Springfield seeks to sell vacant lots

Springfield is seeking to sell off hundreds of small, vacant lots to abutting property owners as a means of getting the land off the city’s hands and generating tax revenue.

According to Tina Quagliato, the deputy director of neighborhood stabilization in Springfield’s housing office, the city will sell the lots for 25 cents per square foot. A 3,000-square-foot lot, for example, would cost $750. Buyers must own property that borders the vacant lot; property that is kitty corner to the lot would not qualify.

Eligible vacant lots must have an assessed value of no more than $25,000, not be needed for any public purpose, and not be part of a larger parcel that could be developed.

While standalone structures on the small lots are limited to garages, homeowners who acquire vacant lots can use the land to build extensions of their homes. Other potential uses include gardens, side-yards and off-street parking.

“What we’re not trying to allow is a ‘pork chop’ style lot where someone puts [an additional] house up on a property and creates more density,” said Jim Leyden, Mayor Dominic Sarno’s communications director.

Leyden said that the housing office will determine whether a prospective buyer of a vacant lot has a history of being written up for litter, overgrowth or other home-related infractions.

“Our overriding goal is basically for us to do no harm – to enhance neighborhoods, not detract from them,” Leyden said.

Over the past several years, Springfield also has been holding annual foreclosure auctions. On April 16, the city raised $741,000 through the sale of 21 homes, according to city officials.

Vacant lot programs similar to Springfield’s are in place in Lowell as well as in large cities such as Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, according to Springfield officials.