Chillicothe & Ross County — As the local “Land Bank” has developed and strengthened over the last few years, and expanded out of Chillicothe into the county, it is receiving more requests of assistance from neighbors of dilapidated properties.
In their meeting with the Ross County Commissioners on Monday, they heard from two such neighbors who asked for help, and offered to put their own money or effort into cleaning things up.
One resident in Kingston cautioned that a house next to his has not been maintained for three years and that the next big wind will further damage its roof. The Land Bank noted that it is on their list to try to acquire it for demolition, and will be going up for foreclosure auction soon.
Another couple in Bourneville described a worse situation. Holli Johnson asked for help to eliminate a ruined house next to hers that already damaged their property when it burned down, requiring her parents to be rescued and giving her father second degree burns, and causing $30K worth of damage to their property.
She said they have been struggling with the property for 2 1/2 years, and it has been abandoned for 18. Johnson said her husband Todd does professional property cleanup, and is willing to contribute labor and to “greenspace” the burned rubble.
The Land Bank offered to expedite paperwork to assist them. Hear Holli in her own words in the below video.
The Land Bank also maintains a list of properties in various stages in the process of foreclosing, acquiring, and/or demolishing – including a gas station site in Clarksburg, a hillside cottage on Carlisle Place in Chillicothe, and an unbuildable narrow lot in Roxabell, all of which they discussed May 19th.
Find the video record of the Land Bank meeting on the commissioners’ YouTube channel, from 1:00 to 1:48.
Their next meeting will be in two months, on September 22nd. Learn more in the Land Bank page of the city’s website, or call the Planning & Development department. Properties that they have for sale are listed online.
