By Sara Beth Williams–
City officials recently released a draft of a proposed Commercial Property Reoccupancy Ordinance that would both fine building owners who have vacant buildings that are unsightly or dilapidated and motivate business owners toward achieving reoccupancy, officials say.
In the drafted document, the city outlines details of the program, including its purpose and how it will be administered and enforced.
The purpose of the ordinance is to “ensure all vacant commercial properties comply with minimum property maintenance requirements, while ensuring the city’s commercial properties remain viable and leasable for reoccupancy,” the draft states.
The program, if approved, would require commercial property owners to register vacant buildings within 30 days, for a fee.
A registration application must include a list of all responsible parties for security, maintenance, and marketing of the property in question; maintenance and security plans, a statement listing future plans; proof of fire and liability insurance coverage and continuous monitoring of the property. If the building remains vacant, the owner must re-register annually.
To assist property owners in returning buildings to “productive uses” the city plans to provide property owners with a Reoccupancy Support Packet at the time of registration, which will include maintenance and compliance checklists, Crime Prevention through Environmental Design guidelines, contacts and various departmental information, and marketing, permitting and improvement resources.
Additionally, business owners will also need to pay an annual monitoring fee for each registered vacant property. The monitoring fee is intended to “cover costs of City staff, including code compliance personnel, to conduct monthly inspections of the vacant property to ensure compliance with maintenance and security requirements,” the ordinance reads.
Vacant buildings that are under active construction, with a valid building permit for repair, rehabilitation, or construction, or a valid planning permit for reoccupancy, may qualify for exemption from monitoring fees.
Properties under construction must be free of trash, debris, and graffiti, and property owners must be “progressing diligently to complete such repair or rehabilitation within six months of the issuance of the building or planning permit” to qualify.
Monitoring fees can be refunded once a property becomes occupied after having been registered as vacant, the ordinance states.
Owners may specifically request relief from fees at the time of registration if their property is at least 75 percent occupied; if the commercial property is free of trash, debris, graffiti, broken windows, boarded-up entrances, and deteriorating facades; and if the landscaping is not overgrown. Properties must not have any open code enforcement violations within the last 12 months.
The specific fees for registration and monitoring were not listed in the ordinance and will be determined by the Citrus Heights City Council, according to the city.
Property owners of vacant buildings will be required to regularly maintain both the interior, and exterior, including landscaping, and the physical structure of the building, and turn off all unnecessary utilities.
Some requirements may be waived or modified in the case of a building that has been damaged by fire or another calamity, or a natural disaster, or if the vacant commercial property has received approval under a Request for Relief, the ordinance states.
Language in the ordinance also states that if it is discovered that a property owner has not registered a vacant commercial building, a written notice will be sent requiring registration of the vacant building within 30 days.
If approved, the program will institute vacant building monitoring, which includes inspecting commercial properties throughout the city to determine if they are vacant and, if so, whether they are secured from the potential for break-ins. The city will also monitor commercial properties regularly to ensure that all code violations are addressed.
The Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce is in support of the ordinance in its drafted form, according to a July 31 Citrus Heights Chamber of Commerce weekly business newsletter.
The full draft of the ordinance can be read here.
The city plans to discuss the ordinance draft with the public in an hour-long informational workshop to be held on Monday, Aug. 11, at City Hall. The meeting is scheduled from 3 to 4 p.m. and is open to the public. City Hall is located at 6360 Fountain Square Drive.
