The city has sent 17 violation notices to owners of vacant buildings who have failed to register their facilities or pay a required fee, according to city data.
About 30 vacant commercial buildings have been identified in the city. The Xenia Planning and Zoning Department will give an update on vacant building registrations during the city council meeting tonight .
Xenia City Planner Brian Forschner’s update to the council comes six months after the city council passed the local law, on Feb. 13, requiring vacant commercial building property owners to submit a completed registration form to the planning and zoning department.
The city plans to pursue legal action against vacant commercial building owners who have not filed registrations and paid fees by the end of this week, according to city documents.
“It’s a little early in the process to report tangible results, said Forschner. “We’re still tracking some people down who haven’t registered. So, it really takes some time to realize the fruits of the program.”
The vacant commercial building law was proposed based on recommendations in the city’s revitalization plan to improve commercial and residential areas in the city. The law was enacted as part of a broader interest in reinvesting in existing neighborhoods and maintaining buildings in the city, according to city officials.
Some of the vacant commercial building owners, an estimated 13, have started actively marketing their properties but have not found a tenant, according to city data.
“We’re hoping it will have a positive impact,” said Steve Brodsky, the city development director. “I think it is prompting some of the building owners to be more aggressive in marketing their buildings. That means there is the potential that they could be redeveloped and put back into positive uses which is really the goal of the program.”
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