Wilmington City Council wants to see fewer vacant lots in the city, and owners of vacant lots aggressively marketing them.
Council unanimously passed a resolution promoting sustainable home ownership throughout the city.
It’s sponsor Zanthia Oliver says the availability of the dozens of vacant lots in the city, especially in her third district, are not being identified - and there is a demand for them from home builders who want to acquire the vacant properties to build affordable homes.
This resolution calls for the Wilmington Neighborhood Conservancy Land Bank and Wilmington’s Department of Real Estate and Housing to be more aggressive in marketing vacant lots in their inventory.
Oliver explains how that can be done.
"I think when vacant lots are available, I don't care if it's the city of Wilmington or the land bank just put a sign there that says 'vacant lot', or maybe a number or something so people know if that lot is available," said Oliver. "Otherwise it'll just sit there, and nobody even knows it's available."
First District Councilwoman Linda Gray says she sees it in her district.
"There's no advertising on it as to the stature, or what's going on with them," said Gray. "I've had people approach me about wanting to purchase lots also. I could not contact the correct person or find out how much the lot is, or how to go about doing it, so I'm definitely in support of this."
The resolution simply asks that vacant lots available for sale by the Wilmington Department of Real Estate and the Wilmington Neighborhood Conservancy Land Bank be marketed with a prominent “For Sale” sign.
Council’s goal is to turn vacant properties into affordable housing.
