By Dave Lee Mathews "Cook County officials succeeded Wednesday in establishing a land bank to address the thousands of vacant properties blighting the area. Now, they just need to pay for it. The nation's newest land bank, and now largest by geography, will not draw from county funds." Read More
By: Mary Ellen Podmolik “If approved Wednesday by the Cook County Board, the Cook County Land Bank would be the largest land bank in the nation, in terms of geography. Its creation is considered the next step in addressing the foreclosure crisis, and numerous similar efforts to form such organizations are under way around the country. Locally, the…” Read More
By Ted Cox "CHICAGO — The Cook County Board created one of the nation's largest land banks Wednesday to help neighborhoods better deal with vacant properties. The program was expected to be self-sustaining after being launched with $15 million in seed money to be raised through local foundations and grants, and it was designed to..." Read More
By John Presta “The Cook County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved an ordinance to create the Cook County Land Bank Authority today, making it the most populous county in the United States to establish the innovative planning tool. Establishing the Cook County Land Bank Authority does not require State of Illinois action because…” Read More
By: Tony Sarabia “Last month, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Commissioner Bridget Gainer introduced legislation to create a Land Bank Authority, an agency tasked with acquiring vacant and abandoned properties throughout the region with hopes of returning them to productive use. Listen to the interview here.” Listen to the interview
By Judith Ruiz-Branch "Officials say they are one step closer to tackling Cook County’s lagging housing recovery. In a unanimous vote today, a preliminary committee passed legislation that aims to reduce foreclosures through a land bank. The land bank would reduce the number of vacant lots and buildings in the area and restore them so they can be used again..." Read More
By Christina Mlynski "The Cook County Board of Commissioners continues to push for a county land bank that would acquire, manage and repurpose vacant and abandoned properties within the Chicago area. There are about 85,000 foreclosure filings pending in the Circuit Court of Cook County, up from 15,000 ten years ago. About 90% of the filings end in..." Read More
By David Roeder “Land banks, agencies set up to acquire vacant and foreclosed homes and make them community assets once again, work in Michigan, Ohio and New York and the idea should get a tryout here, said Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer. She’s spent a fair amount of time on land banks, examining their impact elsewhere, considering…” Read More
