ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the City Manager and Director of Community Development with a Request to ADOPT an ORDINANCE Amending CHAPTER 5 of the CODE of the City of Peoria, Related to TEMPORARY BOARDING AND SECURING OF PROPERTIES.
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BACKGROUND: The City of Peoria Community Development Department is focused on reducing blight in our community. A major contributing factor is boarded up and vacant property. The current ordinance allows a property to remain boarded for 180 days. Currently, if a property is boarded for longer than 180 days, a citation may be written for every day the property exceeds that time amount. Staff recommends reducing this time down to 90 days
When properties are boarded for a substantial period of time, property values in our neighborhood decline. Boarded properties pose a threat to the health and safety of our neighborhoods and community members as these abandoned properties often become targets for crime and arson. Reducing the amount of time allowed for properties to remain boarded up will send a message to property owners that the city of Peoria intends to hold them accountable to take responsibility for their property resulting in quicker compliance and increased property values.
The Code Enforcement Division currently has five Code Enforcement Inspectors who address housing issues throughout the entire City. Refining and improving a tool to bring quicker compliance to a major aesthetic and safety issue leads to more efficient and effective service delivery for the community.
If adopted, a major focus of the Code Enforcement Division going forward will be proactively addressing the boarded up properties that litter our community. This ordinance change will provide staff with a more efficient tool to hold property owners accountable. Properties that are boarded and left vacant continue to deteriorate past the point where rehabilitation is an option. At that point, the owners of these properties leave the City of Peoria no choice but to pursue a demolition case against the property. Demolition is one of the last tools the City wants to use to remediate blight in our neighborhoods as it adds an additional vacant lot in our community, contributing little to our property tax base and requiring an increased level of City services.
For perspective, in February 2022, Staff performed a visual inventory of boarded up properties in the Second Council District. Staff identified over 50 residential properties with multiple boards at the property and 15 residential properties with one board. Of the 65 properties identified, 60% of the owners were current on their property taxes. This indicates that the owner has not abandoned the property and is instead making a conscious decision to allow the property to remain blighted for a substantial amount of time. If adopted, staff will use this tool to bring these properties and boarded up properties throughout the City into compliance and use the increased demolition budget for 2022 and 2023 to remove any remaining boarded up properties after going through the demolition court process.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: NA
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS: Properties that remain boarded up for a significant period of time become a nuisance to the neighborhood and reduce property values.
IMPACT IF APPROVED: Time allowance for boarded up properties is reduced from 180 days to 90 days.
IMPACT IF DENIED: Ordinance remains the same.
ALTERNATIVES: NA
EEO CERTIFICATION NUMBER: NA
WHICH OF THE GOALS IDENTIFIED IN THE COUNCIL’S 2017 - 2032 STRATEGIC PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION ADVANCE?
1. Beautiful Peoria
2. Safe Peoria
3. Grow Peoria
WHICH CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S) FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION IMPLEMENT?
1. Reinvest in neighborhoods.
2. Reduce crime.
3. Support sustainability.
DEPARTMENT: Community Development