Downtown BID asks Laredo council to remove fines from vacant-building ordinance for owners actively leasing

The Downtown Business Improvement District voted to ask the Laredo City Council to remove fines in the city’s vacant-building ordinance for property owners who are actively trying to lease or sell their buildings.

Julian Oviedovsky, president of the Downtown Business Improvement District, opened the board discussion and described the ordinance’s original purpose as a data-collection tool to identify vacant properties. Board members and property owners said the ordinance instead functions as a punitive measure against owners who are attempting to market buildings.

The board’s discussion centered on how the ordinance was presented to property owners and what staff and the Economic Development Advisory Committee recommended. One board member recounted that the ordinance was initially pitched as a mechanism to “create a database of what’s vacant” but said the final version adopted by the city carried fines without a carve-out for owners actively leasing properties.

Members cited examples of repeated window breakage, loitering and vandalism at downtown properties and said low market rents and recurring property damage make repairs and leasing difficult. The board also noted a vacancy-rate study prepared by Laredo Main Street that found downtown vacancy was materially different from the county estimate used in valuation discussions.

Board members reported that the Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) had reviewed the ordinance and “overwhelmingly voted” that the enforcement “teeth” be removed so the rule can return to an information-gathering role. The board asked members to contact council members and city staff to press for amendment and to coordinate with the assistant city manager.

The board approved a motion asking the City of Laredo to remove fines for property owners actively trying to lease or sell their buildings. The motion passed by voice vote; individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the minutes.

Board members left open additional nonbinding ideas discussed during the meeting, including using temporary printed art on boarded windows to improve street appearance while buildings remain vacant.

Next steps identified by the board were to follow up with the assistant city manager’s office to learn whether a legal amendment is in progress and to encourage other council members to support a change.