More Than 4,000 Empty Lots Are Going Up For Sale In Cook County
By Emma G. Gallegos in News on Feb 2, 2017 11:24PM
Interested in owning some land in Cook County? More than 4,000 vacant lots have been put up for sale in the city and neighboring suburbs. Prices range from $3,000 to $5,000.
The 4,437 properties are tax-delinquent, and many of them have been abandoned for a decade, if not longer, according to the Tribune. The goal of the sale is to help boost communities hit hard by the decline in manufacturing and the foreclosure crisis. Most of the lots in Chicago proper are on the South and West sides of the city. You can check out a map of the available land here.
The Cook County Land Bank Authority has cleared red tape and is hoping local developers, not-for-profits and other community organizations will step up to buy the blighted land and transform it. Many of the pieces of land have desirable locations, close to CTA or Metra stops or parks and other open space. To buy a piece of land requires living in the same ward or suburb—or having the support of the local alderman or municipality.
Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer told the Tribune, "I can't read the minds of the developers, but why not try it — maybe it works, maybe it doesn't, but I'm not going to give up trying." But she's hoping the project will allow people "to bring imagination to our community."
Related:
Thousands Of Chicago Lots Are Available To Buy For $1 Each