Fortaleza Plan Sets Deadlines for Idle Lots Ahead of City Conference

Overview

• City planners detailed PEUC rules that trigger IPTU progressivo for up to five years and allow expropriation paid in bonds after persistent noncompliance.
• The draft targets lots of 400 m² or larger classified as non-built, underused, or unused, with one year to file a use project and two more years to start works.
• From initial notice to potential expropriation, the process is projected to take six to eight years and still requires regulation and City Council approval.
• Ipplan frames the measures as tools to reduce the housing deficit and open sites for parks or social housing, while legal experts urge rigorous studies to guarantee legal certainty.
• Construction industry leaders warn the plan could restrain development, raise outorga onerosa costs, slow permit requests, and enter too quickly, as the proposals head to the Conferência da Cidade on Oct. 24–26 before a Council vote.