The Waterbury Land Bank identifies
property that can be acquired, stabilized, and repurposed, to help improve quality of life for people in our proud and growing City. Featuring activities that help catalyze neighborhood improvement, reduce conditions of blight, and advance existing community improvement plans – the WLB wants to partner in revitalizing property that yields rewards for yourself and our citizens.
Contrary to what the name would suggest, land banks are not financial institutions. Land banks are public, or not-for-profit, or community-owned, entities that are created to acquire, manage, maintain, or repurpose vacant, abandoned, or foreclosed properties.
Land banks are public authorities or non-profit organizations created to acquire, hold, manage, and occasionally redevelop property to return the land to good, productive use. This allows it to meet community goals and increase affordable housing or stabilize property values.
Land banking developed in the early 1920s and 1930s as a way of making low-priced land available for housing and ensuring orderly development. Following the period of deindustrialization in the U.S., there was a wave of suburbanization. This left many American cities with increasingly large numbers of vacant, blighted property. These abandoned properties caused many problems for local communities, including fire and safety hazards, and so municipalities turned to banking as a way to acquire vacant land and put it back to productive use.
A land bank can sell or acquire property, and utilize land in a way that reflects a community’s priorities.
Land banks can help convert problem areas and properties in cities into positive areas of economic development. They maintain, develop, demolish, or sell the land to ensure it is utilized to its maximum ability.
For more information on Land Banking, please visit the Center for Community Progress and then add a link to Center for Community Progress.
“To strengthen neighborhoods by returning distressed property to productive use, promoting economic development, increasing real property values, and improving the quality of life for Waterbury residents” is contingent upon our basic core values.
*Waterbury Land Bank is a not for profit 501c3 organization.
The Waterbury Land Bank (WLB) Board of Directors perform a regional search for the first Executive Director for the Waterbury Land Bank Authority. In July 2022, Nancy M. MacMillan was selected as the first Executive Director.
In October 2022, the newly hired Executive Director established the WLB offices at 207-231 Bank Street in Waterbury. Located on the 3rd floor, the office is part of the Buckingham Place historic district.
Waterbury announces ordinance authorizing creation of the Waterbury Land Bank Authority with the initial slate of directors. A Certificate of Incorporation and bylaws are also drafted, aligning closely with state law, in preparation for forming the Waterbury Land Bank.
In 2021, a study was conducted by the Center for Community Progress regarding the land-related opportunities in Waterbury.
Findings of the report included the recommendation for the City to create a Land Bank.
In the summer of 2019, the City of Waterbury lobbied the Connecticut legislature – with HB 7277, An Act Concerning the Creation of Land Bank Authorities, being signed into law by Governor Lamont.
After becoming law, Dan Pesce, Captain Lauer, the Harold Webster Smith Foundation, and Waterbury Mayor Neil O’Leary visited Newburgh, New York, to meet with their land bank staff and to examine the success that they have had.
Concurrently, a collection of over 30,000 parcels were surveyed, leading to the creation of a database dedicated to the number and condition of residential properties in Waterbury.
With momentum building, the first step in establishing the Waterbury Land Bank was the creation of land
bank legislation.
Through the recommendation endorsement, and subsequent support, by the Harold Webster Smith Foundation, Jim Smith, and Cathy Smith, the City of Waterbury hired Dan Pesce as Community Development Planner in 2019.
Pesce worked with community groups and the Waterbury Neighborhood Council to assess needs and streamline blight remediation efforts.
The Waterbury Land Bank Advisory Committee forms to organize the Waterbury Land Bank as a quasi-municipal government body. Progress is made to develop a memorandum of understanding, process documents, and related operational materials.
City staff and volunteers conduct a housing conditions assessment to identify and begin prioritizing interventions on residential buildings in Waterbury. Data is gathered, mapped, and stored in a software system purchased to support the land bank.
The Connecticut Blight Remediation Coalition begins meeting to share information and coordinate local government action around community revitalization. The Coalition, now known as the Connecticut Vibrant Communities Coalition (CVCC) starts with Waterbury and Hartford, with funding from HWSF and staffing by Local Initiatives Support Coalition (LISC). At present, it includes 14 municipal and nonprofit organizations.
HWSF also paid for Frank Alexander to come to CT to present on land banks in October.
In November, Center for Community Progress holds a Vacant, Abandoned, and Dilapidated (VAD) Academy in Hartford, CT to share technical assistance and build capacity for local governments to coordinate anti-blight and community revitalization activities. In December, Center for Community Progress issues a technical report with recommendations for Waterbury to address blight. A land bank is recommended among several other strategies. The City begins implementing recommendations and continues efforts underway that are validated by the report.
Plan for Conservation and Development adopted to guide next decade of land use. Land bank is featured as a recommendation for assisting city implement various land use strategies. Harold Webster Smith Foundation (HWSF) contracts with Center for Community Progress to review Waterbury strategies for addressing blight. HWSF subsequently provides seed capital for City to hire Community Development Planner to implement some of CCP's recommendations.
City continues to execute strategic demolitions of dilapidated properties with close coordination across city departments.
In April, Mayor O'Leary forms Blight Task Force under leadership of Lt. Dan Lauer of Waterbury Police Department to formalize its anti-blight strategy and improve coordination of resources. Work continues on targeted residential demolitions, neighborhood clean-ups, and aggressive action against negligent property owners. City also undertakes aggressive repurposing off numerous brownfield sites, which continues through the next decade.
Nancy M. MacMillan’s experience is unique in that she has a background in both the public and private sectors, working in the “for profit” and “not for profit” industries, in real estate, affordable housing development, community development, and county government. Nancy graduated from Saint John’s University in Jamaica, New York with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. Her original aspirations were to go to Law School at St John’s University but after graduation, she pursued a career in commercial real estate appraising, obtaining a General Certified Real Estate Appraiser License with the State of New York.
As a commercial real estate appraiser, Nancy analyzed commercial real estate including the analysis of valuation, budgets, taxes/assessment, feasibility studies, and market trends. Nancy appraised commercial property for a New York based firm and traveled throughout the United States, appraising real property on a national basis. This analytical ability will assist the Mayor’s Office in repurposing blighted property and returning them to viable uses for the City.
Ms. MacMillan’s work experience employed in Westchester County Government as Director of Housing in the Planning Dept was an invaluable experience in working in local Government, working alongside the County Executive’s office, and Board of Legislators, underwriting and analyzing projects for grants or loans provided by the County. Nancy administered Westchester County funds in affordable housing, community development, and county infrastructure. Her department was responsible for the asset management of over 1500 properties which received grants/loans provided by the County.
As Director of Real Estate Development in New Haven for Common Ground Community, a NYC based not for profit supportive housing development organization, Nancy was the Director who managed their New Haven Office. This was her first opportunity to fulfill a life passion to develop affordable housing. She established a professional development team of qualified professionals, locally in CT and redeveloped the Historic Hollander Building on Asylum Ave in Hartford. This historic building was vacant for years until Common Ground acquired it and it was redeveloped into a 76 unit, $20M mixed-use, mixed-income, historic rehab, and LEADS certified project…the first in City of Hartford. This project was her first exposure to the leveraging of funds process that is involved in applications to CHFA and DECD as well as the City of Hartford and leveraged financing which included LIHTC, HOME, and CDBG Funds, as well as, State Historic Tax Credits. With the partnership of Yale School of Architecture, the West Haven Veterans Administration, and the Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund, Nancy was the team leader with Common Ground in creating the first home ownership model for Common Ground Community whereby the Yale students designed and built several two-family homes for moderate- and low-income families. It was the first concept/model for female veterans.
As Executive Director for Loyola Development Corporation in the City of Waterbury, Ms. MacMillan assisted in the revitalization of the South End Neighborhood, and developed Liberty Commons, an affordable housing project for families, on South Main Street. This neighborhood consisted of many blighted buildings which were demolished by Loyola/Carabetta prior to the development of Liberty Commons. Working along side the City, the Carabetta Organization, and the South End Neighborhood Association, she and her Board of Directors addressed distressed properties on South Main Street and developed affordable housing for low income/moderate income families.
Stewardship of the Waterbury Land Bank is provided by a group of local volunteers.
Fred is a former Board of Alderman for the City of Waterbury, and President of Neoperl – a
manufacturer/distributor for the faucet and water industry.
James is the retired President and Chief Executive Officer of New Opportunities – a community action agency serving Waterbury and cities/towns across Connecticut.
Maggie is an Attorney with Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey.
Dan is Captain of the City of Waterbury Police Department, and an active member in numerous community organizations.
Robert is the retired Senior Vice President of Webster Bank, and active member of the Harold Webster Smith Foundation.
Gawdys is the Director of Vocational, Education & Training at New Opportunities – serving a vast range of populations in the local community.
Joel is the Chief Executive Officer of Torrco – a family-owned leader in plumbing, piping, HVAC, kitchen & bath solutions based in Waterbury.