Years after buying home, Detroit couple caught in aftermath from land bank deal

February 26, 2026

A Detroit couple, Emily Weiss and Gabrielle Durnen, discovered nearly four years after purchasing their home that the Detroit Land Bank Authority claimed interest in their property, threatening to take it away due to an undisclosed agreement from a decade-old mass land sale to developer John Hantz. The situation stems from a 2013 deal where Hantz acquired roughly 2,000 properties with obligations to rehabilitate or demolish them before selling, but these requirements weren't properly fulfilled before homes were resold to individual buyers through intermediary developers. After weeks of pressure and media inquiry, the land bank reversed course and agreed to release its claim on the couple's home, though the incident highlights systemic problems with how the agency makes special arrangements with large developers that create unequal treatment and legal vulnerabilities for ordinary homebuyers.

Who is affected

Emily Weiss and Gabrielle Durnen (homeowners who received notice threatening to take their property)
Four other properties/homeowners who received similar December letters from the land bank
Detroit residents generally who purchase homes formerly owned by the Detroit Land Bank Authority
The Woodland Initiative and developer Brad Byarski (sold the property to the couple)
Chirco Title Agency, Inc. (handled the sale and provided the warranty deed)
John Hantz and Hantz Farms, LLC (original developer who acquired 2,000 properties from the city)
Other developers with large land bank deals including Bedford Development, Ron Castellano, Century Partners, and The Platform
VOJ Holdings LLC (Florida-based company that owns two of the affected properties)
Glenn Prentice (owns one of the affected properties)

What action is being taken

The Detroit Land Bank Authority is planning to relinquish its interest in Weiss and Durnen's property (as of early February)
The land bank has been trying to resolve outstanding issues with Hantz Farms for two years to get properties into compliance and reduce blight
Weiss and Durnen spent time looking for a lawyer

Why it matters

This situation matters because it exposes systemic inequities in how the Detroit Land Bank Authority operates, where large developers receive special deals and flexible terms that aren't available to ordinary residents trying to buy homes. The case demonstrates that even homebuyers who follow all proper procedures—obtaining warranty deeds and using title companies—can still face the threat of losing their homes due to the land bank's preferential treatment of developers and inadequate monitoring of compliance requirements. The incident raises due process concerns since not everyone is afforded the same procedures, and it undermines the land bank's stated mission of promoting homeownership and neighborhood revitalization when families who want to simply live in a home face legal vulnerabilities that developers don't experience. Housing advocates emphasize that the land bank should prioritize protecting land for residents rather than accommodating private developers and industrial interests, especially given the agency's critical role in managing Detroit's massive inventory of formerly vacant and foreclosed properties.

What's next

The land bank is planning to relinquish its interest in Weiss and Durnen's property (though as of February 25, the couple had not yet received proof of the release)
The land bank needs to provide updates on the status of the four other homes that received December letters

Read full article from source: bridgedetroit.com