A bill expanding Wilmington’s ability to use eminent domain to acquire properties deemed vacant or abandoned heads to the House floor.
But the House Administration Committee that released it didn’t hold public comment – a move that frustrated opponents for two reasons.
All but one member of Wilmington’s delegation signed onto the bill, which is intended to kick-start new housing development in areas of Wilmington with substantial numbers of vacant homes as part of an effort to redevelop struggling parts of the city and expand housing stock to address a city- and state-wide shortage.
The one hold-out, state Rep. Sherry Dorsey Walker – a former Wilmington city council member – says Wilmington’s city government hasn’t settled a disagreement over how to approach vacant homes, and the state legislature shouldn’t step in to resolve a local dispute.
“I’m not interested in [creating a pattern in which] every single time there’s conflict with the council and administration, they run to Dover," she said. "I’m not interested in it, and I’m not interested in settling that precedent. The issues need to be resolved by those who were elected by our constituents.”
Meanwhile, the Delaware HOMES campaign – a housing advocacy group – argues the bill would give Wilmington unusually broad authority to take over properties owned by locals instead of involving residents of low-income areas in the development of new housing, be it affordable, market rate or luxury, in their neighborhoods.
“It’s important for us to realize that when we talk about vacants, we’re not just talking about properties owned by outside people or bad landlords who live in Maryland who charge high rent and don’t fix up the property," she said. "They exist, but it’s not only those.”
She argues that the bill would allow the city to dispossess those residents without any clear commitment to ensuring that new development brings with it affordable housing. Miller also argues that the bill provides definitions of "vacant" and "abandoned" that are broad enough to capture homes that are still in livable condition and are simply temporarily unoccupied.
The bill goes to the House floor this week.
