BLUE FOLDER ITEM
Blue folder items are additional back up material to administrative reports and/or public comments received after the printing and distribution of the agenda packet for receive and file.
AUGUST 20, 2024
P.1 DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE DIRECTION TO STAFF REGARDING CHRONICALLY
VACANT COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES THAT ADD TO BLIGHT AND
NUISANCE IN THE COMMUNITY
CONTACT: MICHAEL W. WEBB, CITY ATTORNEY
JOY FORD, QUALITY OF LIFE PROSECUTOR
• PUBLIC COMMUNICATION
Benefits of Adopting a Municipal Code to Ameliorate Chronically Vacant Housing Units (CVHU)
1. More Property Tax Revenue.
The supporting material for the proposed Redondo Beach General Plan (RBGP) taken from the State GIS shows zones R1, R1A, R2 and R3 have 1256 vacant dwelling units, or about 5% of the total dwelling units in the City. R1 and R1A alone a total of 436 vacant dwellings. Using the CVHU's I've visually identified and verified as a sample, the property tax differential between the CVHU's and neighboring residential properties is about 50% (an average of $5000 per year). Assuming that 25% (109) of the vacant R1 dwelling units in Redondo Beach are CVHU's, then the potential incremental annual property tax revenue to be gained by encouraging development= $545,000.
2. More Sales And Other Tax Revenue. The people who move into property developed from CVHU's will be also be local consumers.
3. Added Education Revenue. Some of the people who move into property developed from CVHU's have children who will go to school. The RB schools will benefit from the additional headcount, important during a period of declining enrollment, and will thereby receive more State funding.
4. Increase RB's Housing Supply. Thereby reducing pressure to find land for new units to satisfy state requirments..
5. A More Vibrant Community. People make a community. CVHU's separate people and thus detract from community. That's why cities fight blight and the federal government offers cities incentives to do so.
6. Possibility of State or Federal Help to Fight Blight. RB city government should investigate how such incentives can be gotten. Also, neighboring communities have added code to incentivise/penalize CVHU's. See attached Manhattan Beach Municipal Code enhancement.
Proposed Addition to The Redondo Beach Muni Building Code [proposed by J.R. Mueller (jrmmgr@aol,com), 2010 Mathews Ave on June 20, 2024] Chapter 9-xx Abatement of Chronically Vacant Buildings
9-xx.010 Purpose: The purpose of the Chronically Vacant Building Ordinance is to supplement the City's police power to declare chronically vacant buildings a nuisance needing remedy and for abatement of commercial and residential properties intentionally held vacant by owners who live either within the city of Redondo Beach or elsewhere.
9-xx.020 Definitions: The following definition of chronically vacant building shall govern this chapter and apply to any building within the City of Redondo Beach, whether residential or commercial, for which one or more of the following conditions are met:
1: Any building which has been un-occupied for two or more years or occupied by un-authorized persons.
2: Any vacant building with one or more building code or nuisance violations. 3: Any vacant building unit which which is boarded irrespective of code or nuisance violations. 4: Any vacant building that is included as an asset in any legal action pending, under current notice of default, trustees sale, tax lien, or subject of foreclosure or transfer under a deed in lieu of foreclosure. 9-xx.030 Enforcement Remedies Violations of this chapter may be prosecuted as misdemeanors pursuant to the appropriate enforcement section of the municipal code. Injunctive relief and other civil penalties may be sought against any person or entity that violates this chapter. 9-xx.40 Regulations: It shall be unlawful and a violation to fail to follow any of these regulations relating to chronically vacant buildings.
1. A chronically vacant commercial building shall be so deemed until a lawfully permitted business is operating in it.
2. All windows, doors and any opening giving outside access to a chronically vacant building will be secured, barricaded or covered in a manner sufficient to deny unauthorized access by humans or access by rodents, insects or other vermin.
3. Chronically vacant buildings shall be emptied of any item(s) not necessary to the integrity of the structure and maintained in that empty condition until the building no longer fits the definition of a chronically vacant building.. The grounds that are part of the property on which a chronically vacant building is situated will be kept cleared of any debris or excess vegetation, or items not necessary to the integrity and safety of the property, for example, unlicensed vehicles, storage containers, .
4. The owner of a chronically vacant building shall comply with any written request by a city authority to inspect the chronically vacant building, grant access to the property, and comply in a timely manner with any corrective actions requested by the authority. Failure by the owner to comply will be considered a misdemeanor.
9-xx.50 Statement of Intent
1. the owner of a chronically vacant building will register the building as such with the City by filling out the prescribed form describing the property and including contact information for both the owner and any agent of the owner who will be responsible for maintaining the property.
2. Once each calendar year, the owner of a chronically vacant building will file a statement of intent with the City. The statement will include the following information: Expected period of vacancy, a plan for regular maintenance while vacant, a plan and timeline for lawful occupance, rehabilitation, or demolition of the building, a plan for development or sale of the property, and any additional information the City shall require.
3. Failure to submit annually, the Statement of Intent, is unlawful and a misdemeanor.