Sunbury work session walks through nuisance, blight and redevelopment authority process

SUNBURY — At a Sunbury City work session on Oct. 12, city staff, members of the redevelopment authority and legal counsel outlined how properties are added to the city's nuisance and blight lists, how the point-based nuisance system adopted in March 2023 works in practice, and what steps follow if a property is certified as blighted.

City staff and redevelopment authority representatives told the council that the city now uses a points-based nuisance/abatement ordinance that adds criminal incidents (for example, shootings) and property‑maintenance violations into a single point table. A redevelopment authority representative said the ordinance ties points to the property rather than to an individual: "it's tied to the property itself," and property owners therefore remain responsible even if the person who committed an offense is not prosecuted.

The work session aimed to clarify responsibilities among the code office, the blight-prevention review committee (BPRC), the planning commission and the redevelopment authority (RA). Staff described a multi-step process: code officers document violations and send reports (including police reports) to the code office; the property may be reviewed by BPRC and the planning commission; property owners receive notice and have 30 days to mitigate or enter a rehabilitation plan; and vacancies or certified…