable presence. He skillfully balanced his many leadership roles with ease and an open heart. We are infinitely grateful for the years of service he dedicated to revitalizing vacant and abandoned properties. His legacy lives on.

- Deborah Cherry, Chairperson and Michael Freeman, Executive Director

Click this link to read more articles - https://www.thelandbank.org/downloads/FINAL_LBA-Newsletter-Annual-Report-FY-2021-2022-Winter2023.pdf

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Genesee County Land Bank 2022 Annual Review

by Lucille James

Friday, February 10, 2023

Check Out the Genesee County Land Bank’s 2022 Annual Review to click here learn more about our Successes in FY 2022.

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2022 State of the Land Bank

by Lucille James

Thursday, December 15, 2022

Michael Freeman, Executive Director of the Genesee County Land Bank, and other partners will participate in our annual State of the Land Bank address which will be held virtually on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, at 7pm. The theme for this year’s address is Fighting Blight & Restoring Hope. This year’s address will also include a special tribute honoring Commissioner Bryant Nolden, affectionately known as “BB”. We invite you to join us to learn more about this year’s accomplishments our future endeavors, programs, and projects. It will be time well spent.

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$39.5 Million Secured to Demolish up to 1,910 Blighted Structures in Flint and Genesee County

by Lucille James

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Flint, MI - The Genesee County Land Bank (Land Bank), working in partnership with the City of Flint and Genesee County, has secured $39.5 million to demolish up to 1,910 blighted structures. The funding sources for blight elimination include: $16 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) from the City of Flint, $8 million in ARPA from the County, $10 million in grant funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, $4.5 million from the Land Bank and the Genesee County Treasurer, and $1 million in Community Project Funding through Congressman Kildee’s office.

Click here for the press release

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Corridor Alliance Chapter of Flint River Watershed Coalition state park open house

by Lucille James

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Please join Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commission , City of Flint , and Michigan Department of Natural Resources for an open house to discuss Flint's new state park on Tues., October 4th, 2022 from 3pm-7pm at the newly re-opened Mott Park Recreation Area clubhouse!

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Banking on Borrowed Land

by Lucille James

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Balancing rural and urban needs, climate change, and chronic underfunding, the land trust industry is in a moment of reckoning.

By Erin Kelly, ASLA

Land banks and land trusts have overlapping missions—stewarding land—but different frameworks and financing. Land banks and similar programs were originally put in place to maintain vacant, publicly owned land but not to invest in it. They start with the benefits of their highly people-adjacent land holdings and work outward—with more consideration for land as an economic development tool than as an ecological resource.

Click here to read more.

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Land Bank crews are in Area 11 on the map below and headed to Area 8 & 9 soon!

by Lucille James

Friday, July 29, 2022

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Learn more about Affordable Homeownership Opportunities

by Lucille James

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

The Genesee County Land Bank creates opportunities for homeownership through its Featured Home and Ready for Rehab programs.

Watch the video below to learn more about our homeownership programs.

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Learn more about our Clean & Green program

by Lucille James

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

The Genesee County Land Bank supports community-based groups to maintain vacant properties in and around Flint through its Clean & Green program.

Watch the video below to learn more about our Clean & Green program.

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Learn more about our Property Maintenance program

by Lucille James

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

The Genesee County Land Bank hires local crews to clear and mow all vacant properties in the City of Flint and all properties held by the Land Bank outside the city in Genesee County.

Watch the video below to learn more about our property maintenance program.

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Learn more about opportunties for Economic Development

by Lucille James

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

The Genesee County Land Bank creates opportunities for economic development through the sale of formerly tax-foreclosed properties.

Watch the video below to learn more about economic opportunities.

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Learn more about our Demolition program

by Lucille James

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

The Genesee County Land Bank demolishes formerly tax-foreclosed properties that are blighted beyond repair.

Click the video below to learn more about our demolition program.

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GCLBA has rental vacancies available

by Lucille James

Monday, June 27, 2022

The Genesee County Land Bank Authority currently has rental vacancies available! Click this link for more information - https://www.thelandbank.org/rental_housing.asp

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Genesee County Habitat for Humanit Homebuyer Class

by Lucille James

Thursday, June 16, 2022

Genesee County Habitat for Humanity has scheduled its June & July homebuyer classes for prospective Land Bank land contract purchasers. Click here for more details.

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The 2022 Clean & Green season has officially started!

by Lucille James

Friday, May 13, 2022

This year 66 community-based groups will be working together to maintain 3,600 vacant properties every 3 weeks across the city. Groups picked up their materials and met together for the annual digital kick off last week with groups excited to start mowing this week!

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Beyond Blight 2022 Release

by Lucille James

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

The City of Flint and the Genesee County Land Bank are partnering in releasing Beyond Blight 2022, which provides direction for eliminating blight in Flint. Watch the video in this post for an overview or click here to view Beyond Blight 2022 in full.

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Weed & Trash Abatement Crews have started the 2022 Season

by Lucille James

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Check out their schedule to see when you can expect the crews in your area. http://www.thelandbank.org/weed.asp

To report an issue other than mowing on a Land Bank property, please click on Contact Us on our website. Fill in the form, click submit, confirm that the information is correct and click "submit" one final time. An email will be sent to you to confirm receipt. Please do not reply to that email as it will not be received. We will send a follow up once your issue is being addressed. If you don't know the address or parcel number of a property, links are available to help you find it.

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Lunch Break with the Land Bank - Ready For Rehab

by LIAA Support

Thursday, October 28, 2021

Watch our October episode of Lunch Break with the Land Bank virtual talk as we discuss our newest sales program, Ready for Rehab! We will review the appropriate steps needed to submit a completed offer form.

Presenters: Alexandria Riley, Sales & Development Director & Jennifer Riggs, Transaction Supervisor.

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Lunch Break with the Land Bank - Property Maintenance

by Lucille James

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Watch our September episode of Lunch Break with the Land Bank to learn more about our community partnerships and the impact of our property maintenance work.

Presenter: Michael Freeman, Executive Director

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GCLBA Logo 20 Years

The Genesee County Land Bank is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

The Genesee County Land Bank does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, or handicap.

452 S. Saginaw Street, 2nd Floor
Flint, Michigan 48502

Phone: 810.257.3088
Fax: 810.257.3090

© Genesee County Land Bank

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