Chautauqua County Land Bank Executive Director Gina Paradis said land banks were created by New York State in 2012 as a way to deal with vacant and abandoned properties following the 2008 mortgage crisis, “And they saw the success that other states were having with land banks, primarily in Michigan and Ohio. And so they worked with some people to really understand land banking and how those tools could work and decided to put together the legislation to create the authority for land banks to be created in taxing jurisdictions throughout the state.”

Over the last decade, land banks in the state have

– Acquired over 5,000 problem properties
– Demolished 1,567 vacant structures
– Returned 3,231 properties to productive use
– Generated more than $300 million in private investment
– And returned $135 million in assessed value to local tax rolls

Paradis said of those figures, the Chautauqua County Land Bank has acquired 362 properties, demolished 172 structures, and returned $8.5 million to the tax rolls.

She said the pandemic hurt the land bank’s ability to acquire properties, as the county’s tax auction was on hiatus from January 2020 until July 2022, “We really went a couple of years with no inventory to sell and still plenty of demos to do. But we ended up in that real tough situation where we had little inventory to create revenue and our grand funding was twilighting and we were looking at a gap in funding for that period.”

Paradis said funding assistance by the Sheldon Foundation as well as revenues from previous years helped bridge the gap. She said mortgage crisis settlement monies initially funded land banks in the state, but that funding has been totally expended. Paradis said the proposed state budget includes a line item for Land Banks that she’s hopeful will get passed.

In November 2022, Jamestown City Council approved allocating $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Chautauqua County Land Bank. Paradis said that contract is still in the review process.

The two organizations will launch a Rehab Loan Fund. Executive Director Gina Paradis said that as “Sales4Rehab properties do not qualify for traditional financing, this partnership with Home HeadQuarters is a vital part of the Land Bank’s continued expansion of programs and resources designed to return vacant properties back to productive use, with a special focus on addressing housing disparities and better serving historically underserved populations within the County.”

Home HeadQuarters is a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that serves individuals and businesses that cannot access resources from traditional financial institutions by applying more flexible underwriting standards.

Under the new partnership for the Rehab Loan Fund, Home Headquarters will offer both acquisition and construction financing assistance to qualified first-time or low-income homebuyers seeking to purchase and rehabilitate properties from the Chautauqua County Land Bank.

Those who are interested first-time or low-income homebuyer can call the Chautauqua County Land Bank office at (716) 969-7843 for more information about the Rehab Loan Fund.

Jamestown City Council work session (October 3, 2022)

Jamestown City Council continued discussions on how to use American Rescue Plan funds as new programs are proposed.

Council reviewed resolutions totaling $4 million in allocations that would create a Non-Profit Assistance Program, a Business Expansion & Building Acquisition program, a 19A Homeownership Program; and give funding to the Chautauqua County Land Bank.

Finance Committee Chair and Council member at Large Kim Ecklund, expressed concern that if all proposed allocations are approved in addition to a proposal to add more funding to the Senior Citizen Home Improvement program, that will leave just over $4 million left in unexpended ARP funds.

One proposal would give $1 million to the Chautauqua County Land Bank to create a First Time Homebuyer’s Assistance Rebate Program, to support the expansion of the Hands On Neighborhoods Program, and to assist in the Land Bank’s purchase of an information management platform.

Director of Development Crystal Surdyk said the Land Bank also will use funding to help with demolitions in the city. She said the city is limited by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to $150,000 for how they use federal funding for demolitions. With the average cost of demolitions around $30,000, Surdyk said the city runs out of funds fast every year.

She said there are 50 homes in need of demolition this year and that there are only about 4 local contractors who have the background to do the demo’s.

Council President Tony Dolce said demolitions are important, “Last summer when we had our meetings, a lot of people had spoken about, talked about that. We don’t have a large fund for demolition and I think we need to look at that.”

Ecklund said her concern was whether demolitions should be done internally or contracted out.

Council member Andrew Faulkner said that was one of his concerns as well, “Under their proposal, they’ve got $200,000 in administrative fees. They’re going to do demo’s. That’s quite a few demo’s in that $200,000 in admin fees that could be done.”

Surdyk said she will be passing along questions and concerns to Land Bank Executive Director Gina Paradis with hopes to have her at the next Council work session on October 17 to provide more details.

Chautauqua County Land Bank Executive Director Gina Paradis presents to Jamestown City Council (August 22, 2022)

The Chautauqua County Land Bank Corporation is requesting $1 million in American Rescue Plan funds from the City of Jamestown.

Land Bank Executive Director Gina Paradis presented her request to Jamestown City Council on Monday. She said the organization’s main mission is to fight issues of housing blight in the County, spending 65% of her time in the City of Jamestown.

Paradis said housing is a very expensive thing to intervene in and that the Land Bank tries to be very strategic about its acquisitions, “Things about our dispositions, our programming, and make sure we’re leveraging not only what the municipalities are spending on housing issues but also what other non-profits are doing. We really try to ensure that we’re collaborating and coordinating our efforts with both the public and the private sector.”

Paradis said over $11 million has been invested in the City of Jamestown in the last ten years, “This comes in the form of our Sales-4-Rehab program, the number of assessed value we put back on the tax rolls is around $2.5 million in assessed value from our rehab program and about $5.9 million in private reinvestment.”

She added that $2.7 million has been put into the demolition of 100 homes in Jamestown in the last ten years as well.

She said those who purchase a house from the Land Bank have to commit to a renovation plan and budget as part of the sales contract. She said the Land Bank can take a house back if the owner doesn’t meet the terms of the agreement.

Paradis said the request of $1 million in ARPA funds would cover 4-years of programming including the expansion of the Hands On program, First Time Homebuyer Incentives and Rebates, Demolition and a Land Bank Information Management Platform. She said the funds, if approved by the city, would help her leverage additional funds from New York State.

City of Jamestown 2022 Second Quarter Sales Tax Receipt Data

Sales tax receipts for the City of Jamestown saw a decrease for the second quarter as compared to 2021.

According to the Second Quarter Sales tax report prepared by City Comptroller John Sellstrom, the sales tax payment for second quarter is 5.5% lower than the 2021 second quarter payments. The city received $2,042,824, which is $118,884 less than last year.

However, the 2022 second quarter receipts are 38.8% above 2020.

The City has collected 47.6% of its 2022 adopted sales tax budget, which totals $8,131,477. This compares to 56.8% at the same time last year.

The third quarter 2022 payment will be received in October.

Jamestown City Council is expected to hear the full report on sales tax at its work session tonight.

Also at the work session, the Finance Committee is expected to continue discussion on increasing funding to several housing and business programs that are funded using American Rescue Plan monies.

And Chautauqua County Land Bank Corporation Executive Director Gina Paradis will give a presentation at the full work session.

The Housing Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. with other committees meeting at 7:00 p.m. The full work session will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the fourth floor police training room of city hall. That meeting is open to the public and will be livestreamed on jamestownny.gov.

WATCH

The discussion was broadcast live on WRFA radio, with video streaming available on both WRFA’s Facebook Page and Youtube Channel.

A virtual Q&A was also available for audience members.

Funding for the Community Conversation is made available by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s American Rescue Plan Act stabilization grant fund.

City Director of Development Crystal Surdyk and Assistant Corporation Counsel Ben Haskins address City Council Housing Committee (August 8, 2022)

The Jamestown City Council Housing Committee received an update on properties that would be purchased and rehabilitated by the city under the 19A Homeownership Program if Council approves the $750,000 request of American Rescue Plan funds.

Assistant Corporation Counsel Ben Haskins said under state law, municipalities can take ownership of properties that are vacant and either have one year of unpaid taxes or are subject to an order of condemnation, “We have, as you all know, pursued title to numerous houses under the statute. We’ve currently got about 11 of them with another five or six in the wings coming up. And then we’ve got two or three more potentials that we found in the last couple of weeks, just stumbling upon them through complaints and stuff – one on Stowe and one on lower Dearing.”

Haskins said the funding request would go to rehabilitating four houses located on Utica, Baker, Johnson, and North Main Streets, “And selling them to people who, A, reside in them for five years as a owner-occupant; B, during that time pay their taxes on time; and, C, once all the initial code enforcement violations that were written up upon taking title are fixed, that they will ameliorate further code enforcement that arises over that five year period.”

Haskins said the mortgage by the city would be action based, versus money based, where the city can foreclose on the property if the owner doesn’t meet requirements of the program.

He said three of the four properties proposed to be rehabilitated could likely be sold at a profit with the money being used to purchase and rehabilitate other vacant houses in the future. Haskins added the city would contract out for the rehabilitation.

He said once the houses are ready for sale that some will go right to market for anyone to buy with the city working with other non-profits that have first-time home buyer programs for the other properties, “They aren’t going to get them for free. They’re still going to have to make some sort of offer to us, but they’re probably going to be able to get them for below market value in a lot of cases. They’re going to be subject to the same five years and we’re probably going to require them to at least take some sort of online first time homeowner course that we prescribe. Make sure they’re aware of the responsibilities as homeowners, especially as it relates to more nuisance items.”

Director of Development Crystal Surdyk added that the Chautauqua County Land Bank was working on developing a tool lending program to help new homeowners as well. Land Bank Executive Director Gina Paradis had been expected to give a presentation to Council on Monday, but had to reschedule that for the August 22 work session.

Surdyk also relayed to the Housing Committee that the department met with the Real Estate Investor’s Association Monday to begin reviewing three proposed housing ordinances. She said they only got through the public nuisance ordinance with the rental inspection and vacant property registration still needing review at future meetings.

Assistant Corporation Counsel Ben Haskins said one part of the discussion was a clarification on the public nuisance ordinance regarding police action, “In terms of arrests at a premises, if it’s a multi-unit premises, instead of counting, if there’s a 24-unit, and there’s three arrests in separate apartments versus just specifying it’s got to be all within the one unit to constitute a nuisance, I think was our biggest point of discussion, which I thought was pretty fruitful.”

Surdyk said the intention is once all three ordinances are reviewed and revisions are made that the Department of Development will send the revised ordinances to the Real Estate Investor’s Association members for review. She said DOD will then meet again with the full association for a final discussion before it comes to City Council for a vote.

Jamestown City Council

One resolution would use $750,000 in ARP funds to create a permanent 19A Homeownership Program.

The city would use the 19A program to acquire vacant properties in Jamestown. As per the requirements of the statute, these properties have to have at least one actionable code enforcement violation. The city would then work with other non-profits to rehabilitate the structures either using ARPA funds or through the enrollment of the new owner in the HUD-funded HOME Program.

Council also will again review a request to fund an additional $1 million to the Building & Property Infrastructure Improvements program. Council had approved funding that program with $500,000 in April after staff had requested it be funded with $1 million. Department of Development staff are requesting the additional monies after business application requests for program funding came in at $2,807,533.

And a resolution for an additional $2 million for the Roof, Private Sewer Lateral, Private Water Line Repair/Replacement Program will be reviewed.

The program was originally funded with $750,000 in ARP funds in March. The application request period saw 132 requests from homeowners of up to $25,000 per property, well exceeding what was available in grant funds.

The increase requests were initially presented at the City Council’s work session in July.

Council also will again review a resolution requesting $300,000 in ARP monies to fund a Citywide Marketing and Rebranding Campaign.

The Finance Committee will hear a grant update as well as an audit presentation.

Chautauqua County Land Bank Executive Director Gina Paradis will be giving a presentation during the full work session.

The Housing Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. with other committees meeting at 7:00 p.m. The full work session begins at 7:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall. The public is welcome to attend and the meeting will also be livestreamed on jamestownny.gov.

At 7 p.m. the Jamestown Neighborhood Alliance (JNA) will host a discussion by Mark Geise, land bank Executive Director, and Gina Paradis, land bank Administrative Director, concerning the many ways the organization is fighting blight in the community.

“Chautauqua County Land Banking 101,” will outline the Land Bank’s history and mission.

The presentation will be held on at 7 p.m. The Lillian Ney Renaissance Center is located on Third Street at the corner with Washington St. The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by an opportunity for attendees to ask questions.

WRFA Public Affairs Director Jason Sample talks with County Land Bank executive director Mark Geise and Administrative Director Gina Paradis, who provide details on the county land bank – including why it was established and what service it provides to the community.