The City of Victoria will forgive outstanding code enforcement liens for property owners who donate their unused vacant lots to the City’s infill housing program.
The City of Victoria recently accepted a resident’s tax-deductible donation of a vacant lot on West Juan Linn Street, forgiving more than $20,000 in code enforcement liens in the process.
Under the program, the City will transfer acquired lots to private builders who will build homes and then sell them to residents for significantly less than Victoria’s median home prices.
Priority will be given to homebuyers who earn less than Victoria’s area median income. The homes must be owner-occupied for at least five years after purchase.
Returning lots to productive use
Victoria has hundreds of properties with some type of lien, usually because of unpaid fines due to code enforcement violations.
When a property owner can’t or won’t maintain a property, the cost of doing so falls to the City. Abandoned lots are a drain on City resources, with the City indefinitely maintaining the lots and continuing to send bills that might not ever be paid.
The infill housing program aims to address this problem by returning the lots to productive use while creating affordable housing and adding new properties to the tax roll.
How it’s funded
The infill housing program is funded by the Victoria Housing Finance Corporation, which makes money on some of its projects through developer fees and bond issuance fees. No City funds are being used for the program.
The City is aiming to keep program costs low by encouraging property owners to donate their properties in exchange for forgiveness of liens.
Contact us
Property owners or homebuilders who are interested in the program may contact the City Manager’s Office at 361-485-3030 and ask for Mike Etienne or email to vmorales@victoriatx.gov.
To learn more about the City’s involvement in housing initiatives, visit www.victoriatx.gov/housing.