Many properties in Birmingham have become unmarketable and, in turn, unusable because the properties are burdened by the piling on of various sorts of government-created liens (tax liens, weed liens, demolition liens, etc.) Over time, property owners lose interest in maintaining the property because the property becomes a financial liability, rather than an asset. As our neighborhoods accumulate more and more of these properties, instances of nuisances mutate into areas of blight. However, thanks to legislation that authorized local land banks in Alabama, the good news is that it does not have to stay that way. Led by Senator Linda Coleman, the State Legislature passed a 2013 amendment to the Alabama Land Bank Authority Act that authorized local land bank authorities to be formed by municipalities or counties. Through its lien-stripping powers, local land bank authorities now could return the property to productive use, even if the property was “upside down” because of high liens relative to the value of the property. In 2014, the City of Birmingham incorporated the first local land bank authority in Alabama with the creation of the Birmingham Land Bank Authority (BLBA). The BLBA strives to empower the citizens of Birmingham with a tool to take charge of their neighborhoods in the battle against the abundance of blighted, overgrown and abandoned properties. The City of Birmingham is littered with thousands of blighted properties that act as a nuisance to those who matter most, the citizens. The City of Birmingham is tasked with maintaining these thousands of properties that do not belong to the City, but to absent and delinquent owners. BLBA programs provide these citizens with the opportunity to reclaim and renovate eligible vacant properties. Through the BLBA General Request program, citizens, in cooperation with the BLBA, can take eligible properties, that have been tax-delinquent for at least five (5) years, through the quiet title process to work towards achieving full ownership of properties. If you find yourself not yet prepared to take on the costs of our general request program, you have the option to participate in our Side-Lot and Adopt-a-Lot programs which operate as two year leases on the property. These two programs provide the participant with an option at the end of the term to pursue either a statutory warranty deed (full ownership) or a quitclaim deed (limited rights) to the property. The BLBA also partners with city departments and community organizations to carry out catalytic development projects that adhere to each area's framework plans. We encourage citizens and community organizations to learn about our programming and to join the front lines as good stewards of the land in Birmingham. We hope that you will join us and take advantage of our programming as we continue to expand. It is imperative that our citizens take advantage of programs such as the BLBA so that their neighborhoods can thrive in adherence to their wishes and plans. Our board meets on the first Thursday of each month at 2:00pm. View our listing of eligible properties at www.birminghamlandbank.org
Contact us with your questions at [email protected]
Director, Caroline Douglas
