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Brookings adopts vacant-building registration ordinance to curb blight
Summary
The Brookings City Council adopted a vacant-property registration ordinance intended to document owners, require basic maintenance, and give the city tools to address deteriorating commercial and residential properties. Council approved the ordinance after two readings; one councilor voted no.
The Brookings City Council on April 14 adopted an ordinance creating a vacant-property registration requirement intended to keep abandoned or distressed commercial and residential buildings maintained and easier for the city to contact.
City staff told the council the ordinance is aimed at three objectives: identifying owners of vacant properties, ensuring owners know their obligations under city codes, and requiring a minimum standard of maintenance. A draft ordinance and a sample vacant-property registration form were attached to the meeting packet.
The ordinance’s backers said a modest registration fee and a public record of vacant properties help shift the costs of neglect from neighborhoods and the city to property owners. City staff cited the Center for Community Progress as a model for the ordinance’s key elements, including registration procedures,…
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