Columbia City Council passes vacant building ordinance

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The Columbia City Council passed an ordinance at its meeting Tuesday that establishes a registry of vacant buildings.

Under the ordinance, effective immediately, all buildings must be registered with the city’s code enforcement division within 120 days of becoming vacant. The registration is valid for one year and must be renewed annually if the building remains vacant.

The original version of the ordinance required registration within 10 days of vacancy.

Upon registration, owners are required to submit a repair or rehabilitation plan to make the building ready for occupancy and provide consent allowing city officials to enter and inspect the property.

Fees take effect after the first year of registration. Upon the first renewal, property owners must pay $100 for nonresidential structures. For a residential structure, the annual renewal fee is $50.

The second annual renewal fee for nonresidential structures is $500, with the fee increasing to $1,000 for the third annual renewal and annual renewals thereafter.

For residential buildings, the fee for the second annual renewal is $250 and increases to $500 in the third annual renewal and every renewal thereafter.

If registration fees are not paid, a lien will be placed on the property.

Buildings that are used as residential rentals and may still have active residential permits are exempt from registration. Office, industrial or general commercial use buildings actively for sale or lease also are exempt.

If a building is not registered or the owner’s information is not updated with the city, an administrative penalty of $500 will be filed against the property owner.

All registered vacant buildings must be secured and boarded up in accordance with previous city law.

Before the unanimous vote in favor of the ordinance by city council, several residents spoke against it. No members of the public spoke in favor of the ordinance.

Pinehurst neighborhood resident Rebecca Parms said the ordinance was not written with lower-income people in mind and called the fees “burdensome.”

“These are not fees,” she told council. “They’re penalties.”

Catherine Bruce, a resident of the Waverly Historic District and a candidate for Columbia City Council District 2 seat, also opposed the ordinance, saying it criminalizes vacant buildings.

 “So a vacant building that is not violating any code is still going to be subject to being on the list by being examined, and possibly not in an equal fashion, with other folks,” she said.

A provision that permitted seizure of property by eminent domain was removed from the final version of the ordinance.