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Laredo committee seeks city-manager follow-up on downtown vacant-building ordinance; orders stakeholder meeting
Summary
At its May 20 meeting the City of Laredo Economic Development Committee pressed the city manager’s office for action on the downtown vacant-building ordinance, sought clarity on fines and registration, and instructed staff to meet with downtown stakeholders, including the TIRZ, business improvement district and Laredo Main Street.
The City of Laredo Economic Development Committee voted May 20 to ask the city manager’s office for a status update on the downtown vacant-building ordinance and to have staff convene a stakeholder meeting on the ordinance and potential incentives.
Committee members said the ordinance, which requires registration of vacant downtown properties, has generated concern among property owners about possible fines. Business Development Administrator Amanda Bruneda reported that the city sent about 600 mailings under the ordinance’s registration phase; roughly 50 were returned and four property owners had completed registration so far.
Committee members said the ordinance’s intent was to build an inventory of downtown vacancies and to spur rehabilitation, but several members said the registration language and the letter sent to property owners created confusion and raised concerns that the city would use the ordinance to generate revenue. Staff clarified that in the current rollout year the program is a registration phase with no fines; fee assessments could begin in a subsequent year if properties remained registered as vacant.
Committee member Julian Rognovsky, who said the committee previously recommended removing fines associated with the ordinance, asked whether staff had forwarded the committee’s recommendation to city council. Staff said the issue had been discussed with the city manager’s office but that no city-council action had been confirmed; the committee directed staff to follow up and report back.
Following discussion the committee approved two related motions: one to request a follow-up from the city manager’s office on whether the fines would be removed or negotiated, and a second directing staff to meet with the tax-increment reinvestment zone (TIRZ), the downtown business improvement district, Laredo Main Street and other downtown stakeholders to discuss the vacant-building ordinance and possible incentive packages. Both motions passed unanimously.
Staff said they will serve as a liaison to schedule the collaborative stakeholder meeting and return to the committee with the results.
