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Planning staff backs stronger vacant‑building rules; commission forwards revised recommendations
Summary
The Planning Department and the sponsor’s office presented an ordinance to register and regulate vacant and abandoned buildings, proposing a 30‑day trigger for registration, a registry, maintenance standards and limited security measures; the Commission forwarded staff‑amended recommendations unanimously.
Planning Department staff and Supervisor Chu’s office presented proposed amendments on June 4 to address vacant and abandoned buildings. The ordinance would require the Department of Building Inspection to identify vacant buildings (a proposed 30‑day trigger), create a public registry, require owners to register and pay an annual fee, post 24‑hour contact signage, maintain exterior and interior building conditions, and after one year require more robust security measures and insurance.
Tara Sullivan of the Planning Department said staff reviewed similar ordinances nationwide and recommended clarifications: a 30‑day vacancy definition to trigger registration, a 30‑day window for owners to register after notice, cross‑agency dissemination of the registry to DBI and DPW, special mothballing procedures for known historic resources, and narrower security requirements keyed to risk rather than an automatic year‑end escalation to metal grates and 24‑hour camera systems.
Public commenters urged stronger maintenance and enforcement: closing and locking windows, capping plumbing and chimneys, deadlines so buildings aren’t allowed to languish for years, online transparency for the registry and consideration of hardship provisions for owners with genuine inability to act. The Planning Department noted an exception in the draft ordinance for properties with active building permits and said DBI will lead implementation.
Commissioners asked staff to refine fee estimates, monitor impacts on active permits and consider hardship provisions and inspections that coordinate with DBI and the Health Department for interior issues (rodent, mold or hazardous materials). The Commission unanimously approved forwarding the modified recommendations to the Board with the staff edits discussed during the hearing.
