Hartford Land Bank

Construction projects at two former HLB properties, 102 Capen Street and 208 Magnolia Street, definitely have us looking up: At Capen Street, new trusses for a new roof recently went up. Despite being damaged by fire a few years ago, the building is structurally sound. Rebuilding the roof now will keep the weather out, thus mitigating further water damage and allowing the developer to work on the interiors all fall and winter. On Magnolia, the developer added a skylight to the main stairwell, which will bring lots of natural light to this otherwise dark common area, and lower utility bills in a sustainable way. #blightremediation #thefutureofrealestate #urbandevelopment #neighborhoodbuilders #economicdevelopment

HLB held its 2024 Annual meeting last month, in person at The Lyceum in Frog Hollow. Members of the Board, staff, and community gathered to review the past year’s properties and projects and discuss plans for the forthcoming year. Our next Board meeting is this Wednesday, October 9, at 12 noon. Visit the link below for the agenda, zoom link, and other meeting dates. Pictured here: Board Chair Melvyn Colon and Executive Director Marcus Ordonez before the meeting. https://lnkd.in/eP9UbjiT #blightremediation #thefutureofrealestate #urbandevelopment #neighborhoodbuilders #economicdevelopment

Last month, we sold our properties at 98 and 102 Capen Street to a local developer. These circa 1930 two-family wood-frame homes are in the Northeast neighborhood, within walking distance of Keney Park. Both of these houses have extensive water and fire damage and were full of debris and remnants of prior repair attempts, illegal dumping, and animal nests. But they also have interesting woodwork and built-ins that will make lovely details when they are rehabbed and ready for their new occupants. For more information on these and other past and present HLB properties, visit the Properties page of our website, https://lnkd.in/enQtzEyQ. #blightremediation #thefutureofrealestate #urbandevelopment #neighborhoodbuilders #economicdevelopment

Please join us for Hartford Land Bank’s Annual Board Meeting on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, at 12:00 PM. This in-person meeting will be at the Lyceum Resource and Conference Center at 227 Lawrence Street, Hartford, CT, 06106 in Conference Room #1. The parking lot directly next to the building will be accessible for guests. This event will include our regular monthly board meeting, followed by a chance to catch up with HLB Staff, Board of Directors Members, Community Partners, and HLB Committee Members. If you will be attending, please RSVP today to info@hartfordlandbank.org. Visit our website for a calendar of upcoming meetings. The Agenda for each meeting will be posted online a day prior to the meeting. #blightremediation #thefutureofrealestate #urbandevelopment #neighborhoodbuilders #economicdevelopment

The Board of Directors of the Hartford Land Bank is on hiatus and will not host a meeting in the month of August 2024. The next meeting will be the in-person Annual Meeting on September 11, location TBD. Click the link below for a calendar of upcoming meetings. The Agenda for each meeting will be posted on our website a day prior to the meeting. https://lnkd.in/eP9UbjiT #blightremediation #thefutureofrealestate #urbandevelopment #neighborhoodbuilders #economicdevelopment

Last month, our Construction & Programs Manager, Tyler Havens, and our Executive Director, Marcus Ordonez, gave a special presentation to Trinity College students as part of their Urban Politics class, led by Dr. Stefanie Chambers. The class focuses on the unique challenges faced by cities, including education, poverty, homelessness, housing, crime, transportation, and environmental issues. The summer session class focused particularly on housing in Hartford. The HLB presentation explains how land banks work and their role in helping cities steward vacant and blighted properties back into productive use, and features before and after photos of recent HLB properties. If your school or organization would benefit from learning more about HLB and land banks, please contact us. We have a limited number of spots open on our fall calendar. #blightremediation #thefutureofrealestate #urbandevelopment #neighborhoodbuilders #economicdevelopment

Last month, we sold our 55 Lincoln Street property to SINA - Southside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance. This is a circa 1900 two-family wood-frame home with Victorian details, in the Barry Square neighborhood and within walking distance of Hartford Hospital and Trinity College. SINA is a partnership between Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford Hospital, and Trinity College-Hartford. Through their Cityscapes Homes program, they rehab multi-family homes in the neighborhoods of South Central Hartford and assist low and moderate-income, first-time home buyers in purchasing them. For more information on this and other past and present HLB properties, visit the Properties page of our website: https://lnkd.in/eFQhBdAc #blightremediation #thefutureofrealestate #urbandevelopment #neighborhoodbuilders #economicdevelopment

Join us in congratulating Marcus Ordonez on his appointment by the Hartford Land Bank Board of Directors as our permanent Executive Director. Marcus has served as Interim Executive Director since December 2023, when his predecessor, Arunan Arulampalam, stepped down to prepare for his role as Mayor of the City of Hartford. “During his tenure as Interim Executive Director, Marcus demonstrated he has the energy, vision, and depth of knowledge to lead the land bank into its next chapter,” said Melvyn Colon, Board Chair. “The Board is confident that under his continued leadership, the Hartford Land Bank will further drive neighborhood impact and build equity and financial opportunity for local developers and homeowners.”   Marcus is co-chair of the Frog Hollow NRZ (Neighborhood Revitalization Zone) and serves on the board of The Betty Knox Foundation. He consulted for the land bank during its first round of property acquisition and was a member of the land bank’s inaugural Developer Cohort Program in 2021. The Hartford Land Bank Executive Director manages the organization and plans and implements programs to efficiently advance HLB’s mission.   You can read the full press release on the News page of our website: https://lnkd.in/gyBEd3jn

Thank you to FOX61/CW20 and CTNewsJunkie for covering Tuesday's Ribbon Cutting and Open House (links in comments). Despite the hot weather, City and State dignitaries, community partners, and Enfield Street neighbors gathered to celebrate the transformation of this formerly blighted building. This former Hartford Land Bank property – a circa 1925 wood-frame three-family home in Hartford’s Northeast neighborhood – was restored over the past eight months by Hartford-based developers Tex Sampson and Damian Turner. This is Tex’s second HLB property, he previously restored a three-family rental at 103 Earle Street. This three-family house had great bones but after years of sitting vacant, it was full of debris, had water damage and wood rot, and had become home to a variety of birds and animals. Tex and Damian purchased the property in October of 2023 and cleaned out the interior, replaced the siding and dilapidated front porches, installed new framing, patched and restored flooring, installed brand-new bathrooms and kitchens, and completely updated the electrical, plumbing, and heating systems. It is now a modernized three-family home ready for new tenants as soon as July 1. #blightremediation #thefutureofrealestate #urbandevelopment #neighborhoodbuilders #economicdevelopment

🏠 Please join us for a Ribbon Cutting and Open House at 297-299 Enfield Street on Tuesday, June 18 at 11:00 a.m. This former Hartford Land Bank property – a circa 1925 wood-frame three-family home in Hartford’s Northeast neighborhood – was restored over the past eight months by Hartford-based developers Tex Sampson and Damian Turner. This is Tex’s second HLB property, he previously restored a three-family rental at 103 Earle Street. This three-family house had great bones but after years of sitting vacant, it was full of debris, had water damage and wood rot, and had become home to a variety of birds and animals. Tex and Damian purchased the property in October of 2023 and cleaned out the interior, replaced the siding and dilapidated front porches, installed new framing, patched and restored flooring, installed brand-new bathrooms and kitchens, and completely updated the electrical, plumbing, and heating systems. It is now a modernized three-family home ready for new tenants as soon as July 1. Come check out this amazing transformation and stay tuned for more in 2024! #blightremediation #thefutureofrealestate #urbandevelopment #neighborhoodbuilders #economicdevelopment