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 individuals passionate about helping others.

We partner with local governments to take control of vacant, abandoned, and tax-overdue properties. Then, we transform those properties into green, healthy, occupied, and tax-paying ones. At every step of the process, we're dedicated to improving the economic future of our region. 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.

We'd love to stay in touch with you

Email Newsletter Signup

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. But those early organizations were often a place to park unwanted land without the tools or public funding necessary to solve them. 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 off the success in Michigan, the Ohio General Assembly gave Cuyahoga County the authority to create a county land bank, and the Cuyahoga Land Bank launched in July 2009 - the first ever in this state.

2010

Shortly after, Lucas County formed the second county land bank in Ohio, and the Lucas County Land Bank got to work. Our initial 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, putting an emphasis on the land, buildings, and people that make up every successful neighborhood. The Ohio Land Bank Association was formed to represent our shared voice. We can't wait to see what the next decade brings for the land bank movement!

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

Little Blue

DaVonna Pearce

Operations Coordinator

Ryan Rathburn

Construction Manager

Julia Hernández

Asset Manager

Little Blue too

Jim Roseland

Projects Specialist

Mike Norman

Field Technician

Gary the Groundhog

Unofficial Mascot

Leadership

Board of Directors

A nine-member Board of Directors oversees the Lucas County Land Bank. 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

Wade Kapszukiewicz
Mayor, City of Toledo, Ohio, Vice-Chair of the Board
Alternate: Karen Poore, Deputy Mayor

Tina Skeldon Wozniak
Lucas County Commissioner
Alternate: Benjamin Pushka, Executive Assistant

Pete Gerken
Lucas County Commissioner
Alternate: Ronald Wells, Executive Assistant

Oliver Turner
Sylvania Township Administrator

Amelia Gibbon
Consultant

Taylor Burciaga
Executive Director, Sofia Quintero Art & Cultural Center

Michael J. Beazley
Consultant

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

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