TO: Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Beth Lindauer, Community Development Director
SUBJECT:
title
Direction to Staff Regarding a Proposed Vacant Commercial Property Registration and Maintenance Ordinance.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
1. Provide direction to staff regarding whether to proceed with the preparation and formal introduction of a Vacant Commercial Property Registration and Maintenance Ordinance.
body
SUMMARY:
The proposed Vacant Commercial Property Registration and Maintenance Ordinance was considered by the Planning Commission, which ultimately did not make a recommendation. As a result, the ordinance has not been scheduled for formal City Council consideration. This item is presented to the City Council to obtain policy direction on whether staff should proceed with advancing the proposed ordinance for formal consideration.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION:
The City Council has no previous action on this item. The Planning Commission first considered the proposed ordinance at a public hearing in May 2026. During its discussion, Commissioners expressed concerns about the ordinance's overall scope and requested revisions before further consideration.
The revised ordinance was presented to the Planning Commission at a subsequent public hearing in July 2026. While Commissioners acknowledged the revisions made by staff, the Planning Commission ultimately declined to make a recommendation on the ordinance.
DISCUSSION:
The proposed ordinance was developed in response to concerns regarding the increasing number of long-term vacant commercial properties and their associated impacts on surrounding businesses, neighborhoods, public safety, and City resources. The ordinance was intended to establish a registration and maintenance program for qualifying vacant commercial properties, allowing the City to identify properties experiencing prolonged vacancy, encourage property maintenance, improve communication with property owners, and reduce nuisance conditions before they become more significant community issues.
At the Commission's direction, staff revised the ordinance to address those concerns.
The revisions included:
• Clarifying that the ordinance is intended to identify and monitor only those vacant commercial properties that present a heightened risk of deterioration, blight, nuisance activity, or increased demands on City services.
• Clarifying that vacant commercial properties which remain secure, well-maintained, and compliant with applicable laws are not intended to be unnecessarily regulated.
• Establishing an administrative exemption process allowing the Community Development Director to exempt qualifying properties from the registration requirement when specified maintenance, security, and code compliance standards are met.
• Extending the registration timeline to require registration only after a property has remained vacant for 180 consecutive days.
• Refining ordinance language throughout to better define applicability, administrative procedures, and program intent.
Because the Planning Commission did not make a recommendation, staff is seeking policy direction from the City Council before expending additional resources preparing the ordinance for formal adoption proceedings.
If the City Council wishes to pursue the ordinance, staff will return at a future meeting with a proposed ordinance for introduction and first reading
.
Alternatively, the City Council may direct staff not to proceed further with the proposed ordinance or provide alternative policy direction regarding vacant commercial property maintenance and enforcement.
CITY FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no direct fiscal impact associated with providing policy direction.
ATTACHMENTS:
• EXHIBIT A - Draft RBMC Update
• EXHIBIT B - Registration Form
• EXHIBIT C - Inspection Form