MONTICELLO – Sullivan County is preparing an application to the state Empire State Development Corporation to establish a land bank as a way to stabilize vacant, abandoned and derelict properties.
County Manager Joshua Potosek said properties would be sold once barriers are eliminated to redevelopment.
“It would address some blight that we have in some abandoned, vacant properties; primarily our focus would be the villages of Monticello and Liberty initially, and trying to rehabilitate some neighborhoods and try to get some workforce housing and housing back into some of our downtowns,” Potosek said.
The county would like interested members of the community to apply to be on the board of directors.
The only other municipality in the greater region to have a land bank is the City of Newburgh.
