Neighbors discuss Vacant-to-Vibrant, code enforcement and possible reuse of work-release resources

City and neighborhood representatives discussed programs aimed at returning vacant and dilapidated properties to productive use and how code enforcement and prosecutorial capacity affect outcomes.

The Mayor's Neighborhood Advocate distributed flyers about Vacant-to-Vibrant, a program that allows developers or community groups to rehabilitate dilapidated houses. The advocate directed attendees to the city's website for details and provided a QR code for program materials.

Residents said lengthy enforcement cycles and limited city-prosecutor capacity slow action against blighted properties. One attendee suggested cities that impose escalating fines (weekly or daily increases) for repeated violations gain better compliance and that those funds can be reinvested in enforcement.

Another attendee asked whether Department of Correction work-release, probation or community-service programs could be revived to help refurbish vacant properties at low cost and provide training and supervision for participants. Council President Bob Bosley asked to track down historical programs and directed staff to follow up with neighborhood leaders.

Meeting participants also urged clearer public information about which city office manages vacant lots versus abandoned homes and suggested a single clearinghouse or an improved Mayor's Action Center process to route complaints and transfers between the city and county health/inspection offices.

"If there are duties where they overlap... it should be coalesced to say, this is the place that you call when you have" a vacant lot or abandoned house, one resident said. Bosley said he would follow up on the request for clarity and for research into past corrections-based refurbishment programs.