Abandoned, Vacant & Blighted Property in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska
Finding and fixing problem property: the map shows vacant and tax-delinquent parcels with their owners of record, and these programs fund acquisition, demolition, cleanup, and redevelopment.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)- Nebraska State-Administered Small Cities Program (state) - Acquisition of real property (an eligible CDBG activity), Demolition / clearance of slum and blight structures, Disposition of acquired property, Owner-occupied housing rehabilitation for LMI households (roofs, HVAC, ele. Amounts: Varies by category. Downtown Revitalization: $250,000 minimum to $435,000 maximum (2025-26 cycle; Scottsbluff received $435,000 in 2025). Pu. Administered by Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Program page.
CDBG Downtown Revitalization (DTR) (federal) - Downtown commercial building facade rehabilitation, Historic restoration of downtown structures, Removal of architectural/accessibility barriers, Business facade, signage, and code-compliance loans/grants, Downtown publi. Amounts: DTR implementation: minimum award $250,000; maximum CDBG project activity $400,000 (per the 2025 Application Guidelines opportunity chart; A. Administered by Federal CDBG. Program page.
CDBG Area Benefit (Low/Moderate-Income Area Benefit, "LMA") National Objective- Nebraska CDBG Program (federal) - Acquisition of real property (HUD matrix 01) that will be developed for a public or commercial purpose serving the LMI area (e.g., land for a neighborhood park, a redevelopment site), Clearance and demolition of building. Amounts: Varies by funding opportunity (LMA is an eligible national objective in DTR, ED, Planning, PWF, PWI, TD). Downtown Revitalization: $250,000. Administered by Funded by HUD. Program page.
Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund (NAHTF) (state) - Homebuyer new construction (single-family for-sale units), Purchase/Rehab/Resale (PRR) of existing units for resale to income-eligible homebuyers, Homebuyer (down payment / closing cost) assistance, secured by Deed of Tr. Amounts: Housing Development: up to $750,000 total for Primary plus Support Activities (excludes General Administration, Housing Management, and Lead. Administered by Nebraska Department of Economic Development. Program page.
Nebraska Arts Council - Arts Project Grant (with Micro Grant and Creative Districts pathways) (state) - Community murals on building walls/parcels, Public art commissions and new work development, Exhibitions, performances, poetry readings, arts festivals, Ethnic heritage and underserved-community arts projects, Artist fee. Amounts: Arts Project Grant: $2,000-$7,500 (1:1 cash match required). Micro Grant: up to $500 (no match). Mini Grant: small quick-access awards (vari. Administered by Nebraska Arts Council. Program page.
City of Gering Tax Increment Financing (TIF) (city) - Acquisition costs of redevelopment project sites, Site preparation, demolition, grading, pre-development work, Public improvements on/adjacent to/near the project site, Architectural, engineering, and environmental servi. Amounts: No fixed cap; the TIF amount equals the property-tax increment the project generates over up to 15 years. Guideline fee examples model estim. Administered by City of Gering, Nebraska. Program page.
City of Scottsbluff Tax Increment Financing (TIF) (city) - Acquisition costs of redevelopment project sites, Site preparation, demolition, grading, and other pre-development work prior to construction, Public improvements on, adjacent to, or in the general vicinity of the projec. Amounts: No fixed cap. TIF proceeds equal the financeable value of the incremental property-tax revenue the new development generates over the term (. Administered by City of Scottsbluff Community Redevelopment Authority. Program page.
HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME)- Nebraska State-Administered (DED) (federal) - Acquisition of property/land for affordable housing, Rehabilitation of owner-occupied and rental housing, New construction of affordable single-family and rental units, Homebuyer down-payment/purchase assistance (purchas. Amounts: Varies by project and annual allocation; typically tens of thousands to several hundred thousand dollars per project (CHDO set-aside is 15%. Administered by U.S. HUD. Program page.
HUD Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program (via Nebraska DED for non-entitlement communities) (federal) - Acquisition of real property / site assembly, Clearance, demolition, and site improvements, Rehabilitation of publicly or privately owned buildings, Construction of public facilities and infrastructure tied to redevelopm. Amounts: Typically $500,000 to $140,000,000 (project scale); for small Nebraska communities, capped by ~5x the available CDBG pledge.. Administered by U.S. HUD. Program page.
FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance- Acquisition/Demolition Buyouts (HMGP, FMA, and BRIC where active) (federal) - Acquisition (fee-title purchase) of flood-prone structures and land from willing sellers, Demolition/removal of the structure, Restoration of the site to open space (graded/seeded), Related project administration. Amounts: Project/portfolio scale; pays up to pre-event fair market value of the property plus demolition/closing costs (federal share typically 75%).. Administered by FEMA. Program page.
EPA Brownfields Assessment and Multipurpose Grants (federal) - Phase I/II assessments; Multipurpose adds cleanup. Administered by EPA Region 7.
EPA Brownfields Cleanup Grants (federal) - Contamination remediation. Administered by EPA Region 7.
EPA Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (federal) - Cleanup loans. Administered by EPA RLF held by an EDD.
EPA Region 7 Targeted Brownfields Assessment (federal) - Free Phase I/II ESAs. Administered by EPA Region 7.
Nebraska Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP)- Brownfields liability resolution (state) - State regulatory oversight and review of investigation and cleanup, Issuance of a No Further Action / closure letter, Liability/comfort protection enabling lender and buyer confidence (not cash for the cleanup itself). Amounts: No grant; applicant pays a $2,000 application fee plus a $3,000 initial oversight deposit (oversight billed against deposit). Cleanup costs. Administered by Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment. Program page.
Brownfields Assistance Section 128(a) Assessments (free Phase I/Phase II ESAs) (state) - Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (records review, site reconnaissance, interviews), Phase II ESA (soil and groundwater sampling and analysis), Drinking-water well sampling; testing for asbestos, lead-based paint, an. Amounts: $0 cost to the applicant- assessments are performed at no charge using EPA 128(a) funds through DWEE's contractor.. Administered by Nebraska DWEE. Program page.
Brownfields Section 128(a) Orphan Tank Removal Program (OTRP) (state) - Removal of orphan underground storage tanks via state contractor, Associated environmental sampling at no cost. Amounts: $0 to the eligible applicant- DWEE pays for tank removal and sampling via its contractor.. Administered by Nebraska DWEE. Program page.
Brownfields Section 128(a) Asbestos Cleanup Cost-Share Program (state) - 50% of the cost of asbestos removal and disposal, In limited cases, partial assistance with disposal costs for demolition of condemned buildings containing lead-based paint and/or asbestos or contaminated with hazardous. Amounts: DWEE matches 50% of asbestos removal/disposal cost, up to $20,000 per project.. Administered by Nebraska DWEE. Program page.
Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET) Grant Program (state) - Habitat restoration/conservation, Surface and ground water protection, Waste management (including some site/land cleanup and recycling), Air quality and soil management projects, Environmental education tied to those ca. Amounts: No minimum or maximum award; NET sets neither floor nor cap. Disbursed as reimbursement, up to three annual increments.. Administered by Nebraska Environmental Trust. Program page.
Nebraska Municipal Land Bank Act (acquisition/disposition vehicle for vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent parcels) (state) - Acquisition of tax-delinquent and abandoned parcels (including via tax-sale/foreclosure pathways), Clearing of delinquent taxes and certain liens, Holding/maintenance and assembly of parcels, Conveyance to developers/own. Amounts: Not a cash grant- it is an acquisition/title-clearing tool. Value is in below-market or written-down conveyance and extinguished back taxes/. Administered by Enabling statute administered locally: metropolitan/primary-class cities may.... Program page.
City of Scottsbluff- East Overland Facade Improvement Grant (Community Redevelopment Authority) (city) - Facade improvements, Demolition, Parking lot repairs, Updated signage, Landscaping, Exterior curb-appeal improvements on commercial buildings. Amounts: Up to $10,000 per application; the business must match dollar-for-dollar at a minimum. Annual pool historically ~$100,000 in the city budget. Administered by City of Scottsbluff Community Redevelopment Authority. Program page.
Nebraska Municipal Land Bank (newly available to Scottsbluff/Gering/Terrytown after LB811/LB1135, eff. April 2026) (city) - Acquisition of tax-delinquent / abandoned parcels, Holding and title-clearing of distressed properties, Conveyance of parcels to private developers for redevelopment, Demolition and pre-development site work in some stru. Amounts: Not a cash grant to developers; value is acquisition cost/tax forgiveness and clear title. Land bank may retain 50% of real property taxes c. Administered by A municipal land bank created by a city/village. Program page.
Nebraska Litter Reduction and Recycling Grant Program (Cleanup category)- Keep Nebraska Beautiful affiliate route (state) - Cleanup of litter and debris from urban areas, waterways, and public-use land, Community cleanup events, Scrap tire and bulky-waste / debris collection, Recycling program equipment and operations, Public education on was. Amounts: ~$1.5M+ available annually statewide across all categories (recent total awards $4.3M-$9.8M/yr including scrap tire); individual grants vary. Administered by Nebraska Department of Energy and Environment. Program page.
How matching works
Pick any parcel in Scottsbluff, Gering, Terrytown, Mitchell, Minatare, Morrill, Lyman, Melbeta, Henry, or McGrew and the map runs its facts- zoning, use, overlays (TIF/CRA, CDBG low-to-moderate-income areas), and project details- through a deterministic eligibility engine. Every answer cites a first-party authority.
Program facts summarize each administering body's published materials; follow the program links for current deadlines and rules.
Common questions
How many programs does this cover in Scotts Bluff County?
23 programs are listed on this page (city, federal, state). Each names the office that runs it and links that office's own page. The list is rebuilt from the funding catalog every time the site publishes, so it does not go stale between updates.
Does it cost anything to use this?
No. The program list, the parcel map, and the matching are free to use, with no account and no sign-up. Build Scotts Bluff charges only automated AI agents that call the data API.
Who do I contact to apply?
4 of these are run locally or regionally, so that is usually the first call. Every entry above names its administering body and links its program page; apply through that office, not through this site.
How do I know which ones my property qualifies for?
Open the map, pick the parcel, and the eligibility engine runs that lot's own facts -- zoning, use, and overlays such as TIF/CRA and CDBG low-to-moderate-income areas -- against each program's published rules. Every answer cites a first-party authority.