Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council introduces vacant commercial properties registration ordinance to limit blight; first reading held
Summary
Council introduced an ordinance establishing a registration, maintenance and annual fee for vacant commercial lots and under‑utilized retail/industrial buildings (threshold: less than 31% leased). The ordinance requires see‑through fencing, landscape upkeep, contact signage and an annual administrative fee; council set an implementation window to Aug. 1.
The Westminster City Council introduced (first reading) a new vacant commercial properties ordinance on May 13 that would require owners of undeveloped commercial parcels and under‑utilized commercial buildings (less than 31% leased) to register with the city, maintain perimeter visibility fencing, keep landscaping maintained, display a contact sign and pay an annual administrative fee to support enforcement.
Staff said the program is intended to reduce blight, accelerate property maintenance and produce a single contact point for code enforcement to work with owners instead of chasing unresponsive property managers. Exemptions were included for active building permits, ongoing demolition or pending entitlement applications. The city attorney and staff described the program as an administrative, registration‑driven model. The annual administrative fee was estimated at roughly $500 — a figure staff said will be set via a separate resolution to recover program costs (estimated annual program cost about $62,000).
Council members voiced support for a careful, collaborative enforcement approach that emphasizes outreach before citations. Staff and council agreed the effective/implementation date should be August 1 (rather than July 1) to allow the program rollout and owner notification.
The item returns as a second reading for adoption at a subsequent meeting; the fee schedule will be presented separately and the program will be administrated by code enforcement.
