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Alpine council hears proposal to use San Antonio model to address long‑term vacant buildings; staff capacity and fee levels cited as barriers
Summary
Council discussed a potential vacant‑building registration/fee program modeled on San Antonio to target downtown and gateway blight. Staff and council raised questions about enforcement workload, legal exposure, fee design and whether the program should focus first on commercial downtown corridors.
Councilmembers and volunteers presented background and several tradeoffs Oct. 29 for a vacant building program aimed at reducing downtown blight and encouraging property owners to reactivate or sell unused commercial buildings.
The proposal: Using San Antonio’s ordinance as a starting point, staff would require owners of vacant commercial buildings in a designated district to register their property, maintain proof of insurance, and pay an annual fee; failure to comply could trigger escalating fines. The stated goals are to…
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