The Monroe County commissioners voted this week to designate the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Monroe as a land bank to repurpose abandoned properties.

The commissioners also awarded the new land bank $210,000 over three years as seed money for the program.

The land bank is a collaborative effort between the Pocono Mountain School District, the Mount Pocono borough and the county, Chairman John Moyer said.

During the discussion, Redevelopment Authority director Martha Robbins described the purpose of the land bank.

Many neighborhoods in Monroe County have one or more dilapidated homes, Robbins said.

“These abandoned properties create a vortex of energy, lower property values, and ultimately lower our sense of community,” she continued.

Land banks fight this trend by buying these properties, demolishing them if necessary, rehabilitating them, and selling them to people who can use them, Robbins said.

“We are not looking to be that cure for blight or that magical solution that some communities may expect to single-handedly uproot systemic blight,” Robbins said.

“We are looking to offer this useful tool to municipalities to effectively fight blight, rehabilitate properties, and improve neighborhoods and communities while saving the county money.”

Under Pennsylvania law, land banks have priority bid powers on properties with county approval and can petition to more easily resolve title issues, consultant Chris Gulotta said.

Land banks can negotiate to reduce property liens to the fair market value of the property, Gulotta added.

The land bank needs funding, especially initially, Robbins said. A portion will be raised by tax agreements with the county, school district and borough that give the land bank half of the tax revenue raised on properties it sells for the first five years after the sale.

The land bank will keep the proceeds from rehabilitated property sales to fund future projects.

Moyer said the land bank may also be able to draw from a fund of about $400,000 already in reserve for demolitions that is funded by a small tax on deed transfers.

The land bank will also seek grant funding.

Gulotta said the land bank will look to municipalities for suggestions on which properties to repurpose, and will transparently list these properties on a public website.

During the discussion, Mount Pocono Mayor Michael Penn spoke in support of the land bank, citing property values and safety benefits.

Chief Financial Officer Joe Colozza of the Pocono Mountain School District said the board still has to approve the school district’s partnership with the Land Bank.

Colozza said this project will help the school district because the district depends on families moving into and staying in the area. And creating a nicer community encourages people to stay.