Kosciusko Street House Leveled by Land Bank
Industry Update
January 8, 2024
Source: lakecountystar.com
A long-vacant home in Manistee’s Maxwelltown neighborhood has been torn down.
Demolition by Swidorski Bros. Excavating LLC began Monday morning at the property, located at 1001 Kosciusko St.
The city of Manistee agreed to transfer ownership of the Kosciusko Street property to the Manistee County Land Bank Authority in early 2023.
The city had purchased the property with the intent to renovate the roughly 100-year-old building, but its condition precluded rehabilitation.
“It was over 60% that needed to be torn down. Typically 40% is kind of where you could still rehab it,” said Bill Gambill, city manager, during a January 2023 city council meeting.
A blight elimination grant, worth $54,648, was awarded to remove the building, along with others at 530 Davis St. and 616 Engelman St. in Manistee.
The grant program, administered by the State Land Bank Authority, provided $21.55 million in funding to address vacant, abandoned and deteriorated properties across Michigan. County land banks were eligible for a guaranteed minimum allocation of $200,000, as long as a completed application with eligible projects was submitted.
Demolition of the properties at Kosciusko and Davis streets could clear the way for future developments, according to Rachel Nelson, Manistee County Land Bank Authority chair.
“…With the two that the land bank owns, we would love to then look at maybe building new housing on those properties,” Nelson had said during a Jan. 17 city council meeting.
Should zoning ordinances preclude rebuilding on either of those two properties, Nelson had said the land bank would pursue other uses by “thinking outside the box.”
“If we can’t rebuild, what’s the most effective use of that property for the community then? Is it a community garden? Is it renting that to the neighbor?” she said. “We’re definitely not just going to let it sit and be nothing, although maybe that’s the best use. That could be, but we’d like to do something and make it a real community asset either way.
“… The land bank would retain ownership,” Nelson continued. “If we build then obviously it would be sold after that happens and then it would just be back to being privately owned at that point.”
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