TITLE
Recommendation to request City Attorney to draft an ordinance amending Long Beach Municipal Code Chapter 18.21, Maintenance of Long-Term Boarded and Vacated Buildings, to include vacant lots. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
On May 24, 2016, the City Council requested the City Manager to explore the feasibility of a citywide Vacant Lot Registry Ordinance that would address the negative impacts of vacant lots throughout Long Beach. This City Council request followed the successful implementation of a revised Foreclosure Registration Program in October 2011 and the ongoing success of the Vacant Building Monitoring Program.
The intent of a Vacant Lot Registry is to complement the Foreclosure Registry and the Vacant Building Monitoring Program in protecting neighborhoods from negative impacts associated with vacant buildings and lots. Vacant lots, particularly those that are not well kept, are associated with decreased perceptions of neighborhood safety and decreased property values. Vacant lot registration, enhanced maintenance and upkeep standards, and proactive inspections can help mitigate the negative impacts associated with vacant lots while creating opportunities for community members and potential developers to activate such lots for community-serving uses and potential development opportunities.
Staff secured a list of 2,100 potentially vacant lots based upon property ownership records provided by the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor (Assessor). Using GIS tools, aerial photography, and City records, staff analyzed each of the 2,100 lots to determine whether it would be eligible for the Vacant Lot Registry (Registry). Over 70 percent of the lots originally identified through the Assessor were deemed ineligible for the Registry by staff. Upon completion of the computer-based analysis, a random sample of lots from the original list of 2,100 was selected and field-checked for eligibility and accuracy. Through this blind random sample, staff ver...
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