Four vacant lots in the City of Jackson will soon have homes on them again. At the Tuesday, Feb. 7 meeting, the Jackson City Council unanimously approved the sale of four vacant City-owned parcels to Fresh Start Real Estate Services, LLC for the purpose of building four single-family homes.
Over the past decade, the City of Jackson has acquired hundreds of vacant properties through tax foreclosure and demolition. In 2020, City administration started the process of selling vacant lots to adjacent neighbors to incorporate into their properties. Given the need for more affordable housing in Jackson, City administration pivoted in late 2022 to selling the properties for new home construction.
The four vacant properties are spread across Jackson’s north side at 352 N. Grinnell Street, 823 Maltby Street, 612 E. Ganson Street and 704 E. Ganson Street. Each property sold for $300 per lot. Fresh Start Real Estate Services, a Jackson County-based developer, plans on constructing a new single-family home on each lot.
Mayor Daniel Mahoney was part of the unanimous vote from the City Council to sell the lots. “This shows that we’re already yielding results in our affordable housing efforts. It means that our community is growing, and growth is a good thing,” Mayor Mahoney said at the meeting.
Shane LaPorte, Director of the Community Development Department, says the City is currently working on selling more lots for new home construction. “Builders are interested in the low-cost lots but are also attracted by all the City can offer, such as discounts on water and sewer hookups, sidewalks and curb-cuts,” LaPorte said. “The demolition of blighted homes in the previous decade has created a blank canvas for builders to construct modern homes that will reinvigorate neighborhoods.”
Given the increasing interest from developers, the City Council is likely to consider more sales like these throughout 2023.