Available City Properties
Commercial Properties Listed for Sale
The City of Rock Island relies upon partners in Commercial Real Estate to provide information about commercial properties that are available for sale. Current commercial listings can be found through a local real estate brokerage or through the Location One Information System (LOIS) portal.
Rock Island Location One Information System (LOIS) Data
City-Owned Properties for Sale
Over the decades, the City has become the owner of a large inventory of properties. Most of these properties were acquired as part of an effort to tear down blighted buildings. Today, because of changes to the laws empowering municipalities to carry out such demolitions, the City no longer needs to acquire as many properties. Staff are now focused on selling off vacant lots owned by the City and reducing the burden on taxpayers by putting these properties back on the tax rolls. Below is a listing of all the properties available for sale. Identifying information, including size and zoning, are included. Most properties are small and may not be large enough for new construction. However, many of those smaller properties would useful for adjacent property owners who need more yard space. Take a look and see if the vacant lot next to your property is on the list.
How Sale Prices Are Determined
- Residentially-zoned, City-owned properties under one (1) acre in size and lacking any buildings or structures, otherwise known as vacant lots, shall be made available for purchase to any interested party for any purpose consistent with the approved development plans and land use regulations of the City.
- Contiguous City-owned properties may be measured collectively as to whether they are under one (1) acre in size understanding that contiguous properties may constitute future development sites.
- Vacant lots shall be sold at a price of ten cents per one (1) square foot rounded to the nearest whole dollar. In cases where an applicant is an adjoining property owner, the price for the property may be reduced to one dollar ($1). The purchaser shall be responsible for any and all closing costs in addition to the base price of the property.
- Parties interested in purchasing such a property shall file an application with the City for staff review. There shall be no application fee.
- City-owned properties one (1) acre in size or larger, regardless of zoning, shall not automatically be subject to this ordinance. They shall instead be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
- The City reserves the right to retain any property for future development. Further, the City reserve the right to require a development agreement as a condition of any purchase.
Before You Buy
It is important to be careful when considering a property purchase. Many of the properties available to purchase from the City are small, may be strangely shaped, or have difficult topography. Before you make an offer to purchase, make sure to confirm that the property you are looking at is right for you and zoned appropriately. Staff cannot guarantee that later requests for rezoning or variances will be approved.