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Marion County approves transfer of 43 surplus properties to Department of Metropolitan Development
Summary
The Marion County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Aug. 19 to transfer 43 county-owned surplus properties — 37 vacant lots and six improved parcels — to the Department of Metropolitan Development for redevelopment under the county’s Renew Land Bank and related programs.
The Marion County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Aug. 19 to transfer 43 county-owned surplus properties — 37 vacant lots and six improved parcels — to the Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD) for redevelopment, during a public hearing at the City–County Building.
County officials said the properties are intended primarily for single-family redevelopment and will be handled through DMD’s Renew Land Bank and related sale and affordability programs. Matt Costetler, speaking on behalf of DMD, said the program will move management in house. “We’re bringing the management of the program in house into DMD, which we think is gonna improve communication and improve just the overall process,” Costetler said.
The transfer, approved by a motion from Marion County Treasurer Barbara Lohrens and seconded by Marion County Auditor Myla Eldridge, passed on a unanimous vocal vote by the three commissioners present: President Joseph O’Connor, Eldridge and Lohrens.
Why it matters: County and city staff said the transactions are intended to speed redevelopment of vacant lots and underused parcels, including options intended to support long-term affordability and owner-occupancy. DMD described several application paths for prospective buyers and developers: a standard application for purchase and redevelopment (rehab or new construction, to sell or lease); an affordable application that makes properties available to nonprofits to promote long-term affordability; a side-lot program limited to adjacent property owners; and a homestead application that offers a 20% discount to buyers who agree to occupy and substantially rehabilitate the property for a minimum of two years.
DMD staff described steps in the review and disposition process. Staff will run title searches and check for encroachments, notify registered neighborhood groups for comment, and route properties through a DMD review committee. If approved by that committee, properties requiring new construction will undergo a city architect design review and then proceed to the Metropolitan Development Commission for final approval. Costetler said the department’s current expectation is that disposition from application to final transfer will typically take three to six months, though he said the program has only recently launched and timelines may evolve.
No members of the public spoke during the hearing. Following the vote, DMD staff offered to provide the commissioners an overview presentation on the Renew Land Bank and related programs.
The resolution approved by the board transfers title of the identified parcels to DMD for redevelopment under the terms and review processes described by staff. The board recessed to no further business and set its next meeting for Sept. 16.
