Read & Watch the Full Feature Here.
By Mikayla Kelly
Published: Feb. 17, 2026 at 11:16 PM EST
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – The governing body heard the 2025 annual report from the Topeka Land Bank at the Feb. 17 council meeting, highlighting the first sale and several properties they would like to see sold soon.
The push started back in 2024. The purpose of Topeka’s Land Bank is to take unused homes and turn them into livable, usable, and affordable properties.
In 2025, the bank returned a previously sold parcel at 1326 Fillmore, but did execute a sale to Sent Topeka for 1.5 acres of property at 1332 SE 18th Terrace.
The development agreement is going to require that permits for the proposed housing be pulled by the Dec. of 2028 and that the development is completed by Dec. of 2030.
Nine properties remain in the inventory, all located in or around central Topeka.
The properties were acquired through intergovernmental transfer.
“The city of Topeka previously owned all of these properties except the Lauren’s Bay properties,” Sr. Management Analyst Quinn Cole explained. “There has been growing interest as time goes on, we are seeing more, but it’s still a brand new program, and we’re trying to get the word out there.”
City leaders are hopeful this will gain traction and assist with the affordable housing issue, a concern of many citizens.
“They go through all the properties the city has acquired over the years for whatever reason and see why we own them and if there’s a way to let the land bank get them off of our mowing list and on to somebody that could actually put a home there and utilize it,” Mayor Spencer Duncan said.
Anyone can purchase from the land bank inventory.
“What we are looking for is a commitment to get some sort of housing on the property within a reasonable time frame,” Cole said. “So, if you have the ability to either work with a builder or construct a home yourself, then you can apply for one of our vacant properties currently in the inventory.”
Copyright 2026 WIBW. All rights reserved.