Earlier quoted context omitted.
> That seems to be jumping to an extreme end, that someone owns an empty plot of land that has been cleared and destroyed to bare, dead dirt. My concern is that the same incentive pushing one to sell a pile of dirt would exist for someone owning an undeveloped, natural plot of land. My earlier caveat still exists, maybe this isn't a concern in dense areas though it would add some blockers for anyone interested in tur…
> frankly putting a tax on land is more likely to return some of those unused lots to the city This seems like a really dangerous justification, and frankly one that would be a complete no-go for me. You just made it clear that the goal, at least in part, is to make a tax so high that it more often goes unpaid and the city can take the land away from the land owner. They might as well skip the game and claim eminent…
Have you ever lived near an empty lot or abandoned building in a city? Yes, I want those going back into circulation, whether via the owner doing something with them, selling them to someone who will, or it falling to the city. You do know we're in a housing crisis? There simply isn't enough space to go round, something has to give; I'd rather see those absentee landowners who don't care enough to do the minimum lose their stuff than have hard working people living n to a room like we do now.