BATH – Efforts to restore derelict properties in Steuben County are under way, with Arbor Development recently selected by the Steuben County Land Bank Corporation Board of Directors to handle the day-to-day management of the land bank. Arbor, the sole bidder, was awarded a two-year contract for $62,000 and is expected to have management of an estimated eight to 10 derelict properties. The specific properties have yet to be determined and will be culled from properties recommended by the county Finance Department and municipalities in Steuben. Plans are to restore the properties to marketable conditions, with proceeds from sales returned to the land bank for future restorations. The stand-alone corporation, approved by the Steuben Legislature in late April, received $500,000 from funds secured by State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman’s settlements with the nation’s largest banks over misconduct that contributed to the housing crisis.
