Detroit mayoral race raises questions on the future of the Land Bank Authority

Future of the Detroit Land Bank Authority

Tammy Daniels, CEO of the Detroit Land Bank Authority, says the city?s next mayor has a prime resource ready to get more land back into the hands of Detroiters while digging deeper in their mission: fight blight.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The race for Detroit’s next mayor is just starting to heat up and among the many hot-button issues is what both candidates would do with the controversial Detroit Land Bank Authority if elected.

FOX 2 reached out to the campaigns of City Council President Mary Sheffield and the Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr.

Big picture view:

Tammy Daniels, CEO of the Detroit Land Bank Authority, says the city’s next mayor has a prime resource ready to get more land back into the hands of Detroiters while digging deeper in their mission: fight blight.

"We had over 115,000 pieces of property in our inventory about ten years ago," said Daniels. "We have demolished over 27,000 pieces of property. We have sold over 20,000 structures. We have sold over 30,000 vacant pieces of land. We necessarily have to pivot our energies and efforts toward vacant land. Because we have over 58,000 pieces of vacant land in our inventory."

That includes about 30,000 earmarked for their Side Lot and Neighborhood Lot program.

Dig deeper:

FOX 2 asked both City Council President Mary Sheffield and Rev. Solomon Kinloch, the candidates for Detroit’s next mayor, asked what they would change if anything about the Land Bank if elected.

"What’s important to me is transparency, accountability and accessibility," Sheffield said.

In addition, she says her administration would make it even easier for Detroit residents to buy and rehab properties and acquire vacant land while clamping down more on neglect and sprucing up their files.

"I also think it’s important that we do a better job of maintenance for our existing inventory that the Land Bank does have and ensure that we are properly boarding up homes and maintaining vacant lots and structures to ensure that they are not a nuisance to our community," Sheffield  said. "Then, also actively and aggressively going after vacant landlords as well to ensure that we are using the ability of the Land Bank to file nuisance abatement actions on individuals that are causing blight."

The other side:

The Kinloch campaign did respond to FOX 2 with a statement, saying:

"The Kinloch Administration will fix the Detroit Land Bank, transforming vacant spaces into vibrant community places.That starts with giving small developers and residents the same opportunities we give large developers. It is basic fairness to make the process of purchasing vacant lots work for individuals and small groups as it does for the powerful. That’s not the case today. We’ll utilize the 58,000+ vacant lots in the DLBA’s inventory to prioritize affordable housing development for working families. We’ll also turn city-owned vacant land into community gardens, parks, and green spaces. It’s time we invest in neighborhoods, not just Downtown."