Tri-COG Side Lot Development Program

The Tri-COG Land Bank offers adjacent homeowners the opportunity to expand their yard through their Side Lot Development Program. When a TCLB-owned lot is located next to an occupied house, the land bank reaches out to the occupant and invites them to apply to purchase the vacant lot. If interested and eligible, the homeowner can purchase the lot for a below-market price. Side lots must be less than .25 acres in size and clear of any primary structures to be included in the program. Adjacent occupants are eligible to purchase if they are titled owner of the home or “equitable owners”–a person who is not the owner of record but who can demonstrate an ownership interest in the property as provided by law, such as a person who has inherited an interest in the property.

Cities who are seeking creative solutions to an abundance of vacant land and lack of maintenance resources can learn from this creative approach to put vacant lots back into the hands of residents.