Committee advances expanded chronic-nuisance ordinance to include certain off-site activity, new offenses and cost recovery

The Seattle Public Safety Committee on July 8 recommended passage of Council Bill 121006, an ordinance revising chronic-nuisance property rules to allow certain off-property activity to count toward a property being designated a chronic nuisance. The committee adopted six amendments that clarify findings, update penalty levels for inflation, expand the list of nuisance activities, clarify cost-recovery authority, require the City Attorney to consider disputing documentation, and tighten the standard for linking off-site activity to a property.

The clerk read CB 121006 into the record; Director Noble (central staff) and Vice Chair Alex Saka guided the committee through technical and policy changes. The committee adopted Amendment 1B to add two findings emphasizing that nuisance activity in residential zones is part of the problem the ordinance…