Nassau stirs on 'land bank' to fight suburban blight
An abandoned house in Levittown last October Credit: Newsday
Nassau County may create its own so-called land bank that could help alleviate the problem of vacant, abandoned, foreclosed and tax-delinquent properties, including what are called "zombie" homes.
Suffolk and other counties already have land banks up and running.
County Executive Edward Mangano has his counsel working to develop legislation establishing the entity, for submission to the county legislature, Mangano spokesman Brian Nevin said.
Land banks fund projects to alleviate the scourge of deteriorating properties that may vary in type from one community to the next. They use part of the state’s share from the national mortgage settlement, which state Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman’s office administers.
Schneiderman spokesman Damien LaVera said if Nassau creates a land bank, the AG’s office “looks forward to working with it to identify ways to help families stay in their homes and revitalize communities devastated by the financial crisis.”
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