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Council adopts registry ordinance targeting vacant and abandoned buildings, sets Jan. 1 effective date
Summary
Council approved an amended vacant-and-abandoned building registry ordinance (Bill 2025-03) that creates three property categories, targets the most blighted structures for enforcement or demolition, adds fees for commercial/industrial properties and sets an effective date of Jan. 1 next year.
The Florence City Council approved an amended ordinance (Bill 2025-03) to establish a Vacant and Abandoned Residential, Commercial and Industrial Building Registry. The ordinance was introduced in January and updated after stakeholder meetings and council input.
Staff explained the ordinance creates three categories of buildings: category 1 (vacant but maintained and not contributing to blight), category 2 (minor code deficiencies that are being addressed) and category 3 (properties with major structural failure or those that are magnets for crime and blight). Properties in categories 1 and 2 would generally not be required to register if owners are maintaining or addressing violations; category 3 properties are the primary targets for the registry and city intervention.
Key amendments described by staff included the addition of the word “abandoned” to clarify the scope, a different fee schedule for commercial and industrial properties, and an effective date of Jan. 1 of the next calendar year to allow administrative setup. Staff said existing mechanisms remain in place: code enforcement can address minor defects that property owners remedy under the International Property Maintenance Code, and the city’s demolition program can be used for properties where owners lack financial means to repair. In some cases staff said the city may place a lien on demolished properties (a five-year lien) or accept a voluntary donation of the property so the city can take corrective action.
Council discussed whether CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds or other economic development funding could be used for commercial properties. Staff and the city attorney said CDBG typically funds residential rehabilitation under the HUD-approved five-year plan and that rehabilitation of commercial buildings would be more limited and considered case by case under CDBG economic development rules.
Nut graf: The ordinance focuses enforcement and administrative resources on the most dilapidated, blight-producing properties, provides administrative time and fee structures for commercial/industrial properties, and sets a future effective date to allow the city to organize program administration; council adopted the ordinance as presented.
