By Tim Rowland
An Essex County Land Bank initiative could result in more than 25 long-term apartment rentals, primarily in vacant upper stories of commercial buildings located on former industrial hamlets struggling to return to economic health.
At the same time, the land bank announced a pilot project that would demolish blighted buildings that are public eyesores, as well as health and safety risks.
Both are designed to put a new face on shopworn hamlets and take advantage of new state funding programs as agencies seek to reinvigorate declining communities and provide affordable long-term housing. The Essex County Land Bank, which was created in 2023 and operates under the auspices of the North Country Rural Development Coalition, will apply for and distribute the funding.
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Nicole Justice Green, executive director of the land bank, said the money will ultimately benefit both renters who are not ready or unable to buy homes, and business owners whose rental units are in need of maintenance. “This ensures safe and code-compliant housing, and the owner also receives a boost to their livelihood,” Justice Green said.
Available long term rentals have all but ceased to exist in many Essex County communities, as short-term rentals have swallowed up housing inventory and the cost of maintaining apartments has gotten ahead of property owners, particularly during the pandemic when evictions for nonpayment were not allowed.
“We get calls all the time from people wondering what rentals are available,” Justice Green said. “Apartments are almost like a lottery.”
In Ticonderoga, for example, those wanting to rent might be new hires at the Sylvamo paper mill, traveling nurses or young people just starting out, a demographic that is in need of housing, but also one that can be the life blood of a downtown. They tend to be younger, appreciative of nightlife and desirous of shopping and eating in a town’s commercial center.
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“In order to become economically viable, you have to have people living in your downtown,” Justice Green said. “They are more a part of the community fabric and they support the economy year-round. Having a strong economy for just three months out of the year is not sustainable.”
In a 2023 report on housing, the Adirondack Foundation came to similar conclusions, stating that the lack of housing was driving people away from the region, which in turn diminished the labor pool, thus stunting local businesses.
“As a result, we haven’t been able to fully capitalize on the recent opportunity presented by pandemic-driven migration and relocation,” the report stated.
To address the housing shortage, Justice Green said it makes sense to rehabilitate the considerable number of empty or underutilized properties before building new.
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The land-bank program offers building owners $50,000 to $75,000 per unit, enough to modernize the apartments and bring them up to code. Along with upper floors, multi-unit apartment buildings are also eligible, but to qualify for funding the apartments must be vacant.
The exact scope of the initiative won’t be known until the land bank gauges the amount of interest from property owners, who have until Aug. 30 to apply. Justice Green said she believes the project will come in at about $2 million overall. Those interested can email [email protected] or phone 518-585-6366.
The pilot demolition program, meanwhile, is intended to clear blighted buildings that are beyond repair. If property owners were unable to afford to maintain the buildings, they are unlikely to be able to afford tear-down costs either, which can be considerable, particularly in the presence of asbestos or other toxic material.
So as not to be a giveaway to developers, the lots under the program must remain vacant for five years after demolition or be parlayed into affordable housing.
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According to the Center for Community Progress, the eradication of a blighted building can have an outsized effect on community well-being. Aside from being a safety risk, blight has also been found to escalate crime, devalue neighboring properties, reduce community wealth, lead to higher insurance cost, lower the tax base and harm mental health.
“Removing blight does a lot more for a community than make it prettier,” Justice Green said.
Pictured above: Abandoned house in the Town of Jay that will be rehabbed by Essex County. Photo by Tim Rowland
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