The City and County legal teams are currently exploring the contents of a potential Intergovernmental Agreement, which would allow the two entities to jointly form a Land Bank at the County level. CenterState CEO is assisting in the process, largely through their partnership with Dan Kildee and his team from the Center for Community Progress (the Ford Foundation has supported CenterState CEO’s continued work with them). At this point, they are providing some guidance on legal issues. Once the State introduces the rules and regulations related to Land Banks, and have the paperwork submitted, Dan and his team will return to Syracuse to assist in the implementation process. There is not too much that can be done, however, until the rules and regs are released. This is expected to happen before the year is over. For a recent article on New York’s Land Bank initiative click here: http://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/news/articles/2011/10/DEVELOPMENT-New-Yorks-new-tool-for-troubled-properties/