At their last meeting of the year, the Kent County Board of Commissioners dissolved a tool that a number of nonprofits pleaded them to keep.
The packed full meeting at the county building Thursday, Dec. 20 led to hours of discussion primarily regarding the Kent County Land Bank Authority. The KCLBA, also known as InnovaLaB, was established during the recession to help put foreclosed homes back on the tax rolls.
"Some people don't like David Allen's personality. A lot of people don't like my personality, but I don't think they are going to kill Dwelling Place because they don't like my personality," said Dennis Strutevant, CEO of the Dwelling Place.
"I think it's short sighted to disband this entity based on what appear to be personnel and personal issues," said Laurie Craft, the vice president of community investment at the Grand Rapids Community Foundation.
"I would encourage you today to terminate the land bank and allow the private sector to do what it can do best," Rusty Richter, a local real estate agent.
Most of those who spoke in favor of dissolving the land bank work in the real estate industry including Dan Hibma, who owns Land & Co., the company behind The Grand Castle. A handful of men with the Commercial Alliance of Realtors West Michigan (CARWM) said the land bank violated a free and open market. While those who spoke in favor of keeping the land bank came primarily from nonprofit and affordable housing backgrounds.
Paul Haan, the executive director of the Healthy Homes Coalition, asked the board to consider postponing their vote by 30 or 60 days, a motion later filed by Commissioner Harold Mast that failed.
"I also think about your mission statement and protecting quality of life. And I think about the 3-year-old boy who will move into that house and will have a lead safe home to grow up in," said Haan.
Max Grover with the CARWM said that the land bank was currently competing against the private sector.
"The land bank is a tool that can always come back," Grover said, a claim that went highly disputed by his opponents. "Its original [mission] to fight blight, and now it's cherry picking some of the best properties in Kent County."
Helen Lehman, the executive director of the New Development Corp., brought up photos of dilapidated homes purchased by her group from the land bank.
"I thought I'd show you some of the cherry picked homes we've purchased," she said showing the photos.
Frank Lynn with Grand Rapids Homes for All said he has been working in affordable housing for 30 years and that abolishing the land bank would be a disservice to the county.
"We worked real hard to get the land bank and we need it," said Lynn. "You can't bury your head in the sand!"
A woman who said she works in population health and housing urged commissioners to remember who the current housing market serves, which is typically not those who are at risk.
Others including LINC UP's executive director Jeremy DeRoo, Inner City Christian Federation's Ryan Schmidt, Kent County Treasurer and land bank board member Ken Parrish and the Grandville Mayor Steve Maas all asked commissioners to keep the land bank.
Parrish and later County Commissioner Ponstein, who also serves on the land bank's board, both apologized for any role they played in what led up to the dissolution of the land bank.
"We had nonprofit after nonprofit come up here and tell us of needs that are still in the community that have to do with land and housing. And, what are going to do? We are going to shut down the land bank," Ponstein said.
The public comments gave way to hours of back and forth among commissioners before their votes were cast. Commissioners voted 11-8 to dissolve the land bank. Commissioners Harold Mast, David Bulkowski, Carol Hennessy, Betsy Melton, Stan Ponstein, Phil Skaggs, Jim Talen and Robert Womack voted to keep the land bank.
"I am mortified," Lehman, with New Development Corp., said through tears on her way out of the meeting.
"It is folly to say 'well, if we need it again, we will just recreate it.' Seriously, people. That is just naive," Lehman said.
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Emma Nicolas is a multimedia journalist. Have a news tip or question for
Emma? Get in touch by emailing her at enicolas@13onyourside.com