Mayor Sheffield and DLBA Announce Reforms to Property Access Plan

Detroit Land Bank Reforms Target Property Access and Resident Equity

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield and Detroit Land Bank Authority (DLBA) CEO Tammy Daniels announced a sweeping five-point reform plan today, aiming to dismantle the bureaucratic hurdles that have long frustrated city residents.

The “Rise Higher” initiative seeks to pivot the agency away from complex, opaque processes and toward a model that prioritizes community stability and resident-led neighborhood investment.

Since its 2014 restructuring, the DLBA has managed a massive portfolio, facilitating the sale and renovation of 15,000 vacant homes and the transaction of 35,000 side lots. A recent study showed that the work of the Land Bank has resulted in a net $2 billion gain in home wealth for Detroiters. Despite these figures, residents have consistently reported that the path to purchasing and renovating these properties remains unnecessarily difficult.

“During my years on City Council, I heard resident frustrations on a regular basis and now am in a position to be able to bring about many of the changes they have asked for,” Mayor Sheffield said during the announcement.

The Rise Higher plan centers on clearing the deck. Mayor Sheffield has ordered the release of “holds” on 16,000 DLBA properties, making them immediately available for sale to the public. To ensure transparency, the city is launching a new portal that maps all 56,000 DLBA parcels, clearly identifying which properties are available and providing the specific rationale for any remaining holds.

City Provides Grants for Property Rehabilitation

For many potential homeowners, the challenge has not just been finding a property, but securing the capital to bring it up to code. The city is establishing a $1.5M “Finish Line” grant program, alongside a separate $1.5M Emergency Resource Assistance fund for occupants of properties acquired through the Occupied Buy Back program. These grants are designed to help buyers pay the often-prohibitive costs of property rehabilitation.

The DLBA is also tightening its vetting process. Future purchasers of distressed homes will undergo more rigorous financial reviews to ensure they have the capacity to complete renovations. To bridge the gap between expectation and reality, the agency will now offer free tours, allowing prospective buyers to inspect the actual condition of a property before committing to a purchase.

NAP Transitions to a Referral-Only Model

The Nuisance Abatement Program (NAP)—a frequent point of contention for neighborhood groups—is changing fundamentally. The DLBA will transition to a referral-only model, ending the practice of surveying neighborhoods for troubled properties.

Moving forward, the program will only process referrals from residents, registered community groups, City Council, or other municipal departments. Under the Sheffield Administration, the NAP will no longer be applied to occupied homes under any circumstances, a move intended to protect vulnerable residents from displacement.

In a notable expansion of the Land Bank’s mission, the agency is committing $6M to rehabilitate 75 homes. Through a partnership with the Homeless Action Network of Detroit (HAND), who acts as the city’s Continuum of Care, these properties will provide more than 170 beds of temporary housing.

This initiative addresses a critical gap in the city’s shelter capacity, exacerbated by recent changes to federal HUD regulations that limited available supportive housing.

Reforms Aim to Foster Generational Wealth

The economic stakes of these reforms are high. By lowering the barrier to entry for individual Detroiters, the city aims to foster generational wealth and stabilize neighborhoods that have struggled with vacancy.

Councilmember Mary Waters expressed support for the initiative, saying the goal is to improve housing affordability and ensure that families can use property ownership to build long-term equity. The administration expects these changes to be the first in a series of updates, with additional reforms to the Intergovernmental Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding with the Land Bank planned in the coming months.

The success of the Rise Higher plan will ultimately be measured by the speed at which these 16,000 properties move from the Land Bank’s ledger into the hands of residents. With winter approaching, the immediate focus remains on the rapid deployment of temporary housing resources and the successful launch of the new, simplified application portal at the official Detroit Land Bank Authority website.

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