City gets state approval for land bank

State permission has been granted to the city to create the Kingston City Land Bank, three years after lawmakers approved the nomination to make it happen.

In a press release, Mayor Steve Noble said that Empire State Development has given permission to establish the land bank.

Noble said the agency’s Board of Directors gave approval on Thursday.

In 2017, Noble’s administration applied for the designation two years after the Common Council approved the formation of the Kingston City Land Bank.

Officials say the land bank would help the city deal with abandoned, dilapidated or condemned properties.

“The Kingston City Land Bank has been formed with the purpose of acquiring title to city-owned and other distressed properties in the City of Kingston, removing barriers to redevelopment, and returning the properties to the tax rolls,” the press release from Noble said. “The key priorities of the Kingston City Land Bank will be to ensure that the reuse of these properties provides opportunities for homeownership for those who might not otherwise be afforded such opportunity, to maintain a range of affordability in the city’s housing stock, and to guide the redevelopment of properties to enhance neighborhoods and suit the needs of the residents of those neighborhoods.”

Noble said, in that same release, that the land bank would be helpful.

“This is an exciting opportunity for our community to address deteriorating properties and promote home ownership, ultimately strengthening our neighborhoods and improving the quality of life of our residents,” he said in the release.

The state’s approval means that Kingston City Land Bank may now go ahead with filing its certificate of incorporation, which is set to be accomplished within 60 days.

The Kingston City Land Bank’s nine-member Board of Directors will now be recruited and appointed, according to the release.

The land bank is expected to be staffed initially by existing staff of the Office of Economic and Community Development, with the potential for expanded staffing resources when additional operating funding is secured, the release said.

The city is actively seeking financial support for the land bank and expects to secure the necessary funds within the next three months, the release said.

“I am delighted to add this tool to the city’s resources to help address housing issues in our community,” said Brenna Robinson, who is director of the city’s Office of Economic and Community Development. “The Kingston City Land Bank will work to dramatically improve the city’s housing stock, providing new prospects for homeownership, adding open spaces for the community to enjoy, and renovating properties and restoring them to productive use that will provide opportunities to both increase community wealth and help to ensure current residents are able to remain here.”

The New York State Land Bank Program, signed into law by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in July 2011, permits municipalities to apply for and create land banks in their communities.

Land banks are not-forprofit corporations created to take control of, and redevelop, vacant or abandoned properties.

As part of the 2017-18 state budget, the number of land banks permitted statewide was increased to 25 from 20.