By: Zena Taher / KSN
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – What was once thought of as a solution for Wichita’s abandoned home woes is not working as planned.
A “land bank” set up by the city in 2021 is supposed to take control of those abandoned properties, selling them to people who will fix them up quickly. Only two lots were added to the Wichita land bank in the years since it was approved. The sale of those two lots was just finalized last Wednesday, according to Habitat for Humanity, the organization that bought them.
It’s all yellowed dried grass and bare trees right now, but bigger plans are ahead for the land on 9th and Ash.
“We’re planning to build two single-family homes here,” said Laurie Walker, the program director for Wichita Habitat for Humanity.
The lot wasn’t any cheaper for Wichita Habitat for Humanity coming from the land bank, but they did have more of an upper hand than they would in the open market because of the competitive bid process.
“We’re serving a market that is in desperate need of affordable housing, and they took that into consideration,” Walker said.
The two lots snagged by Wichita Habitat for Humanity are the only two the land bank has successfully taken over.
City Council Member Brandon Johnson is a big proponent of the land bank. His wife is the executive director for Wichita Habitat for Humanity.
“I was in support of creating the land bank. You know I voted for it,” said Johnson. “It has just struggled to achieve what we had hoped.”
Taking over abandoned lots can be tricky in Sedgwick County. They get put up for tax sale after a few years of the owner not paying property taxes.
“After the sale is over, they (the city) would like to come look at what’s left and sweep it over,” said Sedgwick County Treasurer Brandi Bailey.
In some jurisdictions, bids to buy property at tax sale start at the dollar amount owed in property taxes. That’s because the government wants to make sure it gets all that owed tax money it needs. In those areas, a land bank would take over leftover properties not sold at tax sale.
In Sedgwick County, bids start at just a dollar and are typically priced low enough that there are no properties left unsold for the city to claim.
“If we were to start it at the amount where taxes are due that kind of makes it unfair to those individuals that are not your maybe typical people who buy and flip property,” Bailey said.
his article was produced in collaboration with KMUW as a part of the Wichita Journalism Collaborative (WJC). The WJC is a partnership of 10 media and community partners, including KMUW and KSN.
This article was republished here with the permission of: KSNW-TV