MOULTRIE, Ga. — The City of Moultrie received $449,928 in 2013 to revitalize an area of Northwest Moultrie, one of the more blighted areas in the city.

As originally proposed, the city hoped the owners of dilapidated property would donate it to a Land Bank that had been created for the purpose in 2011. That would allow the landowner to get out from under back taxes or liens from not keeping the property up. The city could then use the grant money to remove dilapidated structures and clean up the lot. Then the Land Bank would make the land available to Community Ventures, a nonprofit organization, which would build a house on the cleared lot.

Community Ventures would sell the first house and use proceeds from the sale to fund the second one, and so on. Community Ventures, based in Camilla, specializes in helping people become first-time homeowners. Part of the city’s CDBG grant can also be used for down payment assistance.

Colquitt Regional Medical Center donated a corner lot to the Land Bank in June 2014, but progress slowed considerably after that due to government regulations, surveying problems, and a lack of interest on the part of landowners.

The first house was completed in February 2016 but sat vacant for more than a year. The 1,500-square foot, three-bedroom, two-bath was valued at $120,000. After the house finally sold, a city councilwoman suggested Community Ventures might want to make the next one a little cheaper. Whether that was the reason or not, the second house did sell quickly.

City Manager Pete Dillard said the city was working on acquiring a third lot but someone else made the property owner a better offer. In spite of that delay, he said the city’s plans are moving forward.

“What we are hoping to do is build one or two more before the end of the year,” said Dillard. “So in the meantime, we’re buying blighted properties and cleaning them up. When the grant runs out we can reapply to have another grant so we can just have everything ready for the next house that we build. It’s the model we are going to have moving forward.”