A new program in St. Louis seeks to address the problem of abandoned properties by giving neighbors an opportunity to buy them at a bargain price.
City leaders are launching a program called "Mow to Own." Anyone living next to a vacant lot can buy it for $125 as long as they agree to maintain it.
The city becomes owner of an abandoned property when the owner fails to pay taxes for five years. The city typically hosts public tax foreclosure sales, but not all abandoned property is sold at those sales. City officials say the vacant lots are an eyesore and a drain on city resources.
