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Milwaukee outlines inventory and new strategies to manage 3,300 city‑owned vacant lots
Summary
Department of City Development officials told the council committee they now inventory about 6,000 vacant parcels citywide, roughly 55% (≈3,307) owned by the city, and outlined four buckets of strategy: maintenance, interim uses, side‑lot/sliver sales, and targeted new construction supported by subsidies and partners.
Milwaukee Department of City Development officials briefed a Common Council committee on the city—s vacant‑lot inventory and a multi‑track plan to reduce blight and promote reuse.
DCD estimated the city now owns about 3,307 vacant lots — roughly 55% of an estimated 6,000 vacant parcels across Milwaukee. Of the city inventory, staff told the committee about 280 parcels are judged currently unbuildable, 320 would be buildable only if combined with adjacent lots, and about 2,700 parcels are currently buildable, depending on site specifics.
Carrie Smith, real estate manager for DCD, said staff will focus on four areas: maintain the existing inventory (mowing, trash removal and site monitoring paid out of a land‑management fund), expand interim and community uses (matching grants for pocket parks, gardens and public…
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