Polk County has 744 vacant or underutilized lots that could be developed into residences for young professionals, single-parent families and others seeking affordable housing options, according to a new report, Housing Sites of Opportunity, released today.
Nearly half of the lots identified in the report are controlled by faith-based organizations, many of which have large amounts of green space or parking on which housing could be built, the report said. In addition, 245 public or semi-public vacant lots were identified where residences could be developed as were 128 retail and office parcels with aging or chronically vacant buildings.
The report’s goal was “to explore unconventional options to stimulate creative land acquisition, to showcase transformative housing and promote regional collaboration and development tools,” said Johnny Alcivar, Polk County Housing Trust Fund’s director of planning, research and compliance, at today’s Housing Matters Symposium…