Next...Detroit...Then Chicago...
They already tried this in Newark NJ on Valentine’s Day 2015; it didn’t work. The lots were sold very cheap ($1,000) to couples with the stipulation that the buyers had to build on it within a couple of years; people showed up to buy them, but according to a follow-up story nothing was done with most parcels that were sold. As the line of people queued up to buy them looked like gibsmedats, I’d imagine they lost interest once they realized 1) They were on the hook for building on it, and 2) They would pay property taxes. The people on line didn’t look like the taxpaying type...