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City staff presents draft vacant‑commercial‑building ordinance; council questions 30‑day trigger, fees and enforcement
Summary
Community and Economic Development Director Jonathan Wright presented a draft ordinance that would require registration, monitoring and potential fees for vacant commercial buildings. Councilmembers and public commenters urged broader stakeholder outreach, longer vacancy thresholds and additional clarity on enforcement and cost recovery.
Community and Economic Development Director Jonathan Wright presented the council with a draft ordinance intended to address vacant commercial buildings in Auburn’s commercial districts, and council members and residents spent more than an hour questioning definitions, timelines and enforcement.
Wright said the draft would require owners of commercial buildings that are vacant for a designated period to register the property, submit a statement of intent, post a local contact, and comply with monitoring and maintenance standards. The draft also anticipates cost‑recovery fees for city inspections and staff time.
“This is more or less the nuts and bolts of what that ordinance would look like,” Wright said. He told the council the proposal was intended to reduce blight, deter…
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