Reusing Vacant Properties
Figuring out the most appropriate reuse for the vacant structures or land is a central task for anyone working to plan, redevelop or rebuild cities and neighborhoods.
In strong-market, fast-growing communities, nearly all uses other than public facilities are driven by developers; the municipality’s role is regulatory, guided by its land use ordinances and constrained by the limits set by state law. Discretion tends to be limited to areas where a developer is seeking an amendment to or variance from the zoning code, and even then operates within fairly clear limits set by statute and case law.
In communities with weaker market conditions, such as most older industrial cities, the role of the planner, community development director or community development corporation (CDC) is very different. While the private market may take on some sites in some areas, most decisions about reuse are driven in whole or part by the public and nonprofit sector, and fall into two categories:
- Uses initiated by a developer or CDC, but where the developer needs assistance from the municipality, such as sale of publicly owned property, tax abatement or capital subsidy; and
- Uses initiated by the municipality, particularly with respect to the reuse of vacant properties.
In both cases, how uses are selected, planned and designed is a critical step in the revitalization of neighborhoods and, ultimately perhaps, the regeneration of the community.
In many cases, individual projects that transform vacant properties or underused spaces can serve as pilot tests for larger municipal-wide and neighborhood planning efforts. These “boots on the ground” projects can also engage community residents and strengthen a neighborhood’s civic infrastructure.
In all cases, the process of determining reuse goes well beyond whether the use is consistent with land use regulations; the proposed use, and how it will be designed and operated, should be that which makes the greatest contribution to both the short- and long-term vitality of the site, its surroundings and the community as a whole.
In all cases, the process of coming up with the most appropriate reuse – and ensuring to the extent possible that it is carried out, and carried out well – requires a series of steps which are detailed further in the strategies and tools in this section.
- Understanding the site: Communities need to evaluate the physical features of the site and the area in which the site is located, as well the legal constraints the site may face. All of these considerations will lead to the ability to make sound choices about reuse, not only by understanding what is possible, but also by understanding how different reuses are likely to affect the area.
- Choosing a reuse option: Communities will need to contemplate if a market or non-market use best aligns with the objectives for reuse, match the use to the desired user and align their disposition methods to attract that user and use, all while determining how to best balance the tension between their short- and long-term goals.
Understanding the Site
In order to fully understand the potential opportunities and limitations of a vacant building or lot, and what reuse options may be feasible on the site, one has to understand the site and the area in which it is situated. A use may be desirable and appropriate for a particular area or neighborhood, but may not work on a particular site. Alternatively, a site may be desirable for a particular use, but the use may not be economically feasible in the market context of the neighborhood.
Site Analysis
A critical tool to productive use of vacant properties is the ability to assemble and analyze good-quality data on those properties in a cost- and time-efficient fashion.
Building from a community’s survey of vacant properties , a community needs to assemble additional site-specific data to inform future reuses. See below for a listing of relevant information, which will be further explored in the sections below. A community could start gathering this information first on properties in a priority area for example.