About

Where you live impacts how you live

We're dedicated to making where you live the best it can be

The Lucas County Land Bank is a public, non-profit organization. We're a small team of hard-working, community-minded people passionate about helping others.

We partner with our communities to turn empty properties into something more. We transform those properties into green, healthy, occupied, and tax-paying ones. At every step of the process, we're dedicated to improving our region's economic future. The quality of life of our residents is our top priority.

Mission

The Lucas County Land Bank strengthens neighborhoods and preserves property values by strategically returning vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties to productive use through an open and equitable process.

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History

The concept of a "land bank" has been around since the 1970s

The first land bank was created in St. Louis, MO, in 1971. However, those early organizations mainly were places to park unwanted land without the tools or public funding necessary to solve problems. In 2002, the Genesee County Land Bank in Flint, MI, pioneered a new kind of land bank that could meet the challenges of the 21st century.

2009

Building on Michigan's success, the Ohio General Assembly—through the lasting and dedicated efforts of Jim Rokakis, Robin Thomas, and the late Gus Frangos—invited Cuyahoga County to create a county land bank. The Cuyahoga Land Bank launched in July 2009, the first ever in this state.

2010

Shortly after, Lucas County founded Ohio's second county land bank, and we got to work. Our first efforts were to build community consensus about neighborhood goals as the Great Recession waned. After the success of early land banks in Ohio, the Legislature extended land banking authority to all Ohio counties.

2020

After 10 years of transformative work, we launched our Building Neighborhoods strategic plan, emphasizing the land, buildings, and people that make up every thriving neighborhood. The Ohio Land Bank Association was formed to represent the voice of Ohio's 70 county land banks.

Staff

David Mann

President & CEO

Shantaé Brownlee

Senior Vice President for Operations & Chief Financial Officer

Joshua Murnen

Senior Vice President for Real Estate & General Counsel

Stephanie Shackelford

Senior Vice President for Projects and Planning & Chief Information Officer

Ryan Rathburn

Director of Construction

Julia Hernández

Asset Manager

Jim Roseland

Preservation Manager

Kirsten Harrison

Projects Manager

Hunter Kick

Construction Specialist

DaVonna Pearce

Operations & Finance Specialist

Shawn Carvin

OLBA Executive Director

Gary the Groundhog

Unofficial Mascot

Leadership

Board of Directors

A nine-member Board of Directors oversees the Lucas County Land Bank. Board Members represent a diverse group of elected officials and neighborhood, planning, and economic development professionals.

Lindsay M. Webb
Lucas County Treasurer, Chair of the Board
Alternate: Mark Austin, Chief Deputy Treasurer

Lisa A. Sobecki
President, Board of Lucas County Commissioners, Vice-Chair of the Board
Alternate: Christine Varwig, Executive Assistant

Pete Gerken
Lucas County Commissioner
Alternate: Karen Poore, Business Navigator

Wade Kapszukiewicz
Mayor of Toledo
Alternate: Brandon Sehlhorst, Director of Economic Development

Oliver Turner
Sylvania Township Administrator

Amelia Gibbon
Executive Director, Reinvest Toledo

Taylor Burciaga
Executive Director, Sofia Quintero Art & Cultural Center

Michael J. Beazley
Retired Public Administrator

Joshua Hughes
CEO and General Counsel, Associated General Contractors of Northwest Ohio

Finance and Human Resources Committee: Lindsay M. Webb, Michael J. Beazley, Joshua Hughes, and Oliver Turner