Committee sends citywide homestead plan to council without recommendation after extended public hearing

The Committee on Community Development opened a public hearing Wednesday on a proposed citywide homestead plan intended to make residentially zoned vacant lots available for low‑cost purchase and homeownership. Nadine Marrero of the Office of Strategic Planning described the proposal as an urban renewal action enabled by New York State law and outlined four eligible uses and several protections.

"It is a citywide homestead plan with $1,000 flat fee proposed for purchasing of lots for residentially zoned properties only," Marrero told the committee. She said the four approvable uses are: side‑lot purchases (to be combined with a primary parcel and subject to deed restrictions), sale of land for homeownership construction (new housing construction with a 24‑month completion reverter), sale of city‑owned residential structures for renovation (with deed restrictions) and stewardship uses such as community gardens (stewardship applicants must have been active for five years to qualify).

Marrero told the committee the city has roughly 6,000 residentially zoned vacant lots (the number fluctuates as properties are sold) and estimated about 3,000 of those are city‑owned; she said the department can provide more detailed lists for council members by district. Reversion protections would return lots to city ownership if construction is not completed within 24 months or if a homestead property is sold within five years; those protections are implemented through deed restrictions filed with the county.

Council members pressed planning staff on eligibility criteria, enforcement mechanisms and equity. Several raised concerns that long application timelines, staffing limits in the real estate division and requirements such as appraisals could disadvantage low‑income residents. Marrero said the Department of Real Estate aims to close transactions in about six months when the process proceeds smoothly, and that deed restrictions are the primary enforcement tool; she said the staff could work with council on potential amendments such as a modest increase in allowable lot width for certain cases.

Developers and residents who spoke during the hearing urged clarifications. Pastor Dwayne Jones, who said he builds housing on the East Side, said some existing DDAs and in‑process dispositions raise questions about whether developers who planned projects under prior agreements would qualify for the $1,000 price. Marrero said the city would need to work with the council on how to treat DDAs already in process.

Resident Tara McCarter of the Ellicott District told the committee she has maintained a vacant lot next to her home for years and worried that zoning frontage rules and required variances might disqualify long‑time caretakers from the $1,000 purchase price. Marrero and several council members discussed a possible floor amendment to allow an additional 10% of the Unified Development Ordinance’s maximum lot width in close cases; one member said they would prepare an amendment.

After the hearing and floor discussion, the committee voted to send the homestead plan to the Common Council without recommendation so members can bring amendments and further district‑level information back to the body.