Vacant Lots in Historic Springfield

[iloveionia]

Yup.
They seem to be everywhere.
Sometimes in bunches.
Sometimes overgrown and untended to. 
Nope, SRG doesn't own all of them, a lot of them, but not all.
I do not know an exact number of Springfield's vacant lots, but 175ish is a fair number based on research compiled.

What to do? 

Well Preservation SOSs mission is to preserve the structures and fabric of our district.  No doubt vacant lots are a part of this.  Right now we are focusing on the structures as those are in most eminent danger of being lost in our neighborhood.  It is the priority.  We are a small, new, and growing group and we welcome folks to come and join us in our efforts to "Save Our Springfield."  (FYI, information coming in the next days about a slew of November activities coming up, so keep your eyes peeled!)

It's all about taking a different approach, a different view.  Looking through "different glasses." 

1.  The lots need to be maintained. 
2.  God willing, the lots need to be sold to provide appropriate historic infill.
3.  In the interim, the lots need to be utilized:

a)Sustainable Springfield has the Laura Street Community Garden and the upcoming Orchard on Ionia.  Great re-use of the land. 
b)Myself and others have done some guerrilla gardening and beautification of the lots: artistic signs, spurts of gardens and stone wall masterpieces. 
c)How cool would it be to have work-out stations scattered through-out the hood, you know like they have in the park systems, a place to do sit-ups, pull-ups, etc. 
d)In other cities, I've seen vacant lots fenced in creatively and semi-permanent temporary 3-D art placed in the lot until a more suitable use is found.
e) How about mobile Farmer's Market's through the lots in Springfield?  Different lot each month. 
f) Spreading wildflower seeds is a good temporary fix as well. 
g) "Adopt a Lot" comes to mind.  A neighbor adjacent to a vacant lot committs to maintained it temporarily until a better solution comes forward. 

The above are just ideas.
Got any more?

Clearly there are legalities to ownership of the lots that would need to be addressed.   

Once the legislation is drafted and mothballing and preserving our homes becomes #1 in Springfield, I'll feel comfortable to take on the lots.  But we are always happy to tackle what we can while "saving the houses."  So I say "bring it on."  Always up for a challenge. 

[CS Foltz]

That "Adopt a Lot idea has some merit, if a person on that street or block would be willing to keep the weeds in check! Cost should not be too bad if it is a standard city lot size! Next door neighbor might be willing or maybe you could get a block captain to step up.............or even since SPAR was the initiator of most of that, you might discuss the issue with them for keeping the weeds in check......simple mow job once a month beats what happens right now!

[sheclown]

Make them all meadows.

Problem solved.

[uptowngirl]

HA! I have six surrounding me, all over grown. Seller unwilling to sell since they ahve demo liens and fines.

[iloveionia]

Uptown.
Critters. Build that farm baby.

[CS Foltz]

uptowngirl.......as sheclown suggested, make it into a meadow or just plant wildflowers! I think you can get those kind of seeds at no cost from the State..................leme look into it and will give you post regarding what I find out?

[uptowngirl]

I did plant two with a meadow, I think it takes two years to properly bloom, so looking forward tot this spring! It is a shame these lots can't sale, I would buy two of them today if not for demo liens and fines.

[sheclown]

We need to check out how to negotiate these fines.

If the city can give Mack 200 lots without the liens, surely the city can waive demo liens for you.

[CS Foltz]

sheclown........I agree! There has to be a way around that crud! City gets tax revenue from something for xx dollars instead of what they get now..........zero! Paperwork bull excrement!

[iloveionia]

It is a shame these lots can't sale, I would buy two of them today if not for demo liens and fines.

A Springfield friend bought an empty lot out of the "ledger" book down at the courthouse.  As an empty lot has less liability than a property with a house on it, a suggestion would be to clear the fines and liens tagged to the address and send those suckers to the most recent property owner as a judgement, and sell the lots to interested folks.  A win-win in my book.

[CS Foltz]

Sounds good to me...........anything beats them just vegging..............vegetable plots, flowers......wild flowers, even possible playgrounds, marked so their are no liabilitie issue's!

[peestandingup]

I read that back in the 80s, lots used to go for basically nothing (a few hundred bucks). Hell, sometimes you could get the owners to just sign it over to you if you took care of a couple small fines.

[KuroiKetsunoHana]

it would be pretty awesome if that could happen again--i like the idea ov several vegetable gardens scattered throughout the neighbourhood, black thumb though i have.

[avs]

Sustainable Springfield is happy to work with owners of these vacant parcels.  We have the lot on Laura on a long-term lease, the lot on Ionia that we are going to be building a community orchard on this Fall was donated to us, we also have a lot on E 4th that has been leased to us that we are going to build another community garden on.  As long as we can put funds together to build the gardens, we are happy to do it and to manage them.  The owners have to be willing to long term lease or donate the lot to us (tax write off for them).

I would love to see pocket community gardens scattered throughout Springfield.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Hi!  Pot-stirrer here.

My question to some of you that want to purchase the lots, "If you buy it, then you would assimilate it to your own yard and someone looking for property wouldn't think to ask if it's for sale, right?"

I don't live there, as expressed by my moniker, but I think the idea of maintaining the lots next to you would help you in your long term goals of infill, rather than buying the lots outright.