Efforts to address vacant commercial buildings in Auburn to continue, workshop to be scheduled

The city of Auburn will continue efforts in relation to a proposed ordinance to address vacant commercial buildings in Old Town and Downtown. The ordinance was introduced on Jan. 13 as a way to combat structural blight of vacant buildings, so as not to detract from aesthetic appeal, depress property values or discourage economic development. The ordinance was proposed as being complaint-driven and would require property owners to register their property as vacant after a certain time frame, paying a quarterly fee, reporting property conditions for inspections and making any necessary repairs/renovations to fix any structural issues. At the June 9 meeting, Councilmember Alice Dowdin Calvillo proposed a six-month time provision for a building vacancy. Following deliberation over the time frame and applicable fees, the council continued the item to the June 23 meeting. At the June 23 meeting, Jonathan Wright, community and economic development director for the city, shared concerns he heard from property owners included the ordinance hurting investment in town, properties would not be able to sell due to the restrictions and the 90-day time frame was too short. The council continued deliberations over the ordinance, including concerns over enforcement, flexibility for property owners who are actively trying to rent their properties and how to make the ordinance wording more comprehensive. The council received five comments noting the city has some responsibility in marketing Auburn to draw businesses in, a vacancy impact study was needed so there is transparency in how many vacancies there are in the city and the best option would be to instead put together a registry of the vacant spaces to connect property owners with developers and business owners. The council continued discussions on how the city could be more proactive in the city's vitality and less punitive with the ordinance as well as how to add flexibility for property owners who would be compliant under the ordinance. Mayor Sandy Amara made a motion to approve the reintroduction of the ordinance to include changing the 90-day period to 180 days. The motion failed due to not receiving a second. "I understand the concern about a couple of properties, but I just really feel like there's better ways of spending our time and I feel like there's other ways that we should be promoting Auburn and getting things going that maybe could help to bring in business versus doing this and it would be more beneficial for everyone and not so punitive," Councilmember Rachel Radell-Harris said. Radell-Harris noted wanting to put the ordinance on hold until the form-based code and general plan were done, as those had a higher priority for the city. Amara noted she disagreed because the item has been brought up to the public "for over a year" and she did not want it to be brought up just to be put off. Dowdin Calvillo said she would like for a workshop to be scheduled for the city to discuss vacancies with property owners so the city could understand what is being done and what challenges owners are currently facing. Wright noted concern over engaging with property owners who don't show up to meetings or move things along with their properties. Dowdin Calvillo also noted, "... We want all those property owners to come to the table and show us that you are devoted to getting your buildings rented and that you care about the community and that you want to see that happen so that we can be vibrant. And if you're absent, that sends a message, too. Then we can decide what to do." Amara noted she wanted to see the item return to the council sooner than later. Following deliberations, the council directed city staff to hold a workshop with property owners to include the attendance of two members of the council.