City of Buffalo considering sale of lots

BUFFALO — The city of Buffalo may sell several city-owned lots, hoping they will be used to build attainable single-family homes.

 Local contractor Geoffrey Spiering expressed an interest in building single-family homes with an asking price below $300,000 on the lots. 

The nine lots are part of the Meadowlark Addition south and southwest of Meadowlark Elementary School. Spiering wrote in a letter to the city that he was hoping the city could set the minimum price per lot at $10,000. While he is looking for fully developed lots with sewer and water connections, as well as curb and gutter, none of the lots are fully developed. Based on estimates he received, the cost to develop each lot would be about $76,000. 

If the lot cost goes much higher than that, it would be difficult for him to sell the completed homes for less than $300,000, he wrote.

The city discussed selling the lots during a department head meeting this month. While city leaders seemed interested in selling the lots, there was a lot of discussion over lot development and if the city would develop them, leave them untouched or develop them and pass the costs on to the lot purchasers.

The city also had some concerns about putting the lots up for sale: What if they did not get sold? What if they were purchased and not used for housing? The city has attempted to sell lots for housing development in the past, which has led to multiple dead ends, City Clerk-Treasurer Julie Silbernagel said at the department head meeting. 

In the past, when the lots ended up priced at more than what developers wanted, nobody purchased them.

“I think it’s probably time to do this again, but this would be the third time that we’ve gotten on this,” she said.

While city leaders expressed reservations about the realities of the project and potential sale, many commented about the need for housing at an affordable price point. The price point that many are referring to is homes that families around the area’s median income range – oftentimes educators, healthcare workers and law enforcement officers – can afford. 

Buffalo’s average listing for homes was at $550,000 for May, according to realtor.com.

Councilman Wes Haskins said Spiering had spoken to him about the project.

“He’s trying to build some houses that don’t cost as much money as everything else,” Haskins said. “... Which we’ve needed. He was talking to me about it and how he was going to do it, and he was, like, ‘I’m not trying to make a lot of money. I think it’s something that we need.’” 

Spiering said in his letter that the city could require the land’s purchaser to have to build homes on the lots within a certain time period to ensure that the land is used for housing.

City Attorney Dennis Kirven said during the department head meeting that that is a legal option for the city to consider.

Spiering also said in his letter that the city should sell all the lots together to encourage development.

Kirven said that the city must get the highest asking price possible, which is why it would have to receive bids for the lots both individually and together.

“I think we’re obligated to achieve the highest price that’s on the table, and so I suppose you could advertise it and offer each of the lots individually, and then you advertise, and then go to a bid for the whole,” Kirven said. “But the bid from the whole would have to be more than the sale of each individual lot total.”

Kirven said that he doesn’t believe a $10,000 per lot minimum is a realistic price point.

“If you do a market analysis or appraisal, and you then sell it for less than that, then you’re subject to criticism for giving away city property for less than its value,” Kirven said.

City building inspector Terry Asay said the lots’ value would increase if the city developed them. Additionally, it may be necessary for the city to develop them because it would be challenging if the lots went to separate people and they then had to collaborate to put in the infrastructure, such as curb, gutter and the sewer and water line extensions.

“If we don’t do it, it is never going to get done,” Asay said.

On the other hand, requirements to build single-family homes on the lots within a certain time period could affect and lower the value of the lots. Haskins supported requiring the lots to be for single-family dwellings if the city were to sell them.

“If we’re willing to sell these, that’s why we would be selling them. It’s so someone, like this person, whether it’s him or someone else, builds it for single-family dwellings and, quote, unquote, affordable intentions,” he said.

Mayor Shane Schrader said the next step for the city is to have the lots appraised. The big question is what, if anything, to do about infrastructure development around the lots.

“I think we need to get an evaluation and then see what our infrastructure would cost,” he said. “... And then we have to decide whether we want to do the infrastructure or pass it on.”

This story was published on June 19, 2025.