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Committee backs expanded vacant‑building program to boost enforcement and receivership capacity
Summary
Staff presented revisions to the vacant‑building program that would expand proactive identification, scale fines based on vacancy duration and add implementation capacity; the committee moved and adopted staff recommendations to proceed for further evaluation and committee review.
City staff told the Committee on Governance on Dec. 11 that the city’s vacant‑building program — piloted in 2014 and expanded in 2017 and 2023 — should be strengthened with more proactive case management, scaled fees and legal tools for receivership and acquisition.
Shannon Miller, director of Historic Preservation, outlined six program components including owner outreach, case management, legal receivership assistance and targeted expansion to additional neighborhoods. Staff noted statutory constraints on prepayment and receivership and described the need for additional administrative capacity to implement expanded enforcement.
Councilmembers described persistent neighborhood harms from long‑vacant properties and supported further committee work to refine the program. The committee voted to advance staff recommendations and to have staff return with implementation details and any statutory constraints clearly identified.
