The city of Baltimore is selling vacant homes for a dollar each to revitalize distressed neighborhoods.
Currently, more than 13,000 homes in the city are vacant, often abandoned due to high rates of violent crime.
The city now owns nearly a thousand of them, representing a failed attempt to address the decades-old problem.
However, with Mayor Brandon Scott’s passage of the new program, individual buyers and community land trusts are now eligible to purchase the city’s vacant homes for as little as $1.
Small nonprofits can also buy the houses, but for $1,000 each. Developers and larger nonprofits can also get a piece of the pie, but must pay $3,000. Officials explained the sales program in an official statement.
The city of Baltimore is selling vacant homes for a dollar each to revitalize distressed neighborhoods
Currently, more than 13,000 homes in the city are vacant, often abandoned due to violent crime. The city owns nearly a thousand of them, representing a failed attempt to address the decades-old problem.
“The Baltimore City Housing Department’s Development Division strategically acquires and manages vacant or abandoned properties, ultimately returning these properties to productive use and improving Baltimore’s neighborhoods.
‘The Fixed Pricing Program will allow certain vacant buildings and plots in specific housing market typologies of the city to be sold for a fixed price.
‘Fixed prices will increase transparency and streamline our sales process in the city’s stressed neighborhoods, which are most affected by vacant properties.’
The bulletin goes on to lay out which of the 1,000 city-owned buildings are actually for sale – revealing that there are around 200 of them.
Potential tenants were directed to DHCD’s BuyIntoBmore website, where opportunities are posted and claimed. There is a limit of twelve properties per application.
Some have side and back yards, and all are boarded up.
All sales of buildings must be made by us for residential redevelopment, the organizers reiterated – adding that applicants must provide proof of financing for any property renovation.
A minimum of $90,000 in potential assets is required because the majority of shuttered homes are not up to code.
However, with Mayor Brandon Scott’s passage of the new program, individual buyers and community land trusts are now eligible to purchase the city’s vacant properties for as little as $1.
Small nonprofits can also buy the houses, but for $1,000 each. Developers and larger nonprofits can also get a piece of the pie, but must pay $3,000 to do so
About 200 of the abandoned buildings are for sale and there is a limit of 12 properties per application.
Some have side and back yards, and all are boarded up – and all building sales must be ours for residential redevelopment
The applicant’s experience and readiness for future projects will also be examined, as well as their criminal history.
Applicants must comply with these provisions within 12 months of applying or they will permanently lose the opportunity.
For properties sold as homes, city officials require buyers to pay a prorated portion of $3,000, calculated based on the year it is sold.
To qualify for the $1 opportunity, homeowners must maintain the building as their primary residence for a minimum of five years after obtaining their occupancy permit, which itself is obtained within twelve months of purchase.
Community land trusts that focus on affordable housing will also have access to the $1 flat price, while other options range from $500 to $3,000.
These include a litany of vacant lots and homes to be purchased by developers, who must meet the same criteria as homeowners.
That said, the program is intended to prioritize buyers over developers, in the hope that those who buy the vacant houses or lots will fix them up and live in them, although the validity of that logic has been debated.
Local figures such as City Council President Nick Mosby have argued that without specific written protections, residents will not be given priority in purchasing the properties as they are pushed aside by more wealthy developers.
He and others argue there is nothing to protect tenants from being displaced as the neighborhood improves, which is the city’s hope.
“This is a bad policy because it does not protect or prioritize the rights of people in these communities,” he told the Baltimore Sun.
But the city council approved the measure on March 20 on a 4-1 vote, paving the way for $1 in revenue.
As an incentive for buyers, the city is offering home repair grants of $50,000 to individuals pre-approved for a construction loan, Bloomberg reported — although they will still have to meet the $90,000 limit when proving financing.
Meanwhile, Charm City continues to make headlines for its crime rate, which is well above the national average.
However, in a burst of sunshine earlier this year, the city recorded fewer than 300 murders last year for the first time in almost a decade, ending a surge that began in 2015 after the death of Freddie Gray, which led to civil unrest and violence .
However, in a ray of sunshine earlier this year, the city recorded fewer than 300 murders last year for the first time in almost a decade. Pictured: A July 2023 crime scene after a shooting that injured 28 and killed two
This ended a wave that began in 2015 after the death of Freddie Gray, which led to civil unrest and violence. Riot police block a street during a march in honor of Gray, who was killed by a police officer on April 25, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland
The riots were seen as part of a larger response to other recent police killings, such as that of Michael Brown in 2014, and saw ugly scenes of protesters clashing with officers.
The 20 percent annual decline, which city leaders called the largest ever, indicates that Baltimore’s ongoing anti-violence efforts are working, if not slowly.
“We are finally seeing these efforts pay off and save lives,” Mayor Brandon Scott said at a press conference in July.
Meanwhile, several other cities have also reported declines in recent months from pandemic peaks, and gun violence, especially in vacant flooded neighborhoods such as Broadway East, Franklin Square, Gay Street, Penn-North, Rosemont and Shipley Hill, continues.
