Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Downtown Code Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Beaumont officials report progress in downtown code enforcement; 17 buildings still tagged unsafe
Summary
City staff told council that a 22-month proactive downtown sweep has resulted in roughly 78% of 76 buildings being classified safe; 17 remain tagged unsafe and owners of Hotel Beaumont and San Jacinto Building were ordered to deliver engineering reports by Jan. 20.
Beaumont city staff reported measurable progress on a two-year downtown code enforcement sweep but warned that several historic properties still need work and that the city is prepared to compel action if owners do not comply.
At a work session Tuesday, Demi Ingham, speaking for city staff, said the program—launched in March 2024—screened 76 structures in a defined downtown area and found 27 initially tagged as unsafe. As of the latest review, 17 of those properties remain classified unsafe, meaning about 78% of the originally tagged buildings now meet the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, Ingham said.
"The Gilbert Building has moved from regressing to progress," Ingham said, reporting that new owners submitted a preliminary restoration timeline. She added that the Beaumont Club has been demolished by its owner and that the Stedman Building has moved to a safe classification after completed repairs.
City staff told the council that property owners of the San Jacinto Building and the Hotel Beaumont were given notices on Dec. 4 requiring submission of engineering reports to the building official by 5 p.m. on Jan. 20; as of 1 p.m. that same day, the city had not received the reports. Ingham said the city will obtain independent reports if owners do not submit them and will invoice the property owners for costs of those reports.
The city also installed a temporary fence adjacent to the Hotel Beaumont after facade material fell into the public right-of-way; staff said the cost was about $1,400 and that the owner will be billed and liened if payment is not received.
Ingham described a three-tier classification for unsafe properties—regressing, no progress, and unsafe with permits and active remediation—and said staff will conduct a follow-up sweep of the original downtown area and expand inspections beginning in March 2026 to a larger zone that includes Nature Street, Calder, South MLK and Forsyth.
Council members pressed staff on enforcement and consequences. Councilman Crenshaw asked whether the city is taking enforcement action against owners who received notices but made no improvements; staff said several cases are already pending in court and that enforcement (including charges and liens) is pursued when owners fail to comply.
The council heard examples of recent downtown gains: the issuance of several certificates of occupancy, completed renovations to Beaumont Lofts and the repurposing of a previously vacant portion of the Stedman Building for new business. Ingham said those positive developments underline the program’s intention to build safety and economic activity in the historic core.
Staff outlined timelines and next steps: additional property sweeps in the coming weeks, potential engineering-report commissioning where owners do not respond, invoicing and possible liens for city-incurred costs, and continued coordination with code enforcement and legal staff on pending court cases. The council did not take formal action during the work session; staff said further updates would be provided at future meetings.
