All interested Extension Professionals are invited to join an informational meeting to learn about a new collaborative program, the Ohio Land Exchange (OH/LEX), designed to assist stakeholders in planning and implementing reuse strategies for vacant and abandoned land, a growing health and wellness issue for communities across Ohio. Knowlton School of City and Regional Planning faculty will provide an overview of the program, how it works, and how it can make an impact in your community. Join this one-hour, online meeting on Friday, March 10 at 10 a.m. at carmenconnect.osu.edu/ohlex/.
Vacant lots, many contaminated, have become a community health issue for cities throughout Ohio. More than 20 cities with populations over 20,000 have seen significant declines in population over the last 30 years, making them “shrinking” or “legacy” cities (Greater Ohio Policy Center, 2016). In 2010, in response to this issue, the Ohio legislature made the formation of county land reutilization corporations (land banks) possible for 44 of Ohio’s most populous counties. As of 2016, 40 of the 44 have formed land banks and are beginning to acquire, plan for and dispose of vacant lots. The Knowlton School has developed the Ohio Land Exchange (OH/LEX), a collaborative process designed to assist communities in engaging a broad range of stakeholders in the planning for and implementing reuse strategies for vacant and abandoned land. The process was developed over the past 2 years and has been successfully implemented as a pilot program in Lima, OH. They have been awarded a Connect and Collaborate grant to extend the program to counties throughout Ohio by partnering with Extension and the local land banks.
A workshop is being planned for the May/June timeframe to train Extension professionals about the program/curriculum. The workshop will consist of:
- an overview of the program
- simulation exercise
- environmental and regulatory process
- logistics and tools (an online land/reuse matching tool is being developed)
We are reaching out to identify interested Extension professionals who have an interest in learning about and implementing the LH/LEX process in their communities.
For more information, contact:
Nancy Bowen-Ellzey
Field Specialist, Community Economics
419-203-4148
bowen-ellzey.1@osu.edu