The lots dot the South Richmond neighborhood of Blackwell, an area bounded by Hull Street, Commerce Road, Dinwiddie Avenue and Jefferson Davis Highway. A 440-unit public housing complex once stood in the neighborhood, but RRHA received a $26 million federal grant in 1997 through the HOPE VI program to demolish the complex and revitalize the area.

In the two decades since, the housing authority built 325 income-restricted apartments and single-family homes, including 90 in the neighborhood, with the grant funds. In the meantime, the properties that RRHA is now selling — clustered between Dinwiddie Avenue and Stockton Street from 15th to 19th streets, and Everett and Decatur streets between Ninth and 11th streets — have languished.

Over the past decade, the adjacent Manchester neighborhood has boomed, as developers have built new apartment buildings and converted old industrial properties into new housing. As Manchester has grown, property values in Blackwell have surged. Assessments rose 19% in the two neighborhoods this year.

Compounding the growth is a new historic designation established last fall. The designation, with its state and federal tax incentives for qualifying renovations, is likely to spur more private investment in Blackwell, which could drive home prices higher and contribute to gentrification.