By Cari Crabtree
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Vacant properties are a problem
The Vacants to Value program jumpstarts a movement to eliminate blight in Baltimore City.
“The city of Baltimore has an issue with vacant housing. Over time we’ve lost–from its high point, 900,500 residents down to 600,000 now–so we’ve lost over 300,000 residents” said John Bullock, a professor of political science and an expert in city planning. “So obviously there’s a whole lot of abandoned housing stock in the city. This is one of a series of programs that have been proposed to in order to deal with this glut of abandoned housing in the city.”
Twice as many homes are vacant in Baltimore compared with the nation’s average according to the U.S. Census, updated in 2009.
“There’s approximately 16,000 vacant buildings in the city of Baltimore. It’s been a chronic challenge that the city has dealt with since the 1950s and ‘60s” said Ryan O’Doherty.
Ryan O’Doherty, the mayor’s director of policy and communications, worked on the Vacants to Value program before its launch in November 2010 and believes that it is an important initiative.
“The inspiration behind that for the mayor was the fact that—she says this all the time—is that vacant buildings in a neighborhood can have a devastating impact on the people who are left—the people who are committed to this city, who are committed to staying in the city” O’Doherty said. “It can cause crime issues, public health issues with rats, loitering, and things like that.”
Saving blighted neighborhoods
The 5,000 properties located in marketable areas will be sold through the Vacants to Value program. When choosing the areas that are marketable, Bullock relates the neighborhoods to the triage concept.
These are the 300 Baltimore properties for sale on the Vacants to Value website as of March 4. One has been awarded and three are pending sale.
“Those neighborhoods that are—think of someone on a battlefield—those that are mortally wounded that are gonna die and are kind of left to die, there are some areas that are healthy and so they don’t need much help and then there are some that are on the margins with a serious fusion of assistance, they could actually become healthy” said Bullock.
Filling vacant homes in those promising areas will shift the neighborhood context and stop a cycle of “disorder breeding disorder,” Debra Furr-Holden of Johns Hopkins University’s Department of Mental Health said.
Vacants to Value is supposed to be a revolutionary program because it “a multi-faceted approach to tackling urban blight in the city” O’Doherty said.
Code enforcement is one of the facets of this program. In order to obtain abandoned properties that are still owned by individuals, the government uses code enforcement fines of $900.
“For the first time in over 10 years this process is now automated” O’Doherty said. “So the owners of these properties are getting slapped with letters and citations to do something. The thinking behind it is that the owner with does a cost-benefit analysis.”
Most owners will surrender or fix their property when faced with citations and fines. This helps Baltimore City obtain homes in areas where new buyers will fix the dilapidated homes.
Giving out incentives is another major facet of Vacants to Value.
Ryan O'Doherty, mayor’s director of policy and communications
“We’re offering a $5,000 forgivable loan which is essentially $5000 that a buyer could use for a down payment or for repairs” O’Doherty said. ”And we’re targeting it to city police officers, city fire fighters, and city teachers. We’ve always had the issue of police officers that work here but don’t live here so this is a way to encourage them to come back and invest in their community and invest in the city.”
Most of these vacants are being sold for $1,000 to $15,000. A few of the less dilapidated homes have a price tag over this, but under $20,000.
The Vacants to Value program is “recognizing the market demand that’s in the neighborhood and by targeting the resources to neighborhoods where there’s only scattered vacants we believe there’s an existing marketplace there that could support housing” O’Doherty said.
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Stories
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BALTIMORE’S VACANTS TO VALUE SOLD TWELVE HOMES AND AWARDED SEVEN MORE
The Vacants to Value program is successfully selling homes through its Website. With community partners like One House at a Time and Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors, the current Baltimore City government is making a dent in the numbers of vacant homes. MORE
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DESPITE SMALL SUCCESSES IN RECENT MONTHS, BALTIMORE STRUGGLES AGAINST DECADES OF VACANCY
Little Africa, Baltimore is a community that has struggled with vacant homes. More important than physically vacant properties are the effects of blight on communities and Baltimore residents that have remained through population decline and mass abandonment. MORE
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Multimedia
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Urban blight is a term found in numerous text books and documents about housing and other urban issues. John Bullock, a professor of poltical science and an ex-city planner discusses the term urban blight and how it affects residents living in “blighted” neighborhoods.
The house at 914 Whitelock Street was one scheduled for auction on April 5. No bids were offered for this shell that sits between another vacant and a row of newly renovated townhomes. This gallery of photographs illustrate a transitional neighborhood with scattered vacants.
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A lot of the vacants are in a state of serious disrepair. They are missing roofs, floors, walls, doors and more. The structure is compromised and the ammeneties are non-existent. This short video clip gives you an idea of the state of some of the vacant homes for sale through Vacants to Value.
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