Vacant lots in NYC that were sold by the city for $1

If you live in New York City, and you’re hoping to own–or trying to buy–property, you might not want to hear about vacant lots being given away for $1.

But this is really a thing: An interesting little map courtesy of the One Dollar Lots project by 596 acres shows us where in New York City, according to Untapped Cities, city-owned lots of land have been sold to developers for $1 since the current mayor took office in January 2014.

These $1 deals often happen as token transactions as part of a development incentive for prospective buyers, who will eventually need to prove they possess plans and the means to carry out their vision.

Although some of this land has reportedly been purchased by organizations doing community-oriented work like creating shelters for vulnerable populations or building homes for very low-income people, other lots have been spoken for by developers who are building market-rate apartments.

To view the details of each sale on the map, click the color-coded dots–the colors indicate whether the lots were bought by a for-profit or a non-profit developer. 596 Acres also provides links to contact info for local council members by clicking on the “City Council District” link.

The sections titled “Housing Restrictions” and “Community District Income” also provide information that may help determine how useful the sale may be to local residents.

According to the website, of the 202 city-owned lots shown on the map—–41 of which are have not yet closed– only one has become permanently affordable housing.

The organization mentions that these sales are happening without input from the communities most impacted by the transactions, i.e. local residents.

Their purpose in creating the map, then, is to provide local residents with information about sales that might impact their neighborhood, and to provide an opportunity to ponder what some effective uses of cheap public land might be.

A quick glance makes visually clear that the majority of dollar lots are in the outer boroughs—most prominently in the Bronx and in eastern Brooklyn.

Ref: Property Report