DEPARTMENT: Development Services
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Michael Shannon, Director
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
Commercial Corridor Code Sweeps
SUMMARY:
Discussion will focus on proactive code enforcement sweeps along commercial corridors across the city. This includes identifying the corridors within each council district that meet the targeted criteria and creating a timeline and action plan for implementation. Proactively addressing these concerns will help improve revitalization efforts throughout the City and reduce the visual blight in highly traveled corridors.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Council Member Clayton Perry submitted a Council Consideration Request (CCR) on June 28, 2017, asking City staff to establish code enforcement sweeps focused on main arterial commercial corridors. These commercial corridors can include those located within Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) boundaries, commercial areas targeted for revitalization, and/or commercial corridors with a high rate of code violations.
In the spring of 2017, former Councilman Gallagher requested a project within the Perrin Beitel and Nacogdoches commercial corridor. This corridor is located within a TIRZ and is also part of a commercial revitalization program. Code Enforcement staff worked within the selected corridor for four weeks and identified 422 code violations. Of these, 92% were brought into compliance. The most common violations were for lack of valid certificate of occupancy, to include posting, bandit signs, and property maintenance issues.
ISSUE:
Visual blight viewed on the highly traveled corridors can present a negative impact on revitalization efforts throughout the City. Proactively targeting this blight within the commercial corridors will encourage property owners to continue to maintain their properties and improve the health, safety and overall quality of life of all residents.
Therefore, as proposed in Council Member Perry’s June 28, 2017, CCR, City staff recommends preparing an action plan and timeline to schedule these projects throughout all ten council districts.
ALTERNATIVES:
As an alternative, the Governance Committee could choose not to move forward with the timeline and action plan, to further ensure the health, safety and quality of life for San Antonio residents who live near these corridors, as well as those traveling in and around these commercial areas.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact is unknown at this time but may include additional resource needs based on the result of stakeholder process and code/program development.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends moving forward to begin identifying the commercial corridors across the city, along with developing an action plan and timeline for code enforcement sweeps along these areas, to include sustainability of these scheduled projects. The findings will be presented to the Community Health and Equity Committee prior to forwarding the issue to the full City Council for consideration.