ASHLAND — Ashland land bank officers are hopeful a new state law will allow them — and all land banks across Ohio — to become what’s known as “nuisance removal agents” for townships.
Ohio law currently allows land banks to demolish structures they don’t own. Though rare, the process is known as a nuisance removal.
The process is playing out on four properties across Ashland County, and others are on the docket. One of those properties includes 33 High St. in Hayesville. It was demolished recently.
In a nuisance removal, the existing owner retains ownership, gets the structure demolished through the land bank and then possibly builds something new. But the local governing body first has to sign an agreement, along with a representative from the land bank.
So far, three villages — Jeromesville, Hayesville and Perrysville — and the city of Ashland have signed nuisance removal agreements, according to Bill Harvey, director of the Ashland land bank.
Harvey said Loudonville is also considering signing an agreement on a property village council bought along South Spring Street. He said Bailey Lakes is also considering it.
As the law stands now, however, Harvey said, the nuisance removal agreement process only exists — legislatively — for villages and cities. Townships are not included.
The reality is making it cumbersome for some properties on the land bank’s radar to be demolished.
For example, officials have said the Reed House building — located at 919 U.S. Route 224 in Nova — is in disrepair. Nova is an unincorporated community in Troy Township.
Officials have also approached the land bank to demolish another property in Red Haw, an unincorporated community in Perry Township. Another exact scenario exists in Orange Township, the land bank has said.
Traditional routes to demolition include residential and commercial foreclosure by auction through the sheriff’s office. In that case, if it sells, the new owner may decide to demolish it and replace it with a new build.
If there are two auctions and still no buyer, the property can be transferred to the land bank — at which point the structure could be demolished.
Other times, the existing owner simply pays for a demolition.
But the scenarios often take time. If all parties agree, signing a nuisance removal agreement would save time and, sometimes, money, said Harvey.
The nuisance removal process thus becomes a mechanism for streamlined demolitions.
“It would really be helpful,” he said.
Tiffany Meyer, a real estate broker in Ashland County and a land bank board member, agrees.
It’s why she’s offered to liaison between the board and the Ohio REALTORS trade organization to lobby for the passage of House Bill 375.
Currently, the bill has been introduced and received three hearings in the House of Representatives.
The new law would say:
Existing law allows county land reutilization corporation to serve as agents of municipalities for the purpose of select nuisance abatement activities. This amendment clarifies that county land reutilization corporations may serve in the same capacity for townships.
Meyer said the bi-partisan bill is a “clean-up bill” and it isn’t a priority, so she doubts it will be passed before 2024.
“There are so many (structures) out there as we drive around and we can’t do anything about it,” Meyer said.
In the meantime, townships with structures in need of demolition will either need to go the traditional route through foreclosures and sheriff sales.
Or wait until the law deems nuisance removals allowable.