Planning board considers drafting abandoned-property fee and land-bank tools to address blight

Planning board members raised concerns about a cluster of abandoned houses, particularly on Park Street, and discussed pursuing an ordinance or fee structure used in other communities to encourage property maintenance or expedited transfer to a land bank.

A member said one Park Street house had been vacant for about five years and that multiple notices of violation had been sent. The board discussed an “abandoned house” ordinance concept with an escalating fee — for example, a small fine in year one that increases in subsequent years — to motivate property owners to address long-term vacancies. A quoted example in the meeting described the escalation as $100 the first year, $2,500 the second year and $5,000 the third year, noting the fee design creates increasing urgency.

Staff said the abandoned-property fee concept is integral to a land-bank proposal the city is considering and that fees for rental properties and unoccupied houses are part of the draft land-bank design. Staff asked the board to research prototype ordinances in communities of similar size and to add the topic to a future agenda.

Board members agreed to include the abandoned-property discussion on the next agenda and a member volunteered to research existing models; staff said some of the Park Street lots had received enforcement letters and that mowing had occurred on at least one lot since the notices were sent.

No ordinance was drafted or adopted at the meeting; the board instructed staff and members to prepare comparative models and return the item for formal consideration at a future meeting.