In New Orleans, 140 vacant properties are on the auction block. See details.

The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority will auction off 140 vacant properties in New Orleans this month for buyers to build new homes or claim green space.

In a switch from past years, NORA's auction this year will reserve 40 properties to be purchased for urban farms and community green space. It is encouraging investors to turn the others into single-family homes.

This comes after NORA introduced a “non-housing development option” in January that allows urban farmers and community organizations to purchase land for agricultural and farming uses.

NORA is a city agency that focuses on returning vacant or blighted properties to commerce, specifically to grow housing development and increase new construction on empty lots around the city. The agency hosts annual auctions of abandoned land formerly part of the state's now-defunct Road Home program.

State officials acquired private properties through that program after Hurricane Katrina and resulting floodwaters ravaged much of the city in 2005.

The auction will be held on NORA’s online platform from Sept. 29 at 8 a.m. until Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. Bidding starts at a minimum of $4,000 per property. Winning bidders must settle their purchase within 30 days and must complete lot construction or rehabilitation within 18 months of closing.

“As with our previous auctions, we anticipate significant interest from prospective buyers,” said Brenda Breaux, executive director of NORA. “We are excited to make this next group of properties available and provide another opportunity for residents, property owners and developers to invest in neighborhoods across New Orleans.”

NORA also offers properties through its Lot Next Door program that allows adjacent homeowners to purchase vacant property at fair market value.

The move is a routine one that nonetheless comes as residents have called for more blight remediation and opportunity to invest in properties to go back into commerce.

The auction is meant to increase new construction on empty lots around the city, a common complaint of residents in recent town hall meetings on the city’s budget who are concerned with blight and overgrown grass.

Reducing neighborhood blight is a priority for Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration this year, Moreno said at last week's community meeting at Household of Faith Church in New Orleans East.

Read the full article on Nola.com.