Eric Fancher, Jr. currently serves as Real Estate Acquisitions Manager and Counsel at Navigate Affordable Housing Partners.
Eric Fancher, Jr. has significant experience in program development and administration, having worked in capital project management and land banking at the City of Birmingham for over nine years. Mr. Fancher previously oversaw the implementation of programming and operations at the Birmingham Land Bank Authority (BLBA), the first and only Land Bank in the State of Alabama to successfully take a property interest from tax deed to fee simple ownership with insurable title. During his tenure, the BLBA cleared title to nearly 600 parcels and created a similar system to close the sale of large volume properties in an efficient manner.
Under Mr. Fancher’s direction, the BLBA facilitated pathways for individual citizens, non-profits, and developers to commence numerous vacant property reuse projects and renovation projects on BLBA cleared parcels. Additionally, the BLBA cleared title on parcels for new home developments by partner agencies, developers, non-profits and other entities in many Birmingham communities and neighborhoods including Titusville, Woodlawn, Wahouma, and Fountain Heights.
One of the most significant accomplishments during Mr. Fancher’s tenure was the successful effort to draft and pass amendments outlined in the 2021 Alabama Senate Bill 32, which amends the Alabama Land Bank Authority Act. Over the last four years, the BLBA, a trailblazer in land banking in Alabama, identified several items that would improve operations/processes of municipal land banks and access to land banking in Alabama.
Prior to working with the BLBA, Mr. Fancher served as an Assistant to the Mayor for Capital and Special Projects from 2012 to 2017. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Jazz Performance at Loyola University in New Orleans. He returned to Birmingham and earned his Master in Public Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Juris Doctor from the Birmingham School of Law. He is admitted to the practice of Law in the State of Alabama. Mr. Fancher currently lives in the Norwood neighborhood with his wife, Sharonda, and daughter, Leslie. He is intentional about living and raising his family in Birmingham.