By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Vacant buildings are not a good look for any community. So Bowling Green City Council is considering an ordinance requiring owners of vacant buildings to devise plans for the future of the empty structures.
“It’s a way of registering and identifying buildings that have been left empty for a period of time,” City Council member Kathleen Dennis said after Monday’s council meeting.
Bowling Green has its fair share of vacant residential and commercial buildings, said Dennis, who introduced the ordinance. The ordinance would require owners of vacant buildings to register them with the city and submit their plans for the structures.
“Vacant buildings have an impact on a community’s social cohesion,” Dennis said. “There is an impact.”
Occupied residential and commercial buildings represent quality of life and economic vitality, she said.
The proposed ordinance was given its first reading on Monday evening. Two more readings will be held before council votes on the legislation.
If the ordinance becomes law, owners of vacant buildings in all areas zoned for residential or commercial uses will be required to register the structures with the city planning department no later than 90 days after they become vacant.
The owner of a vacant building must submit a plan addressing the following:
- If the building is to be demolished, a demolition plan indicating the proposed timeframe.
- If the building is to remain vacant, a plan for ensuring the building is secure in accordance with all applicable building and fire codes, along with the procedure that will be used to maintain the property, and a statement of the reasons the building will be left vacant.
- If the building is to be returned to appropriate occupancy or use, rehabilitation plans for the building and grounds. The rehabilitation plan should not exceed 12 months from the time permits are obtained.
- If the planning director has evidence the plan is not made in good faith, or the vacant building plan is not being carried out in a satisfactory manner, the planning director may proceed with enforcement.
The proposed fees are intended to defray the cost to the city government and community as a whole related to the health, safety and economic impacts of structures which remain vacant for long periods of time. The fees are also structured in order to provide incentives for owners of vacant buildings to care for them properly, seek to fill them, and in appropriate cases, to demolish them.
Owners of vacant buildings will not be charged a fee for the first year. After that, owners of residential buildings that remain vacant will be charged $250 in the second year, $500 in the third, $1,000 in the fourth, and $2,000 in the fifth, which will double each subsequent year to a maximum of $16,000.
Owners of vacant commercial buildings will be charged an annual fee of 5 cents per square foot, increasing incrementally to a maximum of $32,000.
Exemptions from the registration would include
- Buildings under active construction, reconstruction or renovation, and having valid building permits at the time of the initial inspection.
- Buildings which have suffered fire damage or damage caused by extreme weather for a period of 90 days after the date of the damage.
- Buildings for sale and listed with a licensed Realtor.
