WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – From vacant to vibrant – Watertown is taking a handful of abandoned city properties in hopes that developers will make them new.
“Problem properties in a neighborhood can just sort of bring everything else down. Hopefully, we can get these fixed up and raise those up a little bit,” said Watertown Planning & Community Development Director Mike Lumbis.
Eight vacant properties. Eight opportunities to take an abandoned home like one on Bradley Street and bring it back.
“Developers and contractors can put together a proposal, let us know how they plan to redevelop the property, what they want to pay for it, how much they’re going to put into it,” said Lumbis.
In the past, Lumbis says the city auctioned properties that were foreclosed on. The problem: the city had no control over who the buyer was and what happened to the property after the purchase.
“You’re not really sure what you’re going to get in terms of their rehab experience, or the quality of their work, or how much they’re willing to invest. This will give us a little bit of control over some of those things, and hopefully result in a better end product,” said Lumbis.
The properties range from multi-family to single-family housing and have minimum purchase prices from $3,000 to $9,000. Those numbers are based on the amount owed to the city in back taxes, penalties and interest.
A neighbor told 7 News says a home on North Rutland Street has sat vacant for more than a decade. She said police are often called to help deal with squatters. She says she hopes this program will help fix that.
Developer Jake Johnson says he’s “very pleased to see things like this put in motion,” although he says he won’t be participating in the program.”
Local property manager Stephen Byers says it’s a fantastic idea from what he’s read.
The city will evaluate each developer’s plan.
Learn more about the program here.
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