How a promising idea to fight Baltimore vacants with a ‘land bank’ fizzled out

A proposal that many advocates saw as a pivotal tool for fixing up thousands of vacant properties across Baltimore went down at Monday night’s City Council meeting with barely a fizzle. Councilwoman Odette Ramos has championed legislation to establish a “land bank” in Baltimore for well over a year, arguing that the specialized authority would be better equipped than City Hall to clear complex title issues and move blighted properties into the hands of responsible developers.