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Shelby County launches "Building Homes" pilot to convey public lots to developers, with safeguards
Summary
The county's Planning & Development division will soft-launch an online "Building Homes" portal allowing developers to apply for conveyance of land-bank parcels at no cost. The pilot includes staged rollouts, 1-year single-family build timetables, templates and quarterly reporting; officials flagged that ~200 land-bank parcels are being held for larger small-area planning.
Shelby County announced a pilot program designed to activate publicly owned lots and accelerate housing production in neighborhoods with long inventories of underused property.
Under the "Building Homes" pilot, the Planning & Development Department will publish an online portal where developers can apply to acquire selected buildable land-bank parcels at no cost. Applicants must supply development plans, financing and an execution timeline; the county will score requests and bring recommended transfers to the commission for approval.
Key design elements of the soft launch: an easy-to-use online application, an initial limit on rolling batches (up to ten lots per intake), a refundable deposit structure and templates to help emerging developers prepare financing and construction schedules. Conveyance will be via quick-claim deed and intended to require completion of a single-family unit within 12 months (multifamily: two-year timeline, construction start within 180 days). The department said it will absorb administrative costs initially and may consider modest fees and staffing adjustments after the pilot.
Esther Sykeswood, land-bank administrator, verified the county currently holds roughly 200 parcels that could be available for larger small-area redevelopment. The department said those held parcels were placed into reserve earlier in the program design and that future holds will be routed through a formal resolution process to ensure transparency and community input.
What commissioners asked: several members pressed for clarity about which parcels are being held, how community engagement will be carried out for larger-area plans, and how emerging local developers will be prioritized. Planning staff said the portal will go live the week after the committee meeting and offered a single e-mail for questions: buildinghome@ShelbyCountyTN.gov.
Why it matters: The program uses public land assets to expedite housing creation without immediate county purchases or subsidies. Officials called it a pilot that will be adjusted based on early experience.
