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Hyattsville council directs attorney to draft vacant‑property registry ordinance
Summary
Councilmember Greg Barnes introduced a concept for a vacant‑property registry to combat blight and safety concerns; staff reported a commercial‑space census (~89 vacant commercial units) and the council authorized the city attorney to draft an ordinance after debate about commercial vs residential scope and equity considerations.
Councilmember Greg Barnes framed a vacant‑property registry as a tool to reduce blight, improve safety and create accountability for owners of long‑term vacant buildings. He said registries commonly require owners to register, name a local agent, meet maintenance/security standards and pay a registration fee to fund code enforcement.
City planner Chloe (speaker 30) reported a physical survey of commercial spaces that identified approximately 89 vacant commercial units in Hyattsville (a ward breakdown cited 58 in Ward 1, 3 in Ward 2, 17 in Ward 3 and 6 in Ward 5). Staff recommended drafting ordinance language that would define a vacant property (examples included: unoccupied for 30 consecutive days, two or more maintenance‑code violations, or evidence of unlawful activity within 90 days) and noted exceptions and fee‑reduction possibilities for nonprofits and government‑owned properties.
Equity officer input flagged potential unintended consequences for residential owners and recommended mitigation (exceptions, outreach and assistance programs). Council members debated whether to begin with commercial properties only or include residential properties; several speakers urged inclusion of residential cases, but others asked for more data and more careful exemptions for owners with financial hardship or probate situations.
After discussion, Councilmember Barnes moved and the council voted (voice) to "authorize the city attorney to prepare an ordinance whereby owners of vacant buildings would be required to register such properties with the city of Hyattsville for purposes of reducing blight and to ensure that the owners of those properties abide by a minimum standard of safety and security standards." The motion passed by voice vote; no ordinance text was presented at this meeting.
Next steps: city staff will work with the attorney to draft ordinance language, conduct outreach to property owners and stakeholders, and return the draft ordinance to council for discussion and amendment.
