Cordray, Reardon, Rokakis and Depiero Convene Land Bank Forum

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Press Date: January 30, 2006

Parma, Ohio- County Treasurers Richard Cordray (Franklin), John Reardon Mahoning) and James Rokakis (Cuyahoga) along with Parma Mayor Dean DePiero have convened the first Ohio Land Bank Forum to be held in Parma on Wednesday February 1 from 9:30 am until 4:00 pm at the Parma Community Center, 5983 W 54th Street. The meeting was inspired by the Ohio Vacant Properties Forum held last October in Columbus, which was a national conference that addressed the problems of foreclosures, abandoned properties, and community redevelopment of blighted sites.

According to Treasurer Richard Cordray, vacant and abandoned properties are a source of deep frustration for local governments. They often present fire and safety hazards and they generate numerous complaints from neighboring property owners while depressing property values in the surrounding area.

“We think this forum is a tremendous opportunity to showcase how some communities are utilizing Ohio’s land banking laws to generate solutions to the ever-growing problem of vacant properties,” said Cordray. “We hope to establish a better dialogue among all those who are either already involved or thinking about getting involved in land banking programs because of our belief that land banking programs can unlock new economic opportunities for all of Ohio.”