Council tables multiple city-owned property sales after residents and council raise fairness and zoning concerns
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Summary
After lengthy public comment and council questioning about application dates, zoning and a lack of a consistent vetting rubric, the City Council tabled several ordinances authorizing sales of vacant lots and buildings and directed the Housing & Economic Development subcommittee to reconcile application histories and the sale rubric before the next meeting.
Several ordinances authorizing the sale of city-owned properties were pulled or tabled after residents and council members raised concerns about inconsistent processing, unclear documentation of original application dates, and zoning compliance. Dozens of residents have waited months or years for action; speakers told the council they submitted applications in 2019–2021 but saw newer applicants receive faster consideration.
Keisha Craig, who described 153 Fountain Avenue as her family home, told the council she had attempted to purchase and restore the property since 2021 and said she was only recently told the property had been placed in the Choice Neighborhood Plan. "This is my family home. I've been trying to purchase and restore it since 2021," she said during public comment and asked for transparency on who decided the designation and whether reconsideration is possible.
Robin Washington, a resident who said she first applied to buy two lots in 2019, said she has been told repeatedly the sale would be presented to council but that staff recently informed her the item would not appear again. "I submitted a new application... I also wrote on that application, original submitted September 2021," she said, and asked why items submitted earlier are not being processed first.
Council members pressed the administration for records and for a consistent internal checklist. Several members said the Housing & Economic Development (HED) subcommittee had not seen the specific ordinances in advance and requested a reworked rubric and clarity on whether minimum buildable lot sizes were applied correctly. Council voted to table the listed property-sale ordinances until the next public meeting (February 17) and tasked the HED subcommittee with reviewing the rubric and original application dates before items return to the full council.
Councilmembers said they want transparency and a clear, uniform procedure that reflects original application dates so long-pending applicants are not disadvantaged by process changes or re-submissions.
