Birmingham citizens are fighting blight by buying abandoned properties in the Magic City
Birmingham, AL – On Friday, Jan. 26, four Birmingham families will close on homes or vacant lots that were once abandoned, tax delinquent properties in the Magic City. They plan to renovate the properties or turn them into green space.
Their efforts are the result of work being done by the Birmingham Land Bank Authority, established in 2014 to help revitalize neighborhoods and fight blight. The authority had to first select a board, set up policies and more before actual closings could happen. That day is finally here, which will take place on Friday at 11 a.m. on the third floor of City Hall in Conference Rooms D and E. Friday’s closings will be the first closings of the authority, which is the first program of its kind in Alabama.
“While downtown has thrived, Birmingham’s other neighborhoods are characterized by blight, overgrown lots, abandoned properties, and crime,’’ said Mayor Randall L. Woodfin. “Neighborhood revitalization is what I promised the citizens in each of Birmingham’s 99 neighborhoods. Increasing the capacity of programs like the Birmingham Land Bank Authority is key to empowering our citizens and other partners to take back our neighborhoods from blight.’’
Friday’s closings will be on properties in North Crestwood, Inglenook, East Lake and the Riley neighborhoods, said Eric Fancher, administrator of the Birmingham Land Bank Authority.
Currently, there are nearly 200 more properties ready for closing, Fancher said. Additional closings are scheduled for the near future.
“Today, the Birmingham Land Bank Authority stands ready, willing and able to help facilitate the return of underutilized properties to productive use,’’ Fancher said. “The positive impact of land banking will be seen, not only in the land, but also in the citizens occupying and utilizing it.’’
For more information about this program, please visit www.birminghamlandbank.org or www.facebook.com/Birminghamlandbank.
NOTE: Eric Fancher and residents will be available for interviews on Friday.
