Roughly half of all vacant lots owned by the Detroit Land Bank Authority are in areas reserved for development, often limiting the ability of residents to purchase land in their neighborhoods.
The city of Detroit can request a temporary pause in the sale of vacant lots inside land review areas, which are created to coordinate housing, commercial development and city projects. Nearly half – 28,304 of 60,823 – of vacant lots in the DLBA inventory were in land review areas as of June 17. The areas hold properties for uses that fit the vision of city planners.
Land holds have been used to reserve sites along burgeoning commercial corridors and the Joe Louis Greenway route, in neighborhoods that lack affordable housing and locations where future projects are being considered. Land review areas typically expire after six to 12 months.
City officials say the land review policy is an important strategy to improve neighborhoods and reserve sites for affordable housing. But some City Council members and residents say it gives preference to developers while overriding the self-determination of residents who have other plans.
Roughly 6,600 of the 28,304 lots in land review areas (23%) are listed for sale, according to the land bank.
Three-quarters of property within land review areas are unavailable for purchase. Residents can buy lots with approval from the city, but examples are comparatively few – 678 lots in land review areas were sold since June 2023.
“We take planning directions from the city as a whole,” said Robert Linn, director of inventory at the land bank. “The goal is not to limit sales of property forever in the hopes we may get an affordable housing development, it is to be intentional about selling land in areas where we know there’s the greatest need for affordable housing development.”
Ninety-percent of properties owned by the land bank are vacant lots, according to an April report.
The land bank identified more than 6,500 lots that have been improved by new owners. Residents installed fences, driveways, gardens, wheelchair ramps and made other upgrades.
At a May board meeting, Chair Erica Ward Gerson said residents have a “misapprehension” that the DLBA is hoarding property. Land bank officials have borne intense scrutiny from residents who struggle to purchase property for a litany of reasons. City planning efforts ostensibly seek to reflect the desires of residents, but achieving consensus on land uses isn’t always possible.
Bryce Detroit, an activist and artist who runs a nonprofit that owns the historic Apex Bar, has had his share of headaches trying to acquire land from the DLBA. He spent three years trying to purchase land along Oakland Avenue for a “sonic park” that would recognize the impact of Black jazz musicians that made the area a cultural destination.
The project fell apart, he said, because it conflicted with the city’s plan to prioritize commercial development along Oakland Avenue. Detroit’s framework plan cites Oakland as a growing commercial core with accessibility to downtown, Midtown, Highland Park, Hamtramck and nearby suburbs.
“To me, the city has a priority for how they want to develop and based on that, they add policies that make the environment conducive for the agents that they prefer,” Bryce said.
Planning the future of neighborhoods is complex, and contentious, work.
“We have an extensive amount of vacant land in the city, and a lot of it is adjacent to a home or residence,” said Planning Director Antoine Bryant. “Not every lot next door to you can or should be a garden or a park. But there is no policy by any stretch of the imagination that’s prohibiting Mr. or Mrs. Jones from applying for that.
“It’s been a consistent point of the mayor to ensure property is made available to residents and those that want to create something of value for the city, as opposed to our keeping it in perpetuity,” he said.
How land review areas work
The DLBA released its annual map of land review areas in May. It shows locations the city is studying for future uses and places that are prime real estate for new affordable housing, commercial development or other uses.
The map can quickly become outdated, since land review areas are approved and expiring year-round. The land bank is working to publish an interactive map later this year that provides up-to-date information.
There are four types of land review areas:
- Inclusive housing opportunity areas target the creation of affordable housing in places where home sales averaged $100 per square foot or more, which is considered a threshold for homes becoming unaffordable for residents.
- Jobs and amenity development areas target creation of large-scale revitalization projects. These are areas with large tracts of property owned by the land bank.
- City project coordination areas target revitalization projects led by the city.
- City project hold areas prohibit sales to reserve land bank property for incoming developments.
Most of the lots in land review areas (16,083) are in jobs and amenity development areas, while 8,917 lots are in a project hold area, 2,172 are in a project coordination area and 1,132 are in inclusive housing areas.
Inclusive housing areas are chosen in places where housing prices are rising. The land bank offers a sizable discount – up to 90% – for land sales in these areas targeted for affordable housing developments.
Homeowners can normally purchase multiple types of vacant property from the land bank. Most common are side-lots, which are directly adjacent to a buyer’s property and sold for $100 each, and neighborhood lots, which must be within 500 feet of the buyer and are sold for $250.
Linn said residents can still purchase land that’s being held. It partially depends on the type of review area where the property is located.
“Our staff are pretty aggressive about asking for exceptions,” Linn said. “We get a lot of inquiries from residents, and we’re constantly trying to take those requests back to the city departments and get land freed up for sale.”
Linn said the city will most often request a hold on neighborhood lot sales, preventing homeowners from buying lots that aren’t directly adjacent to their property.
Last month, the land bank’s Board of Directors highlighted land review areas in the historic North End neighborhood, along the Joe Louis Greenway route and in places where the city is planning to create solar energy farms.
All of North End is within a land review area. The city requested a hold on side lot sales, but not neighborhood lots, between East Grand Boulevard, Woodward Avenue, Highland Park, I-75 and Hamtramck.
Demolitions and foreclosures resulted in a large proportion of unused land in the North End. Planning documents describe an abundance of vacant and blighted property alongside a shortage of housing. One in four homes are vacant, according to a planning report.
Linn said Detroit’s planning department is trying to preserve vacant lots to assemble contiguous parcels into marketable sites for development.
North End planning documents show residents want new housing for families, safe and affordable homes for rent with a pathway to ownership and support for seniors to age in their homes. Residents expressed a desire for more businesses and retail amenities.
A neighborhood framework plan for the North End released in 2023 cites a need to streamline the process of putting land bank property in the hands of residents. The plan reflects frustration some residents feel with the process, including a complaint that it’s unclear when lots are available for sale.
Bryce Detroit went back to the drawing board for his North End project and spent “tens of thousands of dollars” to keep his architect on retainer. They came up with a gateway project encompassing multiple land bank parcels on Oakland Avenue surrounding the old bar. He’s still in the process of purchasing the lots through his nonprofit, the Detroit Afrikan Music Institution.
The project may align more closely with the city’s plans for arts trails and cultural gateways in the North End.
Six half-acre areas encompassing 45 parcels in the North End were identified as opportunity sites for redevelopment. City planners envision marketing those sites for mixed-use housing and “create dynamic spaces.” The neighborhood plan outlines a need for zoning changes and inclusive community-oriented development.
Bryant said the city requested a hold on vacant land sales along several parts of the proposed Joe Louis Greenway route to coordinate development opportunities. A request form provided by the DLBA shows city planners seek to develop connected parcels that are immediately adjacent to the greenway.
“We’re in the middle of economic analysis planning on the Joe Louis Greenway,” Bryant said. “Our peers that have greenways, like the High Line in New York City or the BeltLine in Atlanta, were intentional in looking at what should be adjacent to a greenway. We’re analyzing the best uses for housing and commercial incubation along the greenway.”
The planning department also requested a hold on all DLBA properties, including vacant land and structures, north of the Dequindre Cut. The paved path will ultimately connect with the Joe Louis Greenway.
Detroit Chief Operating Officer Brad Dick said it’s important to hold land around the Joe Louis Greenway until best uses are identified so the city avoids unintended consequences.
“We went out to other cities and benchmarked their greenways – everybody’s big complaint was they didn’t think about affordable housing,” Dick said. “From the start, we’ve worked with the planning department and the land bank to hold property where we could eventually develop it.”
Other city departments have requested holds, including general services, housing and revitalization and the water department. Entities like the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation and Michigan Department of Transportation also requested holds on land, with MDOT seeking holds along I-94 and M-10 to coordinate highway construction projects.
The water department often requests holds for stormwater improvements and climate resiliency projects, Bryant said.
Much of the Islandview neighborhood on Detroit’s lower east side is in a land review area for inclusive housing projects. Like the North End, there’s a large amount of vacant land in Islandview – city planning documents describe it as an “incredibly land rich” area.
Field Street Block Club President Jennine Spencer said the neighborhood organization has been able to obtain some sites through the city’s neighborhood beautification program. The block club is planning to create community gardens.
Jean Willis has bought seven vacant lots around her home in the Northwest Goldberg neighborhood and plans to create a medicinal garden and native habitat. She’s selling one of the lots to a friend who plans to build a house.
Willis said she’s fortunate to have bought her lots, she said the land bank has a reputation for being picky with who can purchase land.
“When a developer has an idea, they don’t let lots go,” Willis said. “In my neighborhood, they are selling. Who gets to decide? It seems like they change their mind a lot.”
Willis said it’s not always clear what land is available to buy. She checks the land bank’s online listings regularly and notices property is being added and removed. Residents can also see land bank properties that aren’t available for sale using the online map.
Residents who want to know more about properties that aren’t currently listed for sale can make an inquiry with the land bank online, send an email to inquire@detroitlandbank.org or call the DLBA at (313) 974-6869.