Giving It Away

There is always a way around something.The recent sheriff’s sales resulted in some unique situations for the city. The intent of the land bank was to rehab empty lots and fill them with new homes.However, if no one buys the lots, then the land bank gets them and then must get rid of them through protocol means, picking up a lot of the work in getting that land free and clear.It reminds me of the movies when the explorer gets a treasure map, finds the treasure, only to have someone else come and take it all away. All they had to do was follow the explorer and collect the treasure. If someone wanted a particular lot, the mentality could be let the land bank wind up with it, then ask them for it and save a lot of hassle.Another way around putting up nice, new homes is to let the land bank take care of everything and when given over to a new owner, just put up a cheap trailer or pre-fab house.The housing plan enacted a few years ago did a good job of getting rid of drug dealers here. No cheap housing meant the dealers moved on, mind you, they may be exporting it in, but manufacturing is way down locally. This may change with cheap housing filling these multiplying empty lots.The city needs to put pressure on the landlords to maintain the properties and, most importantly, vet the renters. Ask questions.Yes, there is always a way around something. Pukwana, South Dakota, gave empty lots away. The builders must be 18, a U.S. citizen and agree to build a home in a specific timeframe. The town is under 300 people, but the hopes of giving the lots the village acquired away was to re-cover the money via taxes.The city needs to look at all angles to see what can go right, and wrong, in this land bank situation.

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