Vote on Baltimore mayor's $1 vacant homes plan put on hold following request by council members
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore leaders hit pause on a vote for a program that would sell city-owned vacant properties for $1.
The decision follows mounting pressure from a city council at odds over the policy.
The Board of Estimates plans to put the program on the March 20 agenda.
The decision would set a pricing breakdown for city-owned vacant homes on the "Buy into Bmore" website.
A Department of Housing Dashboard shows there are more than 13,500 vacant homes in Baltimore, and less 900 are owned by the city.
To rid the eyesores and potential safety risks from neighborhoods, Baltimore City Mayor Brandon Scott is showing support for a plan that would allow certain city-owned homes to be sold to private buyers for a buck.
The program comes with the promise of the new owner to renovate, move in within a year and stay there for five years.
Buyers must also have $90,000 in funds for the rehab.
"This is an important expansion of our efforts to get vacant properties out of their vacant status and into the hands of the people who want to rehab them and live in them," Scott said.
But the plan comes with pushback.
Some city councilmembers, including councilwoman Odette Ramos and President Nick Mosby, made calls for Baltimore's spending board to delay a vote on the decision.
They shared concerns about equity, gentrification and protections for residents.
In a letter to the Department of Housing earlier this week, Ramos wrote, in part, "Our goal here is not to suspend progress but to make progress through improved and thoughtful policy."
Scott responded with a postponement.
"I decided to request a deferral on the fixed pricing to the next BOE meeting to ensure that everyone understands the policy," Scott said. "This is an effort to engage, in good faith, with the council members and partners."
The effort to pass the $1 vacant plan follows Scott's administration laying out a multi-billion dollar plan to tackle vacant properties and lots last year.
The intent is to use a combination of public and private funds over 15 years to cover up to 35,000 homes.
City council does not have control over the pricing schedule.