KOKOMO, Ind. — More than 130 lots sit empty across the city of Kokomo.
They're owned by the city, and they're collecting dust.
The Kokomo Urban Infill and revitalization program, however, is designed to bring new life to town.
In partnership with the Kokomo Community Development Corporation, the city will offer vacant lots to developers free of charge.
Here's the catch. The developers, who are chosen by a selection committee, must be able to build a completed home within one year.
It's a two-part recipe for the city: one part affordable housing and one part beautification.
Travis Taflinger and his Kokomo nonprofit called Bridges Outreach gained two properties from the Urban Infill and revitalization program. They sit side-by-side on North Apperson Way, just north of downtown.
"We service a school a half-mile that way and a half-mile that way," said Taflinger. "So this is a beautiful part of Kokomo."
Bridges Outreach works to help young people and their families become homeowners through mentorships, training and education.
"When you are building a home, you are helping a family, which is totally true," said Taflinger, "but everything we do is locally, so we're helping the economy. Then third, we're actually helping not just the two people who will be here, but every one of these neighbors, because the value of their house is going to go up. That's true neighborhood development."
Officials with the KCDC say they tried a similar program years ago, but it yielded mixed results.
With the ongoing housing shortage and an increased push for urban living in Kokomo, the city decided to try again in 2024.
On his property, Taflinger plans to build two single-story homes.
"They'll be identical," said Taflinger. "They'll be about 1,200 square feet, three bedrooms and two bathrooms."
Taflinger said the goal is to move both families into their new homes by the end of the year.
More information and applications for the Kokomo Urban Infill and revitalization program can be found online.
"It's going to be exciting for Kokomo," said Taflinger, "because they're going to see these places that have just been grass lots become homes here in the next 12 months."