A new housing proposal in Baltimore, MD, is modeled after the city’s property program from a few decades ago.
In the 1970s, Baltimore had a “dollar house” program, in which residents got to own vacant properties for $1 each under the requirement of fixing them, according to Bloomberg. Now, the idea to revitalize has surfaced again.
The Baltimore Sun reports that Mayor Brandon Scott supported the proposal to offer over 200 vacant properties in Baltimore to people who will repair and live in them. The Baltimore Board of Estimates approved the program on March 20. The program was designed mainly for individual buyers and community land trusts. However, for $3,000, developers and large nonprofits can also purchase unoccupied houses (small nonprofits would pay $1,000).
This proposal is an opportunity to combat an ongoing issue in Baltimore. The Baltimore Sun mentions that unoccupied homes are a big problem throughout the city, numbering more than 13,000. This new program will only cover some vacant homes, as not all are city-owned. Guidelines have also put focus on the more “stressed” housing markets, such as East and West Baltimore.
While it may be welcomed by a good number of residents and housing advocates, there is still hesitation about whether or not this program will provide the intended result of helping individual residents and communities.
In a 4-1 vote, City Council President Nick Mosby expressed his opposition to the policy. Among his main concerns is that the Mayor Brandon Scott administration has not created barriers that ensure Baltimore residents have prioritized access to purchasing the properties and won’t be forced out of neighborhoods following the transformation, the outlet details.
“If affordability, and affordable home ownership, and equity, and all of the nice words we like to use are really at the core competency as it relates to property disposition, this is a really bad policy,” Mosby said, according to the outlet. “This is a bad policy because it doesn’t protect or prioritize the rights of folks in these communities.”
In response to Mosby, Baltimore officials told the city council president that there is a 90-day window for Baltimore residents to have priority over everyone else to buy vacant homes starting at the $1 price tag on the Buy Into Bmore website.
Additionally, the Department of Housing and Community Development is set to provide residents with forms to share their interest in purchasing city-owned or non-city-owned vacant properties, per the outlet.
According to Baltimore City Housing Commissioner Alice Kennedy, Baltimore plans to work with those interested by assisting them with financial preparation to buy homes. Per Bloomberg, home repair grants of $50,000 would also be available to recipients who are pre-approved for a construction loan.
