Citrus Heights council introduces vacant‑property re‑occupancy ordinance, adopts fee schedule

The Citrus Heights City Council on Jan. 28 introduced an ordinance that would require commercial property owners to register vacant parcels, maintain security and monitoring, and pay monitoring fees intended to offset city costs.

City staff framed the measure as part of a broader economic development and blight‑abatement toolbox. “This ordinance was designed as a partnership. It is not meant to be punitive,” said Megan Huber, director of economic development and community engagement, describing outreach to property owners, the Sunrise Marketplace and the Citrus Heights Chamber. Staff said early drafts were revised after stakeholder feedback to extend registration windows and to limit burdens on well‑maintained properties.

Under the proposal, owners must register vacant parcels in an annual electronic system; the registration form would collect an emergency contact, last occupancy date and information about security measures. Staff described three main components: registration, monitoring and fees. Casey Kempenar, community development director, said the city calculated processing and monitoring costs and proposed a fee structure scaled by parcel size. He told council members that proactive self‑registration would avoid monitoring charges: “If you proactively register your property and your property meets requirements, it’s well kept… there’s gonna be no fee.”

Staff also described exemptions and edits made after outreach: the registration period was increased from 30 to 60 days; signage requirements were reduced to preserve owner privacy; office buildings more than 50% leased with no active code violations would be exempt from onerous monitoring. Staff said implementation requires new software and training and is likely to take several months; they proposed a six‑month status report to council after launch.

Councilmember Schaeffer moved to introduce the ordinance by title only and to waive full reading; the motion passed on roll call. The council also adopted the accompanying fee resolution. Roll call votes recorded by the clerk showed unanimous approval among members present (Karpinski Costa — Yes; Nelson — Aye; Schaeffer — Aye; Vice Mayor Middleton — Aye; Mayor Lopez Taff — Aye).

Supporters of the measure at the meeting said the program would help keep buildings secure and market‑ready. Councilmembers pressed staff on implementation details, including how the program would handle parcels with PO boxes, multiple‑parcel owners and properties that change hands. Staff said the registry would aid in emergency contact and marketing outreach to prospective tenants.

If enacted following required readings and any further revisions, the ordinance would add Chapter 52 to the Citrus Heights Municipal Code and establish annual registration and monitoring requirements for vacant commercial parcels. Staff said they would continue stakeholder outreach during the implementation period and return to council with an update roughly six months after the program launches.