Washington County Land Bank

What Washington County Land Bank does

Washington County Land Bank (WCLB) is a public entity created on March 3, 2016 by the Washington County Commissioners pursuant to the Pennsylvania Land Bank Act. It operates in partnership with the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington (RACW), which provides professional staff and administrative support from headquarters at 90 West Chestnut Street, Suite 700, Washington, PA. WCLB acquires vacant, abandoned, foreclosed, and tax-delinquent properties across Washington County and returns them to productive use through rehabilitation, demolition, side-lot disposition, and new construction, with the stated objective of deterring blight, stabilizing neighborhoods, and strengthening the county's tax base.

WCLB serves three primary customer segments: 16 participating municipalities (cities, boroughs, and townships within Washington County), school districts, and individual property buyers/developers. The organization distributes properties through a public listing platform with categories including Residential, Commercial, Side Lots, and Industrial, alongside a standardized purchase application. Sold properties have ranged from $1 (donations for demolition) to $135,000 (land-bank-remodeled residential houses), with Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) partners receiving referrals for new home construction projects.

WCLB is funded through municipal participation fees (per a published fee schedule), proceeds from property sales, and a one-time federal pandemic recovery stimulus allocation of up to $12 million for a countywide blight program. Public outcome claims include $11 million/year in municipal cost savings, $9 million/year in recovered tax revenue, $8-10 million/year in property value recovery, and $8 million/year in economic development investment recovery. The entity is governed by a board chaired by Paul Scarmazzi, with no publicly disclosed revenue figures, no technology product, and no AI capabilities.

Name

Washington County Land Bank

Legal name

Washington County Land Bank

Website

https://wclandbank.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Washington County Land Bank is a Pennsylvania public entity that acquires vacant, blighted, and tax-delinquent properties across Washington County and returns them to productive use, serving 16 participating municipalities, school districts, and individual property buyers through partnership with the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Bank / Public Real Estate Asset Management

NAICS

Lessors of Other Real Estate Property (53119)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552), Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Renewal, Brownfield Redevelopment & Land Reuse (BPAIANAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Property & Asset Management (Federal Buildings, Fleet, Land) (BPAIAAAJ), Brownfield Redevelopment & Land Reclamation (Cleanup for Reuse, Risk-Based Closure) (EUAIALAI)

Keywords

• Land bank services
• Blight mitigation
• Vacant property acquisition
• Property redevelopment
• Community revitalization

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Washington County Land Bank is a public entity that acquires blighted, vacant, abandoned, foreclosed, and tax-delinquent properties across Washington County, Pennsylvania, and returns them to productive use through rehabilitation, demolition, side lot disposition, and new construction partnerships. It sells properties to buyers, developers, and Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) for reuse, with prices historically ranging from $1 to $135,000, and supports municipalities with blight mitigation and inventory management.

Product overview

Washington County Land Bank (WCLB) is a public entity created in March 2016 pursuant to the Pennsylvania Land Bank Act. Rather than a technology product company, WCLB operates as a land bank focused on real estate acquisition, management, and property revitalization. The organization offers a property listing platform where municipalities and the public can view and purchase available properties. Property categories include Residential, Commercial, Side Lots, and Industrial properties. Services include blight mitigation, property inventory management, demolition, and property redevelopment. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and operated in partnership with the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington (RACW).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Property Disposition Sale of acquired residential properties to individuals, owner-occupants, and developers via the land bank Property Purchase Application. Properties are offered for owner-rehabilitation, side lot combination, or new home construction through CHDO partners.
• Commercial Property Disposition Sale of acquired commercial buildings and lots to developers, side lot owners, and municipal buyers. Properties are typically offered for owner-rehabilitation, demolition, or donation for borough-led demolition projects.
• Side Lot Disposition Sale of cleared side lots created through demolition of blighted residential or commercial structures to adjacent property owners for lot consolidation and yard expansion.
• Industrial Property Disposition Listing and disposition of acquired industrial properties to qualified buyers for redevelopment or productive reuse within Washington County.
• Blight Mitigation and Inventory Management County-wide identification, acquisition, demolition, and inventory management of blighted, vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties on behalf of the 16 participating municipalities.
• Municipal Participation Program Formal program allowing municipalities and school districts in Washington County to participate in the land bank by paying participation fees per the published Municipal Participation Fee Schedule, gaining access to property acquisition and disposition services.
• CHDO New Home Construction Partnership Program Referral and partnership program through which Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) build new homes on land bank-acquired properties within Washington County.

Quantifiable outcome

• $11 million/year in direct cost savings for municipalities for blight-related services
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington (RACW)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2016RACW is the parent organization and administrative partner for the Washington County Land Bank. The land bank operates in partnership with RACW, which provides professional staff support and administrative services. RACW is located at 90 West Chestnut Street, Suite 700, Washington, PA 15301.
• Charleroi BoroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program. Collaborates on blight reduction initiatives and property disposition within the borough.
• East Bethlehem TownshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program working on blight mitigation and property revitalization.
• Marianna BoroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program for blight reduction and property management.
• West Brownsville BoroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program for blight reduction and property revitalization.
• Burgettstown BoroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program working on blight mitigation.
• Twilight BoroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program for blight reduction.
• West Bethlehem TownshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program working on blight mitigation and property management.
• Fallowfield TownshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program for blight reduction.
• Canonsburg BoroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program for blight reduction and property disposition.
• East Washington BoroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program working on blight mitigation.
• City of WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor participating municipality and county seat in the Washington County Land Bank program. Home to headquarters of RACW and land bank.
• Chartiers TownshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program for blight reduction.
• California BoroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program working on blight mitigation.
• Carroll TownshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program for blight reduction.
• Donora BoroughcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program working on blight mitigation.
• City of MonongahelacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating municipality in the Washington County Land Bank program for blight reduction.
• CHDO Partners (Community Housing Development Organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Housing Development Organizations partner with the land bank to build new homes on acquired properties. CHDO partners receive referrals for construction projects as documented in sold properties listings.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Washington County Land Bank