Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council asks staff to research blight enforcement and vacancy fees used by neighboring cities
Summary
Councilors discussed an aggressive code-enforcement approach and vacancy-related fees (citing Pendleton) to encourage reuse of long-vacant commercial properties and asked staff to survey other cities' experiences.
Multiple councilors urged pursuing stronger tools to address blighted buildings and long-term vacancies on Main Street, including escalating fines and vacancy fees similar to a recent Pendleton ordinance.
"Pendleton, for example, last year, the city of Pendleton passed a new ordinance... to make it so that if a business property remains vacant for an extended period of time, that the property owner would incur a fee," one councilor said, asking staff to report back on how that approach performed in other communities. Councilors framed the measure as a compliance and economic-revitalization tool rather than punishment and asked staff to identify case studies and community reactions.
Staff agreed to research examples, contact counterparts in Pendleton, and present findings about outcomes and business-community responses at a future meeting.
