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Council weighs registry, fees and legal limits in vacant‑building discussion
Summary
Development Services Director Mike Rizzitello told the council Oct. 28 that Washington cities take different approaches to vacant‑building registries and that a local proposal would need careful calibration of definitions, fees and staffing; councilors urged focusing first on commercial properties that depress surrounding business districts.
City staff presented a survey of municipal approaches to vacant or unoccupied buildings and the council debated whether Richland should adopt a registry, what it should cover and how penalties would be set.
Development Services Director Mike Rizzitello briefed the council on Oct. 28 about definitions and municipal tools used elsewhere in Washington, including registries in Bremerton and Liberty Lake and nuisance abatement approaches used in Grandview and Olympia. Rizzitello said definitions vary: some cities treat commercial buildings vacant after 90 or 180 days of nonoccupancy; others use foreclosure or notice‑of‑default as triggers. He noted staffing and liability implications and cited the differing posture of federal appellate…
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