Due to tax foreclosures and demolitions, the City now owns 532 vacant lots and 70 unoccupied houses. Residents and business owners have been increasingly coming to the City for information on vacant properties and how to purchase them. The majority of inquires come from residents who’d like to combine their property with a neighboring vacant lot. With many of these interactions happening over phone, email or in-office visits, the City Manager’s Office decided to improve this City service and provide the necessary information online. Prospective buyers can now view City-owned vacant lots online and see which unoccupied houses are up for bid at their convenience.
The City of Jackson has launched a new section of its website for City property sales. By visiting cityofjackson.org/citypropertysales, residents can see which properties are for sale, review the eligibility process, and learn how to go about purchasing City-owned properties.
City property sales are administered by the City Manager’s Office, with final approval coming from the Jackson City Council. Assistant to the City Manager Amber Clark is the main contact for City property sales and oversees the program. “We’re excited to streamline the process and make this service more efficient for our residents,” Clark said. “The new website has everything prospective buyers will need to know before they submit their request to purchase a property and move forward with the approval process.”
The new website provides information on how residents can identify City-owned lots. Unoccupied homes are available to view when they’re up for bid through the City’s online bid system. Residents can reach the new website by searching www.cityofjackson.org/citypropertysales, or going to the City website, cityofjackson.org, and looking under the “Doing Business” tab.
