The city of Baltimore is proposing to sell vacant homes for $1 each, as officials grow concerned that vacant homes can encourage crime.
More than 13,500 homes remain vacant in Baltimore, and the city own There are just under 900 of them. The new proposal would allow homes to be sold for as little as $1 to individual buyers, $1,000 to nonprofits and $3,000 to developers.
However, this offer is not without its pitfalls. Home buyers must agree to spend $90,000 on renovations, and private buyers must also move into the property within a year and live in the property for five years.
“We are aware of the existence of vacant and abandoned properties and all that entails,” the mayor’s deputy chief of staff told the council, according to council members. WJZ-TV.
In recent years, vacant homes have sparked violent crime and safety concerns. WJZ reported that 22 murders occurred in vacant homes or on vacant lots in the past five years. This includes bodies removed from vacant homes, but the city does not keep a total.
Other concerns relate to the structural integrity of the third and subsequent stages. firefighter died In 2022, while fighting a fire in a vacant house.
Despite the city’s recent celebrations; Decreasing murder ratewhose property crimes are skyrocketing.
Mayor Brandon Scott touted a 17% drop in homicides and a 9% drop in nonfatal shootings in the first six weeks of 2024 compared to 2023. WBFF-TV Police data shows an 80% increase in stolen cars in 2024 compared to 2023. It is also reported that thefts from cars have increased by 60%, and robberies have increased by 21% over the same period.
To highlight this issue, one man said, stung at a bus stop near City Hall, hours after City Council members discussed these issues. The suspect was taken into custody after allegedly using a can opener to repeatedly stab a man in the head after an argument. The victim was hospitalized with minor injuries, but WBAL-TV stated.
But the obvious problems with crime and vacant properties didn’t stop some council members from arguing that the city’s latest plan would create other impacts.
City Councilman Robert Stokes described four different neighborhoods in the city as “like war zones,” according to WJZ, before reportedly raising concerns about gentrification and equity. There is.
City Councilor Odette Ramos said she was concerned that there wasn’t enough enforcement of homes that had already been sold, the department said.
“There are 420 properties that the city has sold but are still vacant and that needs to be fixed as well. If we can’t reach our goal of getting a mortgage, how are we going to ensure enforcement? Will we get it back?” she told reporters.
The councilor also said the city needs a strategy to ensure a “true mixed-income community.”
After Odette and other City Council members expressed concerns about the $1 housing project. Mayor announces Voting on the project would be delayed for another two weeks, he said.
Vote on Baltimore Mayor’s $1 Vacant House Plan is on holdyoutube.be
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