Hartford’s blight remediation director is leaving her city position after three years to lead the newly formed Hartford Land Bank, the very resource she helped develop to reclaim vacant, tax-delinquent and neglected properties.
Laura Settlemyer became Hartford’s first blight czar in 2016, bringing experience in the revitalization of distressed neighborhoods and properties in Flint, Michigan, Detroit and New Orleans. Starting this month, she’ll serve as executive director of the new nonprofit, the first such land bank in Connecticut created to return blighted properties to safe and decent condition, and get them back on the tax rolls.
The mayor plans to fill Settlemyer’s position, city spokesman Vasishth Srivastava said.
“We are excited to get the Land Bank up and running, and Laura Settlemyer is a great choice to lead its efforts,” Mayor Luke Bronin said. “In her three years with the city, she helped us reduce blight and create a framework to make an even bigger impact going forward. The City and the Land Bank will work closely not only to get properties fixed up, but also to get them into the hands of residents and people who will care for their homes and invest in our community.”
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