Downtown BID starts work on revised vacant building ordinance, forms subcommittee

The Downtown Business Improvement District agreed Sept. 29 to form a formal subcommittee to collaborate with city advisory bodies, the chamber and downtown stakeholders on a revised vacant building ordinance and a companion incentive policy intended to spur downtown revitalization.

Board members said the city council on Sept. 2 rescinded the earlier vacant building ordinance to allow a revised ordinance to be developed with input from the BID and other stakeholders. The board discussed drafting a VBO that would target downtown as a pilot area while including incentives to encourage property owners and developers to invest in vacant or underused properties.

Board members described the current ordinance as largely a registration requirement with inspection components and said the revised draft aims to pair a “stick” (registration/penalties where appropriate) with a “carrot” of incentives such as tax abatements, sales-tax rebates or infill incentives used in other Texas cities. The draft circulated to board members also proposes exceptions for property owners actively pursuing permits or repairs with the city in order not to penalize those already investing.

Members discussed boundary questions and recommended using the BID’s existing map for consistency so the ordinance applies where the city has already targeted improvement efforts. Board members recognized that a successful downtown pilot could be expanded to other areas over time.

The board agreed the subcommittee should coordinate with EDAC, the Laredo Chamber, Laredo Main Street and other stakeholders. The board noted recent and planned downtown investment — including the city’s capital improvement allocation for the Plaza Theater project — as context for the ordinance discussions.

The board voted to form a subcommittee to collaborate on the VBO and incentive policy; it later named three voting members and one alternate to that subcommittee (see Votes at a glance).