Baltimore bill targets vacant properties after West Fayette fire
Could Baltimore’s New Bill Finally Tackle Its Vacant Housing Crisis?
Baltimore leaders are moving forward with legislation aimed at tackling the city’s long-standing problem of vacant properties, an issue brought into sharp focus after a five-alarm fire earlier this month damaged three abandoned buildings on West Fayette Street.
At Tuesday’s Housing and Economic Development Committee meeting, members voted to advance a bill that would give the city an option to purchase vacant buildings when receivers are unable to sell them at auction.
“These buildings have been vacant for at least 20 years or more,” said Baltimore resident Roland Morton, pointing to the Fayette Street fire as a preventable tragedy. “Things could have been done years ago. It’s up to the government and the city to put money down here.”
How the bill would work
The measure, sponsored by Councilman Paris Gray, is designed to keep vacant homes from languishing in disrepair and threatening neighborhoods.
Under current law, when a building is abandoned, a court-appointed receiver is responsible for preparing it for auction. But when properties fail to attract buyers, they often remain empty for years.
“This bill says that if that happens, the receiver can offer the building for sale to the city government instead,” Gray explained. “The city would only pay a price that covers the receiver’s costs for preparing and transferring the property.”
Both the Department of Housing and Community Development, the Department of Finance, and the Law Department expressed support for the legislation.
Public raises concerns
Still, some residents voiced skepticism.
One resident worried that giving the city the first chance to buy these properties could take opportunities away from individuals who might otherwise purchase homes through after-auction sales.
“We need more people to be able to find ways to purchase houses however they can, and not for the city to steal that opportunity away,” the resident said.
Despite those concerns, the committee voted to advance the measure. The full City Council will take up the bill at its meeting on Monday, Sept. 15.
