Side and Vacant Lot Programs

Vacant Lot Program

The Vacant Lot Program gives interested applicants the opportunity to acquire vacant and abandoned tax delinquent land, which may or may not be adjacent to the applicant’s property. This program also gives interested parties the opportunity to acquire property to construct new housing or buildings on the land.

Requirements

Interested parties must meet the following requirements:

• The applicant must be current on all property taxes and have no current housing or zoning code violations.
• The applicant must be able to maintain the lot in accordance with all local building, housing and zoning codes.
• All buildable vacant lots will be listed on the website for sale at a price determined by the ECLB.

To be considered for the Vacant Lot Program, you must submit a full application including your building plan.

For further information or questions regarding the land bank properties, please contact us.

Application

Side Lot Program

The Side Lot Program allows qualifying homeowners to purchase pre-designated "side lots"  at a special price from the Erie County Land Bank. The purchase of a residential lot enables homeowners to expand their yard, increasing the overall value of their property.

How it Works

If you own a property adjacent to an unimproved lot owned by the Erie County Land Bank that has been designated as a "side lot" and you would be interested in purchasing it, please fill out an application. Applications are reviewed by the Erie County Land Bank on a first-come, first-served basis. The team will review to determine compliance with policies and procedures as well as existing neighborhood plans. 

Not all vacant lots qualify for our Side Lot Program.

All side lot parcels will be subject to restrictions regarding the sale, subdivision or partition within a five-year period. 

Eligible Properties

Side Lot Program properties have the following minimum criteria:

• The parcel shall be vacant and unimproved.
• Applicants must own property that borders the lot on at least one side. 
• The intended use for the parcel must be disclosed by the transferee and such use shall be consistent with local codes, including but not limited to zoning codes.

Minimum Qualifications:

All Side Lot applicants must meet the following minimum qualifications:

• The applicant must own contiguous property (with priority preference shown to owner-occupied transferees).
• To qualify, the applicant can't have any open code violations on any property the applicant currently owns (including building, zoning, and property maintenance).
• The applicant must not be tax delinquent on any properties in their ownership.
• The applicant must not have been the prior owner of any real property within Erie County that was acquired by a local government through execution of a judgment relating to municipal liens.

Pricing

The Land Bank will accept written offers from qualified owners of contiguous parcels for the purchase of the Land Bank properties made available for conveyance through the Side Lot Program.  The Land Bank has established the following formulas to calculate the minimum offer which would be considered:

• The minimum offer for parcels with fifty feet (50’) or less of street frontage is $500.
• The minimum offer for parcels with street frontage over fifty feet (50’) will be calculated $10 for every one foot (1’) of street frontage.  (For example, the minimum offer for a 65’ wide lot would be $650.)
• In all the above instances, the minimum offer for corner lots would be calculated based on the average street frontage, not a combined length of two frontages.
• In addition to the offered consideration, the transferee of any property conveyed through the Side Lot Program would also be required to pay all “Transfer Closing Costs”.

Application

Neighborhood Lot Program

Similar to the Side Lot Program, the Neighborhood Lot Program allows qualifying homeowners to purchase pre-designated lots at a special price from the Erie County Land Bank.

How it Works

If you own a property within 500 feet of an unimproved lot owned by the Erie County Land Bank that has been designated as a "side lot" and you would be interested in purchasing it, please fill out an application. Applications are reviewed by the Erie County Land Bank and awarded to the highest bid submitted by a qualified applicant. The team will review to determine compliance with policies and procedures as well as existing neighborhood plans. 

Not all vacant lots qualify for our Neighborhood Lot Program.

All neighborhood lot parcels will be subject to restrictions regarding the sale, subdivision or partition within a five-year period. 

An applicant can purchase up to 2 Neighborhood Lots per calendar year (January 1 - December 31).

Sales have a three-year compliance period, allowing the ECLB to reconvey the lot if the purchaser is found to be at fault for blight violations.

Eligible Properties

Neighborhood Lot Program properties have the following minimum criteria:

• The parcel shall be vacant and unimproved.
• Applicants must own property within 500 feet of the parcel. 
• The intended use for the parcel must be disclosed by the transferee and such use shall be consistent with local codes, including but not limited to zoning codes.

Minimum Qualifications:

All Neighborhood Lot applicants must meet the following minimum qualifications:

• The applicant must own property within 500 feet (with priority preference shown to owner-occupied transferees).
• To qualify, the applicant can't have any open code violations on any property the applicant currently owns (including building, zoning, and property maintenance).
• The applicant must not be tax delinquent on any properties in their ownership.
• The applicant must not have been the prior owner of any real property within Erie County that was acquired by a local government through execution of a judgment relating to municipal liens.

Pricing

The Land Bank will accept written offers from qualified owners of eligible parcels for the purchase of the Land Bank properties made available for conveyance through the Neighborhood Lot Program.  The Land Bank has established the following formulas to calculate the minimum offer which would be considered:

• The minimum offer for parcels will be calculated at $20.00 for every one foot (1’) of street frontage.  (For example, the minimum offer for a 65’ wide lot would be $1,300.00.)
• In all the above instances, the minimum offer for corner lots would be calculated based on the average street frontage, not a combined length of two frontages.
• In addition to the offered consideration, the transferee of any property conveyed through the Neighborhood Lot Program would also be required to pay all Transfer Closing Costs.

Application