Empowering Communities Through Sustainable Development
At the Essex County Land Bank, we harness the power of vacant spaces to transform communities. Our mission is to unlock the untapped potential of blighted properties to revitalize hamlets and cultivate opportunities for economic growth. Through strategic partnerships and community engagement, we strive to build a brighter future for Essex County, one property at a time. Together, we’re creating sustainable, thriving communities that inspire pride and unleash the true potential of our county.
Unlocking Potential, Building Communities: Our Mission at the Essex County Land Bank
The Essex County Land Bank is a collaborative effort between the Essex County Board of Supervisors, North Country Rural Development Coalition, and other regional stakeholders. Together, we strive to address blight, promote affordable housing, and stimulate economic opportunities across our county. By acquiring and rehabilitating vacant properties, we aim to create a positive impact on our hamlets, bolster property values, and create new spaces for residents and businesses to thrive.
ECLB is proud to be featured by North Country Public Radio!
This story highlighting how the Land Bank is helping remove blight, rehabilitate vacant properties, and create much-needed workforce housing throughout the Adirondacks.
The story explores how the Essex County Land Bank, one of only a few land banks in the North Country New York, is transforming abandoned and deteriorated properties into homes for local residents and workers. It also highlights the role of the Land Bank in addressing vacancy, strengthening communities, and supporting the local economy.
Read the full story here: How the Essex County Land Bank is removing blight and building workforce housing in the Adirondacks
Our Objectives
We acquire, stabilize, and when necessary demolish vacant and blighted properties, preventing further deterioration and minimizing the negative effects of blight on our communities. Many properties require environmental remediation, including asbestos, lead, mold, and other hazardous material abatement, before they can be safely rehabilitated or redeveloped.
Working in coordination with towns, villages, counties, and other governmental partners, we identify properties with the greatest potential for rehabilitation, redevelopment, or new construction and make them available for responsible reuse. When a structure cannot feasibly be saved, the Land Bank may pursue demolition and site clearance to eliminate unsafe conditions and prepare the property for future productive use.
The new Essex County Land Bank is dedicated to increasing the availability of safe, affordable housing options for residents in need. By collaborating with local developers, nonprofits, and housing agencies, we facilitate the rehabilitation of properties and ensure they are transformed into quality housing that meets the diverse needs of our community.
Economic Development
We believe that revitalizing hamlets and downtowns goes hand in hand with fostering economic growth. In addition to housing and neighborhood stabilization, the Essex County Land Bank works to support the long-term redevelopment of commercial and mixed-use properties that can attract private investment, support small businesses, create jobs, and strengthen local tax bases.
Through partnerships with municipalities, developers, local businesses, and community organizations, the Land Bank helps prepare key properties for future investment and productive reuse. Our goal is to encourage sustainable redevelopment that contributes to the long-term economic vitality and prosperity of the region.
We believe that successful revitalization requires more than repairing buildings. Through partnerships with local artists, schools, businesses, and community organizations, the Essex County Land Bank incorporates creative placemaking and public art into hamlets where Land Bank properties and projects are located.
Murals, temporary art installations, façade improvements, beautification projects, and other creative efforts help address blight and vacancy, improve the appearance of highly visible properties, and build pride in the community while longer-term redevelopment is underway. These projects help strengthen a community’s sense of place, celebrate local identity, and encourage residents and visitors to re-engage with underutilized areas.
NRDC/Essex County Land Bank has been Awarded “Rural Preservation Company of the Year” by New York State at Rural Housing Coalition Conference. Click Here to read all about it.
Once left vacant and cycling on and off the tax foreclosure auction for over 15 years, this historic Stowersville Road home has been given a second life thanks to the Town of Lewis and the Essex County Board of Supervisors, who generously donated the property to the Essex County Land Bank. Under the expert craftsmanship of Stevens Construction, the house underwent a full gut rehabilitation and is now beautifully restored.
This transformation was made possible through the dedication of the Land Bank’s staff, led by Nicole Justice Green, and with the steadfast support of Jim Monty, Supervisor of the Town of Lewis. Their commitment has turned a long-blighted property into a vibrant home that strengthens the community.
“This house in Jay is the first rehabilitation project to be undertaken by the Essex County Land Bank. Houses like this are referred to as zombie houses and the land bank seeks to bring this and houses like it back to life and to sell them at below market rate to people in need of housing assistance.”
Get Involved
Are you passionate about community development and want to make a difference in Essex County? There are several ways you can get involved with the new Essex County Land Bank
Walls Between Waters
Mural Festival
The Essex County Land Bank and the North Country Rural Development Coalition (NRDC) are partnering with the community to program the Walls Between Waters mural festival in the Town of Ticonderoga.
Upcoming Event Date: Saturday, June 7th
Walls Podcast: Listen Now
Volunteer/Partner/Contractor
Volunteer
Join our team of dedicated volunteers and lend your skills and expertise to our revitalization efforts. From property cleanups and beautification projects to community outreach and engagement, your contribution can have a lasting impact on our neighborhoods.
Partner with Us
We value partnerships and collaborations with organizations, businesses, and agencies that share our vision for sustainable development. By working together, we can maximize our collective impact and create stronger, more vibrant communities.
Contractors
If you are a contractor, builder, developer, or real estate professional, please consider working with the Land Bank. We use an RFP process to procure contractors and we’d like to hear from you. The RFPs are posted below, also sent out by email to our mailing lists.
Interested? Contact us below…
Our Partners
